CANADIANS FINISH TOP-25 AT CYCLO-CROSS WORLDS

Cycling Canada – Valkenburg, Netherlands, February 4, 2018 – Canada had top-25 finishes in all three races on the first day of competition at the 2018 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships on Saturday, in Valkenburg, Netherlands. Canadian Junior Men’s champion Tyler Clark of King City, Ontario, had the top Canadian result of the day in 19th place.

Days of rain turned the circuit into a muddy mess, with almost every rider crashing at least once. Clark had a strong start in the Junior men’s race, the first one of the Championships. For the first half of the race he held onto a top-10 position, before fading slightly in the third of four laps.  A crash in the final lap dropped him further back to finish 19th, two minutes and 24 seconds behind winner Ben Tulett of Great Britain. Connor Martin of Kelowna, BC, was 29th, Dylan Kerr of Horseshoe Valley, Ontario, was 43rd and Paul Mysko of Barrie, Ontario, was 62nd.

Photo Rob Jones/Canadian Cyclist (All Rights Reserved)
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In the New Under-23 Women’s category, Canadian champion Ruby West of Dundas, Ontario, finished just outside the top-20, in 21st place, five minutes and 31 seconds behind winner Evie Richards of Great Britain. Right behind her was Magdeleine Vallieres of Sherbrooke, Quebec, with Siobhan Kelly of London, Ontario, finishing 40th.

Photo Rob Jones/Canadian Cyclist (All Rights Reserved)

The day concluded with the Elite Women’s competition. Maghalie Rochette of St-Jerome, Quebec, fifth at the world championships last year, had a strong top-10 start and maintained her position through the first lap and a half before falling back to eventually finish 22nd, four minutes and 27 seconds behind repeat winner Sanne Cant of Belgium. Canadian champion Christel Ferrier Bruneau of Granby, Quebec, was 29th and Mical Dyck of Cumberland, BC, was 31st.

“What a race it was,” said Rochette. “I had a great start and things were looking good. I knew I was ready, fit and excited. I did a mistake early on and lost a few spots and after that, I think I was maybe trying too much. I was riding poorly and making many many mistakes. On days like today, you are almost racing the course more than other people, and you really need to be smooth and limit the mistakes and I didn’t do that very well today.”

Photo Rob Jones/Canadian Cyclist (All Rights Reserved)

“I am a little bit disappointed with my ride and my result, but at the same time, I’m proud of the preparation I did and the effort I put out there today. I know there will be many more World Championships in my future and I already look forward to the next one. It is always a privilege to race those big events and I always make sure I prepare the best way I can. I know I did that. The only thing to do now is to learn from my mistakes and celebrate a great year with the people that support me through the thick and thin; my family and my team!”

About Cycling Canada
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, Cycling Canada aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic, and World Championship medal performances. With the vision of being a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, Cycling Canada manages the High Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country. Cycling Canada programs are made possible through the support of its valued corporate partners – Global Relay, Lexus Canada, Mattamy Homes, Louis Garneau and Bear Mountain Resort – along with the Government of Canada, Own The Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.