Raphaël Gagné Attacks Late For Elite Men’s Win at 2015 Canadian Cyclocross National Championships – Photo Gallery and Full Results

On Saturday Raphaël Gagné (Red Truck – Garneau p/b Easton Cyclocross Team) became the first Canadian cyclocross champion from Québec Province in at least 18 years. The win came after an intense tactical competition between his team and Geoff Kabush’s SCOTT-3 ROX outfit which saw five-time champion Kabush repeat last year’s second place result.

With the sun drying out the remains of the previous day’s rain, riders in the Shimano Canadian Cyclocross Championships p/b Volvo traversed a mostly tacky course. Damp sand pits proved less decisive than in 2014. The 3.2 kilometer Winnipeg circuit was similar to that used last year, although several tweaks created a tougher challenge overall. Riders tackled varied surfaces of gravel, dirt, cobblestones, wood, pavement, grass and sand.

Red Truck – Garneau p/b Easton Cyclocross Team’s Michael van den Ham shot out of the pack first, but Gagné took the holeshot after the men quickly exited the pavement into the grassy section.

“I led until half-way down the pavement and then Raph [Gagné] came by,” van den Ham later said. “We knew on this course you need to be at the front early or it’s just too tight or you’ll get caught at the back of a group.”

Unlike last year when several riders slid out there in lap one, the field negotiated the green off-camber corners smoothly and then sped along some fast track. When they emerged from a dip down to the river, Kabush was leading, followed by Gagné, 2014 champion Mike Garrigan (Van Dessel/Shimano/Velocolour), van den Ham, and Kabush’s teammates Derek Zandstra and Cameron Jette.

Next the field hit the sand pits which designers lengthened this year. After charging a stone staircase, racers dropped back down to the river and then climbed a steep run-up that led into stairs on one side of a new fly over feature. That funneled into grassy curves which led back onto the paved start/finish lane.

Nearly all of the pre-race favorites soon formed a lead group which contained Gagné with van den ham, Garrigan, Kabush with Zandstra and Jette, Aaron Schooler (Focus CX Team), Evan McNeely (Norco Factory Team), and Mark McConnell (Hot Sauce Cycling).

As the race entered the second half of eight laps and fatigue began to set in, McConnell and Jette fell back as did Garrigan. McNeely later lost contact as well and then the leaders numbered five. Local rider van den Ham set the pace at the front with a bit of help from Kabush while Gagné, who had tried an attack earlier, sat in behind.

With two laps to go Gagné made a push off the front. He gained a gap of several seconds while Kabush took up the chase. But a slip on the off-camber grass cost Kabush a bit of time he couldn’t make up and Gagné won with a five second margin. After Kabush crossed the line Schooler took third.

Van den Ham finished fourth. “I would have loved to take that third spot on the podium but I just had nothing left for the sprint, absolutely nothing,” he said. “The race went down exactly as we planned it. Our plan was to send a guy off the front and sit in, then send a guy off the front and sit in. I’m really happy for Raph, he rode a great race.”

Saying he was “pretty stoked” about earning a maple leaf jersey for Québec, Gagné attributed his first cyclocross national title to precise bike handling but mainly to the support of teammate van den Ham. “It’s definitely a team win today thanks to van den Ham. We both attacked a few times and we both took some pulls and counter-attacked. It’s one of the only races in my career where team tactics was involved. That’s pretty awesome and it sets the tempo for 2015/16.”

Regarding the battle with SCOTT-3 Rox, Gagné added, “They rode strong, and played their cards as well. They were trying tactics as well. I felt like Mike [van den Ham] and I were pretty strong in the sand pit and technically as well. Definitely we had the watts.”

Coming into the race with a clear goal for one the SCOTT-3 Rox riders to win, Kabush was disappointed. “An unfortunate slip with just a lap and a half to go kind of got me, and with Derek [Zandstra off the group], that was just bad timing…and déjà vu, I came up a bit short again. I’m definitely disappointed. But that’s racing and I’ll try again, hopefully.”

