Canada’s next generation of mountain bikers arrive at the Mont-sainte-anne world champs

Canada’s junior racers thrived under pressure when the uci mountain bike world championships returned to Mont-sainte-anne this past August. The youngest riders delivered the country’s best results.

Lucas Cruz was fourth in the junior men’s downhill, finishing off his first season of international racing on a high note. The Pemberton, B.C., racer was j ust 0.01 seconds away from earning a medal. Impressive stuff, considering he finished the race with a front tire that was quickly going flat. “Near the bottom I started feeling it slide a little more,” Cruz said. “It definitely would have been nice to have more air in the tires.”

Carter Woods was also fourth, after leading the junior men’s cross country race early on. With no junior XC World Cup series, the national champion’s near-medal performance was borne of only a few international races.

Racing a world championships event at home is an opportunity few riders will get in their careers. The crowds are bigger than a World Cup, the fans know you by name, and they are cheering. Loudly. While the experience can be a rush, it adds pressure, too, especially for first-time world championships participants.

Cruz and Woods weren’t the only riders to push through the pressure and deliver strong results. Three more Canadians finished in the top 10 in the junior men’s downhill: Elliot Jamieson was sixth, Patrick Laffey, eighth, and Seth Sherlock, ninth. The strong showing at worlds caps off a year in which Canadian juniors were on the podium and all over the top 10 at every round of the downhill World Cup circuit. Following the successes of Mark Wallace, Finn Iles and the late Steve Smith, these juniors are adding to Canada’s reputation as a country of fast downhill racers.

Cross country racer Emilly Johnston and Dher Amy Ertel delivered the top junior women’s results. Johnston was ninth, while Ertel finished in 11th place at MontSainte-anne. “There were people chanting ‘Go Emilly! Go Canada!’” Johnston said after her race. “It was just so cool to have the home crowd. I loved it.”— Terrymckall