Gallery: Christel Ferrier-Bruneau goes head-to-head with Maghalie Rochette in Sherbrooke
Exciting battle ends with with veteran taking the win ahead of the defending champion.
Cyclocross nationals in Sherbrooke. Photo: Philippe Tremblay
The cross-over was a new technical feature on the course.
Rochette got a seven-second gap on Ferrier-Bruneau at one point.
2015 champion Mical Dyck rode in third for much of the race
Sandra Walter was fourth
Lyne Bessette raced to sixth from the back of the field.
Ruby West took the under-23 women's title
Ferrier-Bruneau was suffering mid-race.
Then she made a comeback and passed Rochette.
It was enough to put the defending champion under pressure.
Post-race be-brief.
Ferrier-Bruneau with her three-year-old son on the top step of the podium.
Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (SAS-Macogep) is relatively new to the Canadian cycling scene but the experienced veteran rode a calculated race to win the championship title. After two French national road titles on the rode in 2009 and 2011, Ferrier-Bruneau took her first national cyclocross championship title and denied Maghalie Rochette (Clif Bar Team) the title defense.
RELATED:Â Podium celebrations closeout the 2017 Canadian cyclocross championships
Mid-race it looked like Rochette was in place to defend her title with a seven-second gap to Ferrier-Bruneau. The 38-year-old who is making a return to elite racing in 2017, came storming back to take the lead. Ferrier-Bruneay who now calls Granby, Que. home rode strong in the final laps and extended her lead on to 34-seconds over Rochette by the line.
RELATED: Michael van den Ham solos to elite men’s Canadian cyclocross championship title in Sherbrooke
Mical Dyck (Naked Factory Racing) was unable to keep pace with the leaders but was a step ahead of the rest of the challengers and finished on the third step of the podium. Sandra Walter (Liv Cycling Canada) was fourth. Ruby West (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) rode a confident race to take the under-23 women’s title.
