The Canadian Cross-Country Mountain Bike Championships raced into Oro-Medonte on Saturday.
Race director Glenn Meeuwisse says the region has been treated to some great racing as more than 500 of the best cyclists from across the nation competed at Hardwood Ski and Bike for a chance to be named Canada’s best in their respective age categories.
“Because it’s so hot, people have been watching from back in the trees,” he said. “I think there are well over 1,500 people here.”
The competitors have been doing their best to combat the heat as well.
“They have to pace more,” Meeuwisse said. “If you go too hard, you overheat and can’t recover.”
Having the national championships at Hardwood Ski and Bike is a great honour, he says.
“This is huge for Hardwood,” he said. “It’s great exposure for cycling in Simcoe County.”
He also feels hosting the event here helps grow the sport of cycling on a local level.
“The kids get to see the best in the world race on their home course,” he said. “It gets them excited to see the sport and gives them something to aspire to.”
The event also rakes in tourism dollars, Meeuwisse says, noting Horseshoe Resort, the host for guests of the event, is completely sold out.
“We have people from across the country here,” he said. “It’s a full show and it’s really great.”
Bella Holmgren, 17, finished in third place in the U19 category. The Orillia native was hoping to finish first but was still happy with her performance.
“It was nice having so many friends and family here today cheering me on,” she said.
She feels racing at Hardwood gave her a leg up on the competition.
“I get to train on this course all year,” she said. “It gives me an advantage having all my friends and family here to support me.”
Her sister, Ava Holmgren, also 17, raced Saturday in the junior women’s category. She finished second.
“It was almost a perfect race for me,” she said. “I drank well, I ate well during the race, I pushed myself to the limit and I’m mostly proud of how clean my race was.”
The heat was a factor for all of the racers, she says.
“We really had to make sure we were well hydrated,” she said. “We had to stay cool and had to make sure we weren’t going over our limit.”
She says it was nice seeing such a big turnout for the races.
“I was really excited to see the top elite racers from every category across Canada racing on my home course,” she said. “It was nice being able to cheer them on, even though I was racing against some of them.”
Full results from Saturday’s races can be found here.
Races continue Sunday.
