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Ethan Powell and Alexandra Volstad carry off Canadian Junior road titles

'Cross junior world champ Isabella Holmgren just misses out on podium

Alexandra Volstad Photo by: Grégoire Crevier
June 24, 2023
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With the races against the clock in the rearview mirror, Saturday was time for the road races at the Canadian Road Championships in Edmonton, AB.

The first road race of the 2023 Canadian Road Championships trailblazed the approximately 10.4 km circuit, the 59 Junior Men taking on 12 laps. In the fifth lap Patrick Harris of Ignite bolted on the others and soloed away for a few circuits until he was nabbed on the eighth. New Junior time trial champion Matthew Ney tried his luck but couldn’t make the move stick.

The next two laps saw a whittling down of number, and then at the start of the bell lap, Ethan Powell (Ontario) and Mathis Begin (ZVP Opto-Reseau) dashed clear. Québec, Red Truck and Ignite all tried to chase them down but to no avail. Powell dropped Begin and raised his arms at the line.

Gold) Ethan Powell (Team Ontario) 3:05:19
Silver) Mathis Begin (ZVP Opto-Reseau) +0:12
Bronze) Kaden Colling (Ignite Junior Cycling) +0:35

The para cycling athletes rode anywhere from two (T1-2 Women) to seven (Tandem Men) laps. Québec’s Tarek Dahab was the MC-2 victor, while Albertan Michael Sametz was top in MC-3. Piotr Czyzowicz of Québec was impressive in his MC-4 victory. Martin Duif is both the MH-1 2023 time trial and road champion. Michael Trauner’s efforts got him the MT-1 title; the top prize in MT-2 was Louis Albert Corriveau Jolin’s.

Albertans ruled the B events, Carla Shibley bearing away the WB laurels and Lowell Taylor collecting the MB title.

Charles Moreau and Joey Desjardins took the MH-3 competition right down to the wire, where Desjardins prevailed.

Saturday’s final action was the Junior Women‘s race, 8 laps or 86.4 km. Thirty-eight riders took the start and sailed along together over the first half of the route. Friday’s chrono silver medalist Isabella Holmgren tried to initiate something on Lap 5 along with eleven others including her twin Ava, the new time trial titlist Nora Linton and the current road champion Anabelle Thomas. Ava decided to light out on her own but there were four Québec riders in the break and they weren’t having any of it.

By the bell lap, it was clear that the 2023 champion was in the dozen out front. Linton led the charge to the finish line. Alexandra Volstad had the legs on Saturday, and after finishing sixth last year, she emerged as the new champion. Éloise Camiré (Equipe du Québec), third in Friday’s chrono, was runner-up and Thomas placed third.

Gold) Alexandra Volstad (Team Alberta)
Silver) Éloise Camiré (Equipe du Québec)
Bronze) Anabelle Thomas (Team Alberta)

Sunday concludes the road races with Elite and U23 Men’s and Women’s contests.

Grégoire Crevier
Alexandra Volstad of Team Alberta wins the junior women’s race at the national road championships in Edmonton, 2023. Image: Grégoire Crevier