Cycling Blogs - Colt From Cyclingdirt
Canada Cup #1 | Baie Saint Paul
No video tonight, sorry guys. Long travel day. I'm up in Baie Saint
Paul, Quebec, Canada right now for round number one of the Canada Cup
series. For those who are not familiar with the Canada Cup, it is their
national mountain bike series. So, (US Cup - US) + Canada = Canada Cup.
Got it?
Last year, Geoff Kabush won the NMBS series overall for the third year
in a row. Before him, names like Roland, Ryder, Seamus, and Shep
occupied the number one spot in the rankings. Canada's mountain bike
elite have been making the trip South for years to compete with the
higher levels of competition in the U.S., and for years, have
fared pretty well. The bigger fields and greater media coverage keeps
Canada's top riders on the road nearly year round if they want to make
it on the biggest stage. I've never understood why they should have to
come to US and we
never come to THEM. With a full national series much like our own
(complete with UCI points and prize money) why is it you never see our
top riders toeing the line North of the border? Why does the cycling
media have people at Fontana and not Alberta? I guess there's a bit of
a chicken/egg situation with the Canada Cup. Top US riders wont come
until there is good media coverage of the event and media wont make the
trip if the top riders are absent...
Financially speaking, there's not much difference in flying to California
vs. flying to Quebec. The races pay money, the courses are awesome, the
weather is ideal for MTB racing... I'll take 61 and sunny in British
Columbia over 109 in Santa Ynez, CA any day (So would Georgia Gould, I
bet.)
So this weekend we'll be here on-site to bring you full coverage of the
race along with some general coverage the the mountain bike racing
scene in Canada. I'm pretty interested to hear their impressions about
US racing vs Canadian racing and how we can do more to see them merge.
The videos/ photos/ updates will kick off tomorrow and keep rolling all
weekend. Look for a proper preview video sometime early tomorrow along
with a look at the course and all the pre-race interviews.
You can take a look at confirmed riders, here.
Good luck to everyone racing this weekend and as always, be sure to come here after and share your story!
(Coverage Page for the race is here)
photos by Trailwatch
More Photos
 Emily Batty of the Trek team will be in Baie Saint Paul this weekend fresh off a pair of top 15 world cup results across the pond. |  Geoff Kabush has led the Canadian charge on US soil over the past several years, wining the NMBS overall the last 3 years. | |
 Canadian Olympian and 2009 Pan Am Champion Catherine Pendrel is one of the only women to give Georgia Gould a challange at the US National series races. I'd like to see Georgia vs. Catherine in a Canada Cup... |  Max Plaxton is another top Canadian rider who spends the majority of his year living and racing in the USA. |  Adam Morka will be on hand this weekend to contest the pro men's race, fresh off his first European world cups. |
 Marie Helene Premont is one of the few Canadians not to race the US National Series. (last I remember was 2005 NMBS #1 in Tapatio Springs, Texas) |
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