News

2010 UCI MTB and Trials Championships Coming to Canada

Canada hosts event for the third time in history; world’s best to ride hills of Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC.

August 6, 2010

Sent to Bicycle Paper from Canadian Cycling Association

Ottawa, ON (August 6, 2010) – The Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) is proud to announce the athletes selected to represent Canada at the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships, to be held at Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC from September 1 -5, 2010.

The Mountain Bike World Championships are the biggest annual Mountain Bike event in the world in terms of importance. Over 850 competitors from 50 nations are expected to arrive in Québec City for the event. Over 1000 volunteers will be ensuring a smooth event for everyone involved.

“This event is a great opportunity to showcase our talented athletes and the strong national program to Canadian cycling fans in Québec and in Canada. The team we have selected will represent their country with one goal, to win medals,” said Jacques Landry, Chief Technical Officer for the Canadian Cycling Association.

This 2010 edition of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships is third time the event has been held on Canadian soil and is hosted for the second time in the beautiful mountain resort of Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC. The region is world-renowned for its skiing in the winter, and mountain biking in the summer. Bromont, QC, held the first edition of the event on Canadian soil in 1992.

“Everyone on the team, whether it’s athletes or the support personnel, is excited about the World Championships being held in Canada for the third time. People from all ages have an amazing opportunity to come out, celebrate our athletes, see our Olympians, and learn more about the exciting sport of Mountain Bike and Trials,” continued Landry.

The team is highlighted by many of the biggest names in Mountain Biking such as Pendrel, Prémont, Kabush, Batty, Caron and Smith just to name a few.

Catharine Pendrel (Harvey Station, NB) is the current World Cup leader in the Olympic discipline of Cross-Country (XCO) and current Canadian Champion. Pendrel was Canada’s top rider at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in XCO with a strong 4th place result.

Marie-Hélène Prémont (Chateau Richer, QC), ranked 8th in the World Cup XCO standings, is an eight time Canadian champion and Olympic silver medalist from Athens 2004. Prémont will be riding on the same hill she began her development and progressed towards international stardom within the mountain biking sport.

Geoff Kabush (Courtney, BC) is leading the charge in the Cross-Country discipline with the Men’s Elite group. Kabush is the only Men’s rider with Olympic experience in the delegation. Kabush will be surrounded by Max Plaxton (Victoria, BC), Derek Zandstra (Trenton, ON) and Andrew Watson (Craighurst, ON), the Top 4 at the Canadian Championships race held earlier this summer in Canmore, Alberta.

Emily Batty (Brooklin, ON), who has had a strong summer on the courses of the World Cup tour, will be Canada’s best medal hope in the Women’s U23 category. Batty is the Canadian Champion in the U23 Category. Antoine Caron (Stoneham, QC), who was fourth in last weekend’s World Cup race in Val di Sole, will lead the strong Men’s Junior charge.

Canada will be represented by three Olympians, one Olympic medallist as well as a total of ten 2010 Canadian champions in various age groups and disciplines.

A total of 68 athletes will be representing Canada at the event. Canada will be sending a large contingent of athletes to the World Championships as it benefits from additional quotas as the home nation, in all disciplines and categories.

The CCA has maximized its quota allocation to provide younger riders with the opportunity to learn and acquire experience against the world’s best riders. For this reason the CCA has divided its athletes in two categories: Performance and Development.

This event will have a significant economic impact on the region of Québec as, in addition to the teams and their support staff, over 350 journalists from around the world will be in Québec for the event.

The World Championships will highlight all UCI Mountain Bike events: the Olympic Cross-country (XCO), the Marathon Cross-country (XCM), the Individual Downhill (DHI), 4-Cross (4X), the Team Relay (XCR), as well as the Trials event.

The World Championships events will be broadcasted on various television platforms, which include the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Broadcast details will be unveiled as the event comes closer.

The opening ceremonies of the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships are scheduled for Tuesday, August 31, 2010 in downtown Québec city. The Mountain Bike World Championships competitions will be held at Mont-Sainte-Anne, and the crowd-pleasing Trials discipline will be held downtown. A full schedule of activities and locations can be found here.

During the 2010 World Championships, GESTEV, the organizing committee, is hosting a long list of provincial cycling events, as we all as a festival called “Vélirium” with lots of great entertainers, music shows and parties to keep the cycling fans and visitors entertained during the festivities.

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