Pendrel and Gagné victorious at Canada Cup opener at Bear Mountain Resort

Strong season opening performances by Rio Olympians

Philippe Tremblay March 5, 2017

Raphaël Gagné. Photo: Rob Jones

Photo: Rob Jones

Junior womens winner Gwendalyn Gibson. Photo: Rob Jones

Gunnar Holmgren on his way to victory in the junior men's category. Photo: Rob Jones

Elite women's podium. Photo: Rob Jones

Elite men's podium. Photo: Rob Jones

After a couple of weeks of preparation at Canada’s national mountain bike training centre at Bear Mountain Resort, Canada’s top cross-country mountain bikers gathered on the single track near Victoria to contest the opening round of the 2017 Canada Cup.

The season’s first leader’s jersey were at stake at Bear Mountain in the elite and junior categories as racers gathered for the season opener on Saturday. Bear Mountain lies in the foothills of Mount Finlayson and features views of Victoria, the Olympic Mountain Range, the Strait of Georgia and the the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Olympic bronze medalist Catharine Pendrel (Clif Bar) opened her season up with a win leading after the race after the first lap and not letting up. Canadian Champion Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing) who finished fourth at the Olympics and took a bronze medal at the 2016 world championships started strong leading the first lap crossing the line in second. American champion Erin Huck (Cannondale-3Rox) rounded out the podium in third.

“I felt really good out there,” explained Pendrel after her victory. “You never know quite what to expect in the beginning of the season, but it felt like the whole package. I felt strong on the climbs and really smooth in the woods, so I’m happy with how things went. It was a little tricky on the first lap because I got boxed in and didn’t have a good position, but Emily and I were both in the same position; we both cleared it and were able to do our races after that. It’s always great to start the season off strong.”

Raphaël Gagné racing with his new team Cannondale-3Rox started the season with a dominating performance leading the race from the gun. Behind, Evan Guthrie seemed to have second place secured until a mechanical problem on the final lap took him out of podium contention. Geoff Kabush (Scott Sports-Maxxis) crossed the line in second with Canadian championshop Derek Zandstra (Cannondale-3Rox) in third.

“It was a little surprising,” Gagné admitted about his strong season-opening performance. “Obviously, I felt really strong and good, but I didn’t know what to expect. With a new team it brings very good motivation to do well, and I’m happy I could get the win. I’ve been doing some fat bike races and they have been good preparation for this type of course. It was a fun course and I’m happy to be racing.”

Gunnar Holmgren took the win in the junior men’s category while American junior champion Gwendalyn Gibson won the women’s race.

The Canada Cup resumes at the end of the spring with Round 2 at Mont Tremblant on May 21.