Meeuwisse, Guthrie take overall titles as Canada Cup XCO series wraps up in Whistler, B.C.
Elite men's and women's titles went to Geoff Kabush and Catharine Pendrel
With the conclusion of the Canada Cup XCO series in Whistler, B.C. on Sunday, the Canadian mountain biking scene has a new pantheon of champions, with four of Canada’s most powerful contenders emerging from the competition on top.
The final rounds for the elite men’s and women’s races went to Catharine Pendrel of Clif Pro and Geoff Kabush of of Scott-Maxis. Overall titles, meanwhile, went to Soren Meeuwisse, riding for Trek Canada, and Evan Guthrie of Pivot/Race Face/Kal Tire.
Once again, the terrain of Whistler-Blackcomb in B.C. played host to the country’s top XCO athletes—and, as always, the Whistler soil tested even the most powerful contenders. Marked by two grinding climbs and a few singletrack descents, the course featured 240 m of elevation change, spread over a relatively short 4-km course. Still, it wasn’t enough to hold Canada’s competitors back from turning in some head-turning performances, especially Pendrel.
In the elite women’s competition, Pendrel, who claimed bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, broke away and finished with close to 10 minutes gap on the rest of the field. Jayne Rossworn and Emily Unterberger, both representing B.C., took second and third, respectively.
Sophomore under-23 rider Meeuwisse was absent from her competition. But with a strong performance in the previous round, her 740 points overall proved enough to take the title in her classification.
The elite men’s race saw Geoff Kabush put a gap of more than a minute on his nearest competitor, Stephen Ettinger of Focus/Shimano. Guthrie finished third. He finished the series with a total of 805 points to the top spot in general classification. Quinton Disera took second overall with 670 points, while Derek Zandstra of Cannondale-3 Rox took third with 505.
Guthrie, who raced this year as an independent, noted the support he received that led to his overall title.
“Taking the Canada Cup overall this year was a way I hoped to thank all my supporters,” Guthrie said after competition wrapped up. “So many came together to help form my program for 2017 and I just can’t put the appreciation into words. One-day races are always special, like nationals and worlds, but consistency over a six-race series, because of the many battles along the way, is rewarding.”
“My races were far from perfect this year,” he added, “but with the help of many, I was able to clinch the series. This one is for everyone who has continued to support me and the ones who jumped on board for this year.”
Junior riders Julia Long and Holden Jones took the women’s and men’s races, respectively, while overall titles went to Gunnar Holmgren and Leya Masson.
