Source: Canadian Cycling Association
(Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC - September 3, 2010) Evan McNeely (Kingston, ON) and Antoine Caron (Stoneham, QC) cracked the Top 10 in the Men's junior race today as the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships continues in Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC. McNeely finished with the best Canadian result with a 9th position, while Caron took the 10th spot in what was a glimpse of a promising future for Canadian Mountain Biking.
McNeely, the defending Canadian Junior Champion, completed the five-lap course in 1h 38m 3s, trailing the leader and World Champion by just over 4 minutes. Caron crossed the line just three seconds after his teammate.
"The course is technical. In Ontario, there is nothing like this. They don't have climbs that big and rough, but it suits the Canadian well. Although I'm not the best Canadian, I know I am better than lots of the European on this terrain, said McNeely.
"These results mean a lot confidence for next year as we have to race the Elites, there will be lots more competition. You can compare lap times and see where you place. At the provincial level, I'll be up there in the Elite field. Ninth place is a lot of confidence."
This season, McNeely finished 21st in his first international race, a World Cup race in Switzerland. In his second World Cup event, he went on to finished 11th in Val Di Sole, Italy.
The young cyclist from Kingston, Ontario, is also an avid cyclo-cross cyclist. He will be back in racing when the cyclo-cross season starts in two weeks. McNeely will be moving to Ottawa upon his return from the World Championships, where he will start his university degree in Mechanical engineering at Carleton University.
McNeely was followed to the finish line by Antoine Caron (Stoneham, QC) in 10th position, despite losing two positions and valuable time in the last lap due to a slow leak in his front tire.
« I had a slow leak in the last lap, so I had to watch that the tire didn't go off the wheel. It did cost me a little bit of time. I was able to get to the repair area to change the wheel. The change was done very quickly, but I did lose two positions," said Caron. "I did not have a very good start, I missed my pedal and I found myself about 20th overall. I was able to quietly go back to the seventh position. It is really a mixture of emotions. I am happy, but knowing that I was able to have my Top 5 is frustrating."
Many people converged to Mont-Sainte-Anne for the third day of competitions. "I never expected as many people showing up for the Junior race, on a Friday morning," added McNeely.
Dan Proulx, Head coach for the Canadian Mountain Bike team, was excited by the promising athletes who fought hard amongst the best cyclists in the world.
« Today's junior race shows what is possible when you give athletes exposure to international racing at an early age. Our junior program is in the best shape we've seen in a long time. You saw some of Canada's future potential in races at these World Championships" said Proulx.
MORIN ONLY CANADIAN TO FINISH IN THE U23
In the U23 category, the Swiss rider dominated and surprised many placing three riders on the podium. Mathias Fluckiger took the gold medal in a convincing fashion, despite suffering from , a flat tire in the first lap. The 2010 Swiss National Champion had a stellar season, winning the overall World Cup title in the U23 category.
Swiss teammates Thomas Litscher and Patrick Gallatti finished respectively second and third.
The Canadian Francis Morin (Magog, QC) was the only finished the race. Morin took the 44th place, lagging 15m 58s overall winner.
"I do not think I have been more disadvantaged than others. The pace of the race was higher than in our usual Canada Cup races. My strategy was to go fast enough not to be pulled out. I managed to do the fifth lap, but the sixth was not expected! It hurts, "said Morin.
