Quebec riders golden on home soil

Frédérique Trudel and Leandre Bouchard won the women’s and men’s cross country mountain bike gold medals at the Canada Summer Games, in Sherbrooke, Quebec this past weekend.

The races were run in Mont Bellevue, Que., in muddy conditions that demanded concentration to keep traction. In the closing metres of the women’s race, Trudel beat Ontario’s Laura Bietola to the line. Karlee Gendron of Manitoba finished third for the bronze medal.

Trudel won gold just two weeks after winning the under-23 women’s title at the Canadian mountain bike championships.

Bouchard beat out provincial teammate Antoine Caron for the top step on the podium, with reigning Canadian under-23 men’s champion Mitch Bailey of Ontario claiming third.