Will racing in Canada return to normal in 2021?
Cycling Canada has a plan, although it may be "subject to ongoing public health regulations"
Photo by:
Scott Robarts
Taking a positive attitude towards the future, Cycling Canada has released its 2021 events calendar. The complete calendar of events includes new events such as the Classique des Appalaches Gran Fondo and a new BMX Canada Cup stop in Haut-Richelieu, Qc.
Although the schedule looks like most other years, Cycling Canada is being realistic about the possibility of event cancellations. “We are very excited to return with a complete calendar of national events for the 2021 season across all disciplines,” said events and partnerships manager Josh Peacock. “Although Cycling Canada remains optimistic that the conditions surrounding the current pandemic will improve, we remain conscious that our ability to deliver our national events calendar may be subject to ongoing public health regulations. Cycling Canada will continue to work alongside our dedicated group of national event organizers, provincial partners and public health authorities to provide all of the necessary resources to ensure our 2021 events calendar can be conducted in a safe and effective manner.”
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Notably absent from the calendar is the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Qc. The was UCI unable to offer a two-year contract for the hosting of the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup in 2021 and 2022. Organizers chose to take a hiatus from programming in 2021 and are working towards an agreement for the return of the event in 2022 and 2023.
Other holes in the calendar include cyclocross, track, and para track cycling racing. Cycling Canada is currently working with organizers in these disciplines towards an event application deadline of Oct. 1. The organization says it aims to post a complete listing of these events in late 2020.
Road
Elite road racing will return on June 3 with the UCI women’s Chrono Féminin de la Gatineau, followed by the Tour de Gatineau on June 4. A few weeks later in Beauce the Canadian Elite/Junior/Para Road Championships will take place on June 17-20, followed by the Tour de Beauce on June 23-27.
BC Superweek is scheduled to return July 9-18 and Canadian road calendar staple Tour de l’Abitibi from July 12-18. The season will conclude with UCI WorldTour stops in Quebec City and Montreal on September 10 and 12 for the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal.
Part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, the new Classique des Appalaches will take place on July 1-3 in Victoriaville, Qc. The event will be the include the Canadian Masters Road Championships from July 1-4.
MTB
The mountain bike Canada Cup calendar kicks off in Mont-Tremblant, QC, on May 29-30 as a part of the Crossroads Tremblant festival, with offerings in both the DH and XC disciplines. The calendar continues with XCO and DH stops in Alberta, B.C. and Nova Scotia, concluding at the Crankworx Festival for DH series, and in Dieppe, NB, for the XC series. As with 2020, all junior events within the XC series will be sanctioned at a minimum level of UCI C2 including four stops on the UCI Junior Series.
From July 10-11, the Canadian XCO Championships return to Hardwood Ski & Bike in Oro Station, ON, while the Canadian Downhill Championships head to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, B.C., on July 24-25. The season will conclude in Saint-Félicien, QC, for the Canadian XC Marathon Championships on Sept. 11.
The BMX Canada Cup series will kick off in Drummondville, QC, on June 19-20, followed by a new stop on the series at Haut-Richelieu, QC, on June 26-27 and a stand-alone Canada Cup in St. Albert, AB, on July 17-18. The season will conclude with the Canadian BMX Championships and Canada Cup finale at Calgary BMX on August 28-29.
Para-cycling
The para-cycling national schedule is set to return to Montreal on May 1-2 for the Challenge Gary Longhi as part of the Défi Sportif AlterGo Paralympic festival. The season will continue at the Canadian Road Championships on June 17-20, and finish with the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Baie-Comeau, although the dates for the World Cup have yet to be confirmed.