2015 Canadian Cyclocross Championships Elite Men's Race Results

Pos	Bib	Last Name	First Name	Team	City	Prov	Time	Gap
1	11	GAGNE	Raphael	Red Truck - Garneau p/b Easton Cycling	Quebec	QC	1:02:35
2	3	KABUSH	Geoff	Scott 3 Rox Racing	N. Vancouver	BC	1:02:40	0'05"
3	4	SCHOOLER	Aaron	Focus CX Team	Edmonton	AB	1:02:44	0'09"
4	1	VAN DEN HAM	Michael	Red Truck - Garneau p/b Easton Cycling	Brandon	MB	1:02:45	0'11"
5	10	ZANDSTRA	Derek	Scott 3 Rox Racing	Trenton	ON	1:02:51	0'16"
6	12	ST JOHN	Derrick	Silber Pro Cycling	Gatineau	QC	1:03:41	1'06"
7	6	MCCONNELL	Mark	Hot Sauce Cycling Club	Calgary	AB	1:03:56	1'22"
8	8	MCNEELY	Evan	Norco Factory Team	Kingston	ON	1:03:59	1'24"
9	5	RICHEY	Craig	Red Truck - Garneau p/b Easton Cycling	North Vancouver	BC	1:04:39	2'04"
10	13	JETTE	Cameron	Scott 3 Rox Racing	Toronto	ON	1:05:16	2'42"
11	2	GARRIGAN	Mike		Veli Losinj	UK	1:05:38	3'03"
12	14	L'ESPERANCE	Andrew	Norco Factory Team	Halifax	NS	1:06:57	4'23"
13	15	BUNNIN	Shawn	Deadgoat Racing	Calgary	AB	1:08:10	5'35"
14	21	BLOOM	Parker	Stuckylife / VIACRA	Victoria	BC	1:08:26	5'51"
15	9	WIEBE	Jason	Team Manitoba	Morden	MB	1:09:11	6'36"
16	16	WAKEFIELD	Brett	Giant Vancouver	Maple Ridge	BC	1:09:18	6'43"
17	23	MCKALL	Terry	Stuckylife / VIACRA	Victoria	BC	1:09:18	6'44"
18	25	WINFIELD	Jon	AWI Racing	Barrie	ON	1:09:40	7'05"
19	24	MITCHELL	Christopher	Rollin Thunder	Thunder Bay	ON	1:11:18	8'44"
20	18	MACHHEIN	Richard	Team Giant Vancouver	Maple Ridge	BC	54:05	-2 laps
21	17	WISHLOFF	Evan	Pedalhead River Valley Health	Spruce Grove	AB	46:41	-3 laps
22	20	MADDEN	Graham	Dark Red Racing	Winnipeg	MB	46:51	-3 laps
23	66	STACHURA	Damian	Velocity	Edmonton	AB	38:14	-4 laps
24	26	INGLIS	Alex	Pedalhead	Edmonton	AB	38:46	-4 laps
25	19	HARRIS	Dylan	Olympia Cycling Club	Winnipeg	MB	39:40	-4 laps
26	27	THIESSEN	Russell	Olympia	Carman	MB	30:55	-5 laps
DNF	28	SLAUGHTER	Jon	Cycle Solutions Angry Johnny's CC pb Norco LG	Bracebridge	ON	34:37
DNF	22	HYYTIAINEN	Olli	Dark Red Racing	Winnipeg	MB	17:48
DNF	7	MARTIN	Jeremy		Boischatel	QC	8:12
DNS	29	HOPPING	Ryan	Redbike	Cochrane	AB

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Disera brothers win U23 and junior men’s races

In the men’s U23 race Winnipeg’s Danick Vandale (Russ Hays/Accent Inns) and Peter Disera (Norco Factory Team) dropped the rest of the field after the first lap. Twenty year-old Disera, a third year student at the University of Guelph near Toronto, beat Vandale in a sprint to the line.

“I’ve been in exams all week and I didn’t get to ride much this week, so the first half of the race I didn’t have that extra snap and then during the second half [Vandale] started to fade a little bit and I started feeling better. I wasn’t expecting it to be that tight of a sprint and I wasn’t expecting to go in first wheel,” Peter Disera said. “[Vandale] came a wheel length up beside me, then I just gave a little bit extra knowing that I wanted that jersey.”

The U23 champion’s brother, Quinton Disera (CSAJCC p/b Norco & LG), won the men’s junior race with a margin of 33 seconds. Gunnar Holmgren from Ontario Province finished second. Last year’s champion, Ollie Evans (Russ Hays/Accent Inns) from Winnipeg, slid out on lap two, chased hard to move up, and finished third.

“It was super hard,” Quinton Disera later said. “My strategy was to go as hard as I could off the start and try to get a gap and make others work to get up to me. I really played the technical sections to my advantage.”

About the brothers’ back to back wins, Quinton Disera said, “It’s a really crazy amount of emotion. It’s like tons of happiness and it just feels like a super successful weekend already, even though we have tomorrow’s [racing]. Dwelling on today is really sweet.”

Canada’s championships are held in the fall due to the country’s early winter; this year’s winners will own their titles for 2016.

