Profiling the Canadians racing the 2018 cyclocross world championships

by John Hauser

The 2018 cyclocross world championships in Valkenburg-Limburg, Netherlands are live this Saturday and Sunday. With heavy rains hitting the region, a classic cyclocross mud fest is probable.

Canada has 13 athletes attending the competition this weekend. Top-10 and top-15 results are expected. Canadian Cycling is here with a rundown of our Canadian under-23 and elite athletes ahead of this weekends competition. Be sure to tune in and cheer on Team Canada this weekend!

Elite Women

Christel Ferrier-Bruneau – Granby, Que.
Trade team : SAS Macogep Acquisio
2017/2018 UCI World Cup Ranking : 24th

Ferrier-Bruneau is the current 2018 Canadian national cyclocross champion for elite women. She exploded onto the World Cup series this season placing ninth at World Cup Waterloo. With consistent top-20 finishes in the World Cup, plus a third place at the Pan American continental cyclocross championships, we expect great results from Ferrier-Bruneau in Valkenburg.

Mical Dyck – Cumberland, B.C.
Trade team: Naked Factory Racing
2017/2018 UCI World Cup Ranking: 113th

Mical Dyck was the 2015 Canadian national cyclocross champion for elite women. Her World Cup cyclocross campaign has been quiet this year, with just one race in Hoogerheide where she finished 42nd. Dyck is bringing her extensive experience to the Canadian team this year and is helping guide the next generation of elite Canadian cyclocross racers through the system.

Maghalie Rochette – St-Jerome, Que.
Trade team : Clif Pro Team
2017/2018 UCI World Cup Ranking: 21st

Rochette produced the most impressive international result in recent Canadian cyclocross history, coming fifth at the world championships in Bieles last year. Rochette is Canada’s top-ranked elite woman in the World Cup this year. With a super impressive result at the icy world championships in Bieles in 2017, perhaps a wet and muddy Valkenburg will help her produce another great result for 2018.

Elite Men

Mark McConnell – Calgary, Alta.
Trade team: Hot Sauce Cycling
2017/2018 UCI World Cup Ranking: 130th

Think pink. Mark McConnell, affectionately known by his one-man team name “Hot Sauce” is a Canadian cyclocross fan favourite. McConnell finished third at Canadian national cyclocross championships in Sherbrooke in 2017. Other top results include a third-place finish at the Silver Goose UCI C2 event in Midland, Ont. McConnell’s World Cup campaign this year has included just two races. Keep an eye out for the man in pink with the bushy beard in Valkenburg this weekend.

Michael Van den Ham – Abbotsford, B.C.
Trade team: Garneau-Easton presented by Transitions Lifecare
2017/2018 UCI World Cup Ranking: 39th

Canada’s current national cyclocross champion and highest World Cup ranked elite male. Van den Ham finished a very impressive third at the Pan American cyclocross continential championships this season. Competition is very deep in the elite men’s field at World Championships. If Van den Ham is on form we could see a top-30 result or possibly better from him this weekend.

U23 Women

Siobhan Kelly – London, Ont.
Trade team: To Wheels Epic Sports
2017/2018 UCI World Cup Ranking: 142nd

Kelly has had an impressive 2017-2018 cyclocross campaign with top-10 finishes at the national and continental championships. She is commonly a top finisher in the provincial Ontario Cup cyclocross series. Expect good things from Kelly in the future.

Magdeleine Vallieres Mill – Sherbrooke, Que.
Trade team: Club Cyclist de Sherbrooke
2017-2018 UCI World Cup Ranking: 133rd

Vallieres Mill is an impressive young racer from Quebec. She finished second at Canadian national cyclocross championships in Sherbrooke this year, her hometown. She also had a top-ten finishes at the highly contested Grand Prix of Gloucester in the U.S. At just 17 years old, Vallieres Mill has plenty of time to grow into the sport and produce top results.

Ruby West – Dundas, Ont.
Trade team: Cannondale presented by Cyclocrossworld.com
2017-2018 UCI World Cup Ranking: 36th

The list of accomplishments from this 19-year-old Ontario native is impressive. 2018 Canadian national cyclocross champion for U23 women, Vittoria Cyclocross Series champion, fifth at continental championships, to name a few. West could very well produce our nations best overall result in the U23 women’s competition in Valkenburg this weekend.

U23 Men

Nicholas Diniz – Oakville, Ont.
Trade team: National Cycling Centre Hamilton Elite
2017-2018 UCI World Cup Ranking: 229th

Nicholas is our only Canadian representative in the U23 men’s competition in Valkenburg. He had good results this season with a fifth at nationals and two UCI C2 top-tens. At 19, he will be amongst the youngest competitors in the U23 field.

In addition to our U23 and elite competitors we have four Junior Men competing at World Championships this weekend. Tyler Clark of King City, Ont., Dylan Kerr of Horseshoe Valley, Ont., Conor Martin of Kelowna, B.C., and Paul Mysko of Barrie, Ont. Best of luck to them all!

Junior Men, U23 Women and Elite Women compete Saturday, February 3rd. U23 Men and Elite Men will compete Sunday, February 4th. As mentioned above, watch the racing live here.

Thanks to John Hauser for contributing this article. Hauser is the director of the Silver Goose Cyclocross race in Midland, Ont. which will host the 2018 and 2019 Pan American cyclocross championships, and Canadian National Cyclocross Championships  Follow @silvergoosecx on Facebook and Instagram for more cyclocross news.