Emily Batty's momentum continues, Jenn Jackson returns to racing after injury and surgery just 5 weeks later, and Laurie Arseneault takes her first Elite Championship Title.
After a short break from racing in North America and on the heals of momentum in Europe at the World Cups, the all-ladies Canyon MTB Racing squad finally returns to racing in Canada for the first time since 2021.
The week began with the short track event, where all three riders participated. Early in the race, Laurie, Jenn, and Emily made it pretty clear that they were stronger than the rest of the field and created separation early on as Jenn and Laurie began attacking and making moves.
In the end, Laurie Arseneault would come out on top to take a convincing win, while Jenn and Emily would sprint for second and third, with Emily taking second and Jenn third. Additional UCI points for the riders plus an incredible showing for the program and athletes founded just one year and a half ago was the performance we had dreamed of.
With Sunday just around the corner, the team stayed focused on the main event and looked to take things a step further throughout the longer format cross-country event. A taste of preparedness on Thursday left us wanting more. We had a significant advantage in creating a plan and being more prepared than any other program and riders at Nationals. The weather was forecasted to be 31 Celcius on Sunday, feeling like 37 and staff and athletes showed up ready to perform on every level.
Sunday went precisely to plan despite Emily having a crash early on during lap one. Laurie started fast, got a gap, Emily in tow, and Jenn not far behind. Each rider created separation early on and distanced themselves from everyone else around them. In the end, it would be Emily taking the win by almost two minutes, followed by Laurie in a clear second place and Jenn third with a large gap to the field behind.
A quick celebration, reflection, and moment of gratitude for our efforts over the last few weeks, and now we are down in Snowshoe, West Virginia, preparing for another Short Track and Cross Country World Cup, which will see all three ladies compete in both disciplines.