2015 Canadian Cyclocross Championships U23 Men's Race Results

Pos	Bib	Last Name	First Name	Team	City	Prov	Time	Gap
1	62	DISERA	Peter	Norco Factory Team	Barrie	ON	48:38
2	51	VANDALE	Danick	Russ Hays/Accent Inns	Winnipeg	MB	48:38	0'00"
3	54	NILES	Isaac	Bicisport	Turner Valley	AB	50:47	2'09"
4	55	O'DONNELL	Trevor	Real Deal Gears	Barrie	ON	50:59	2'21"
5	52	PRENDERGAST	Chris	Jet Fuel Coffee	Winnipeg	MB	51:22	2'44"
6	64	ROBERGE	Adam	C3 Vélo Pays d'en Haut	Prevost	QC	51:49	3'11"
7	53	GERMAINE	Sean	Juventus CC	Edmonton	AB	51:50	3'13"
8	60	MOONIE	Devon	Glotman Simpson Cycling	Kamloops	BC	52:25	3'47"
9	58	VIZNAUGH	Kellen	Revelstoke Cycling Association	Revelstoke	BC	52:35	3'57"
10	56	ROBINSON	Ari	Bikes and Beyond	Winnipeg	MB	52:36	3'59"
11	59	KETLER	Mitchell	Team Manitoba	Winnipeg	MB	53:28	4'51"
12	57	TOUGAS	Edouard	Acquisio	Sainte Martine	QC	55:45	7'07"
13	63	LOCK	Graham	Team Manitoba	Winnipeg	MB	57:41	9'03"
14	61	CARTER	Aaron	Team Manitoba	Winnipeg	MB	57:46	9'08"
15	65	SCHUMANN	Jörn	Team Sask	Saskatoon	SK	51:11	-1 lap

2015 Canadian Cyclocross Championships Junior Men's Race Results

Pos	Bib	Last Name	First Name	Team	City	Prov	Time	Gap
1	102	DISERA	Quinton	CSAJCC p/b Norco & LG	Barrie	ON	40:27
2	119	HOLMGREN	Gunnar	Centurion Next Wave Cycling Team	Orillia	ON	40:59	0'33"
3	101	EVANS	Oliver	Accent Inns / Russ Hay's	Winnipeg	MB	41:44	1'17"
4	104	STAPLES	Matthew	Centurion Next Wave Cycling Team	Oro Medonte	ON	42:20	1'54"
5	124	SANDERSON	Brody	Centurion Next Wave Cycling Team	Orillia	ON	42:23	1'57"
6	103	VERVEDA	Michael	Team Alberta / Juventus CC	Sherwood Park	AB	43:20	2'53"
7	123	PALAMAREK	Ethan	Team Alberta / Central Alberta BC	Lacombe	AB	43:20	2'53"
8	107	SHIMIZU	Cody	Team Alberta / Juventus CC	Edmonton	AB	43:48	3'22"
9	114	ALLAIRE	Jake		Mount Albert	ON	43:54	3'28"
10	110	HAMM	David	Team Manitoba	Winnipeg	MB	43:55	3'28"
11	122	ORSCHEL	Tyler	Trek Canada Mountain Bike Team	Uxbridge	ON	43:57	3'31"
12	126	SIMMS	Noah	CSAJCC p/b LG Norco	Barrie	ON	44:32	4'05"
13	115	BARTON	Malcolm	Cycle Solutions Angry Johnny's CC pb Norco LG	Uxbridge	ON	44:42	4'16"
14	117	GOMES	Christian	Ascent Cyle Racing	Lethbridge	AB	45:12	4'45"
15	106	GERMAINE	Adam	Juventus CC	Edmonton	AB	45:21	4'55"
16	112	BLENKINSOPP	Matthew	Team Manitoba	Steinbach	MB	45:37	5'11"
17	118	HAMM	Emile	Blacksheep MTB Club	Thunder Bay	ON	45:40	5'13"
18	111	NARDELLA	Marshall	Team Manitoba	Winnipeg	MB	45:55	5'29"
19	105	DESROCHERS	Quinn		Winnipeg	MB	46:35	6'09"
20	125	SHACKLETON	Kailen	Team Manitoba	Portage La Prairie	MB	47:52	7'25"
21	113	ISAAK	Logan	Juventus CC	Edmonton	AB	49:32	9'05"
22	116	DIERTENS	Erik	Dr. Walker Cycling Team	Victoria	BC	49:58	9'31"
23	109	PENNO	Kurt	Team Manitoba	Sanford	MB	40:59	-1 lap
DNF	108	STAPLES	Graydon	Centurion Next Wave Cycling Team	Oro Medonte	ON	8:41
DNS	120	LANDGRAFF	Brandon	Olympia Cycling Club	Winnipeg	MB
DNS	121	LOF	Lars	CycleMeisters / Bow Cycle	Calgary	AB

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2015 Canadian Cyclocross Championships Elite Men's Photo Gallery