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Showdown set for Mountain Bike Nationals

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July 16, 2014
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Emily Batty and Derek Zandstra will each face strong competition when they race to defend their titles at the Canadian Mountain Bike Cross-Country Championships this Saturday, at Hardwood Ski and Bike resort, north of Barrie, Ontario.

Batty, who races for Trek Factory Racing, and the Scott-3Rox rider Zandstra are both fresh from winning their respective races at the Canada Cup held in Sudbury, Ont., last weekend.

At the 2013 Nationals, Batty quickly opened up a lead on her rivals and rode to her first national title as an elite racer. However, Catharine Pendrel (Team LUNA) missed the race due to injury. for the 2014 edition both riders are healthy and are expected to fight right to the closing metres of the course.

Canada Cup series leader Sandra Walter will also race at Nationals, having just finished second to Batty in Sudbury.

Zandstra donned the maple leaf champion’s jersey for the first time in his long career after the 2013 race. Keen to hang on to the title Zandstra will once again face off against his teammate Geoff Kabush, who was just crowned US Cup Champion. Cannondale rider Max Plaxton is a two-time Canadian champion with ambitions of returning to the top of the podium in 2014.

The races will be held on the same course as last year. Over six kilometres of trails, there re plenty of steep ups and downs,and technical sections in the woods. Add in the Boneshaker rock garden visible from the start and finish areas, and the course is designed to have the best riders rise to the top of the order.

 

The 2014 event also serves as a test event for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.

Canadian Cycling Magazine will cover the races live on Saturday, so check back for updates as the race is on.

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