Baie-Saint-Paul, QC (September 25, 2021) – After awarding eight cross-country titles on Friday, the 2021 Canadian Mountain Bike XCO Championships continued on Saturday with the Short Track (XCC) event being presented for the first time. A large crowd gathered at the Baie-Saint-Paul campgrounds to watch the Elite women and men complete several loops of the 1-kilometer course for a total of 20 minutes.
The women’s race was full gas from the start and numerous contenders sat at the front during various parts of the race, including Tokyo 2020 Olympian Haley Smith, XCO champion Jennifer Jackson and former U23 champion Laurie Arsenault. Sandra Walter (Liv Racing Collective) stayed with the main pack throughout the race and decided to attack with 300 meters to go, keeping that momentum until the finish line to take her second Elite title and become Canada’s first Short Track champion. Jocelyn Stel (Cyclepath Oakville Race Team) was right behind her in second, followed by Haley Smith (Norco Factory Team) in third.
Sandra Walter wins the first XCC women’s Canadian title
Photo credit: Ludovic Boquel
“I’m really excited and to be honest, a bit surprised,” said Walter. “I usually tend to do better on courses that have a good climb in them and most of the course was flat with a lot of technical corners, so it was very tactical. I really focused on staying near the front but not at the front, I stayed out of the wind as much as I could and saved energy and just waited until the end to make my move. I can’t wait to represent the maple leaf at the short tracks next year.”
35 athletes took the start for the men’s race, which was mainly controlled by riders from Norco Factory Team and Team Pivot Cycles – OTE. The race was extremely fast and tactical, with a group of about 15 riders remaining at the front for the entire twenty minutes. 2019 U23 XCO champion Quinton Disera (Norco Factory Team) attacked on the final climb and sprinted to first place, with Marc-André Fortier (Team Pivot Cycles – OTE) and Tyler Orschel (Norco Shredders) stepping on the podium for the second time this weekend.
Photo credit: Ludovic Boquel
“Short track is one of those races that can go any way,” said Disera. “On the last lap, it kind of sat up for a quick second and I thought this is the time to go. I’m pretty confident in my sprint so once it got flat, I just really laid it out there. I’m super stoked to be the first Canadian Short Track champion.”
The championships conclude tomorrow with the cross-country races for Masters men and women starting at 1:00pm EST. Full results and event details can be found here.
Results
Elite Women: 1- Sandra Walter 2- Jocelyn Stel 3- Haley Smith
Elite Men: 1- Quinton Disera 2- Marc-André Fortier 3- Tyler Orschel
About Cycling Canada
Cycling Canada is one of the oldest national sport organizations in Canada and has one simple purpose: to inspire Canadians to cycle. Cycling Canada administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country, hosts national and international events and manages the National Team in all levels of international competition.