Rafaelle Carrier earns Canada’s first medal at 2024 mountain bike world championships

Rafaelle Carrier stormed to Canada’s first medal at the 2024 UCI mountain bike world championships on Friday. The Lac-Beaport, Que. racer finished second in the junior women’s Olympic cross country race (XCO).

Carrier finished less than a minute (36 seconds) behind the race winner, Viktoria Chladonova of Slovakia. Tereza Šerkezi Maruša of Slovenia rounds out the podium, finishing 1:31 back.

It’s a big result for Carrier, but not her first strong showing at a marjor event. The Pivot Cycles-OTE racer is the junior national champion in XCO as well as in cyclocross. Earlier this year, she finished 16th at cyclocross world championships.

Lily Rose Marois followed in 19th for Canada, with Maude Ruelland not far behind in 22nd. Aislin Hallahan finished a couple spots later in 25th. Eleanor Winchell in 40th rounds out the Canadian junior women’s effort.

Junior men’s XCO

Felix Antoine Leclair led the Canadian effort in the junior men’s XCO, placing 25th in Pal Arinsal. Jacob Roy followed in 31st in the junior men’s XCO, Julien Desjardins 35th, Nicolas Gauthier 43rd and Tristan Taillefer 66th.

After the junior’s had their time on track, the Canada’s under-23 cross country racers took over for a sensational day of short track XCC racing.