Men’s junior and under-23 races at the 2018 Shimano Canadian cyclocross championships

The masters races having churned up the course of the snowy 2018 Shimano Canadian cyclocross championships course in Peterborough, ON on Saturday morning, the under-23 and junior men raced in the early afternoon. Carter Woods earned the junior title while Gunnar Holmgren claimed the under-23 crown.

The under-23 and junior men would race on the course at the same time, with the juniors starting a minute after the older fellows. The reigning under-23 champion Raphael Auclair took the hole shot. Auclair finished Lap 1 in the lead, Tyler Orschel second and the 2016 junior titlist Gunnar Holmgren third. Carter Woods was the top junior after one lap.

The under-23s would race six laps and the juniors would roll five circuits.

Auclair kept the lead into the third lap when Holmgren took over. Behind, Quinton Disera, the 2016 runner-up, pulled himself closer.

Holmgren really began to crank it up at the pointy end of the race. Woods continued racking up seconds as junior leader, Conor Martin in second.

Auclair crashed on the barriers but was only two-seconds in arrears of Disera, Holmgren 1:12 ahead. Auclair ripped the silver spot from Disera on the last lap. Holmgren had time to high five before crossing the finish line, as Auclair resisted Disera’s pursuit.

Woods won by a large margin, 1:46 ahead of Martin.

Congrats to Carter and @NakedBicycles racing today. Impressive ride! #canCXchamps

— TriProf (@triprof) November 10, 2018

2018 Canadian under-23 men’s championship
1) Gunnar Holmgren (Hardwood Next Wave) 53:04
2) Raphael Auclair (Pivot Cycles-OTE) +1:27
3) Quinton Disera (Norco Factory Team) +1:33

2018 Canadian junior men’s championship
1) Carter Woods (Naked Factory Racing) 44:36
2) Conor Martin (Tag Cycling) +1:46
3) Dylan Kerr (AJ’s Evolution-Norco) +2:06