2026 Road and Gravel End of Season Report

Season-At-A-Glance

The 2026 road season delivered five Ontario Cup races across three race weekends, a three-day Provincial Championships in the Ottawa Valley, road and para-cycling at the Ontario Summer Games, and a full regional calendar of criteriums, gran fondos and gravel events from one end of the province to the other.

• Five Road Ontario Cup events: the Clarence-Rockland Classic, Tour di Via Italia, and three rounds within the four-stage Kingston Stage Race.
• 2026 Road Provincial Championships held August 7 to 9 across Barry’s Bay, Petawawa and Westmeath.
• Ontario Summer Games Road cycling returned to Waterloo Region, July 31 and August 1, with 52 road and para-cycling athletes competing across four events.
• A refreshed OCup points system: points to the top 20 finishers, a one-point gap between positions, a dropped scores system, and a 10-point Provincial Championships bonus.
• New road equipment standards phased in, including a 65 mm maximum rim depth for non-time trial events, updated helmet requirements, and courtesy handlebar and lever checks ahead of full enforcement in 2027.
• A deep regional calendar of gravel classics, weekly crit series and charity rides, supported almost entirely by volunteers.

Road Ontario Cup Series

Road and Gravel OCup #1: Clarence-Rockland Classic

April 19, 2026, based out of Saint-Pascal-Baylon. Organized by Ride with Rendall in cooperation with the City of Clarence-Rockland.

The 14th annual Clarence-Rockland Classic opened the season in true spring classic fashion. Riders took on routes made up of roughly 67 percent gravel and 33 percent paved roads, looping out around Clarence-Rockland Township before returning to finish in Saint-Pascal-Baylon. Cold temperatures and strong winds did nothing to slow the racing, and fields turned out across all three distances.

Podium highlights

Thank you to the Ontario Provincial Police and St. John Ambulance, who came out in force, and to the event volunteers and the Clarence-Rockland community whose support made for a safe and welcoming race day.

Road OCup #2: Tour di Via Italia

May 31, 2026, Erie Street, Windsor. Organized by Pak Ho in cooperation with the City of Windsor.

The 68th edition of Tour di Via Italia turned Windsor’s Little Italy into a hub of speed and community spirit once again. One of the oldest continuously held bike races on the continent and the oldest historical international street race in Ontario, the event dates to 1958 and continues to combine top level racing with a genuine neighbourhood festival. Riders raced the flat and technical 1.8 km circuit with cash primes on offer, spectators lining the barriers, and local patios offering the best seats in the house.

Podium highlights

Thank you to the Ontario Provincial Police, the medical team, the event volunteers and the Windsor community for their continued involvement in an event that has become part of the cultural fabric of the city.

Road OCup #3, #4 and #5: Kingston Stage Race

July 3 to 5, 2026, Kingston region. Hosted by Limestone City Cycling with Performance Driven Events and Tourism Kingston.

The Kingston Stage Race brought three days and four stages of racing to the Kingston region in the final Ontario Cup weekend before Provincials. Success over the weekend was never going to come from one single strength. Riders had to climb, time trial, corner and sprint, and those who could do all four were rewarded.

Friday: Fort Henry Hill Climb

A short 1.2 km climb finishing inside historic Fort Henry, and an effort that was flat out from the start line. The racing was remarkably close, with Hudson Lubbers of Hustle Pro Cycling finishing less than a second ahead of Lucas Taylor in Cat A. Neal Cameron of Tailgun Racing p/b Sweet Pete’s Bike Shop claimed Cat C, and John Smith opened his weekend with the Cat D win.

Saturday morning: Joyceville Individual Time Trial, OCup #3

A 30 km out and back course over rolling country roads that rewarded pacing as much as raw power. Joshua Berles of BigRing Performance recorded the fastest ride of the day in Cat A, averaging more than 50 km/h. Mark Sherboneau of Ride with Rendall p/b Biemme won Cat B, Bruce Raymer topped Cat C, and John Smith added the Cat D time trial victory to his hill climb win. In the women’s categories, Deirdre Maloney of B1 Gruppo Squadra, Nathalie Champagne of AGOWATT and Paolina Allan each took stage wins.

Saturday afternoon: CFB Kingston Criterium, OCup #4

A 1.3 km closed circuit on freshly paved road with four 90 degree turns per lap. Early rain left the circuit slick before conditions improved and the racing opened up. Lucas Taylor powered to the Cat A win after a fast final sprint, while Justin Kitney and Kaj Johnson delivered a one two finish for Euro-Sports in Cat B. Ethan Graves of Quick Cranks Racing claimed Cat C, and Keaton Todd of Queen’s University Cycling Team took Cat D. Emma Olson-Keating of Big Ring Performance, Maelle Burton of Attack Racing and Paolina Allan rounded out the women’s stage winners.

Sunday: Lansdowne Classic Road Race, OCup #5, double points

The final stage of the Ontario Cup season carried double points and, with it, real consequences for the overall standings. Jeremy Rae of Ascent Cycling claimed Cat A after an aggressive race that stayed fast from start to finish. Frederic Bergeron of Les Rouleurs de Gatineau sprinted to the Cat B win. Tyson Pettie gave the hometown crowd something to cheer with a Cat C victory for Limestone City Cycling, joined on the podium by teammate David Holwitt and Queen’s University’s Andrew Giacomuzzo. John Smith capped an outstanding weekend with another Cat D stage win, making him one of the event’s standout performers.

In the women’s races, Audrey Rieckenberg of United Nation of Cyclists took Cat A, Nathalie Champagne added another win in Cat B, and Natalie Mullins of Surface Cycling Team crossed the line first in Master Women. Erich Meintjes of Uxbridge Cycling Club earned the Master Men victory after another consistent ride.

Thank you to Limestone City Cycling, Performance Driven Events, Tourism Kingston, the commissaires and officials, the timing crew, medical support, volunteers, sponsors, local partners, families and spectators. Events like the Kingston Stage Race are built by a great many people working behind the scenes.

Final 2026 Road OCup Series Standings

Series champions are determined by total points across all OCup events, factoring in dropped scores and the Provincial Championships bonus. Champions receive their own Series Winner jersey from Montu Bikes. Standings below are final as published following the 2026 Road Provincial Championships.

Congratulations to every rider who finished the series, and to everyone who lined up for a first Ontario Cup race in 2026.

2026 Road Provincial Championships

August 7 to 9, 2026. Individual Time Trial in Barry’s Bay, Criterium in Petawawa, Road Race in Westmeath.

Three days, three host communities and three genuinely different tests. The 2026 Ontario Road Provincial Championships asked riders to be versatile, rewarding sustained power and aerodynamics on Friday, cornering and attacking on Saturday, and climbing, positioning and endurance on Sunday. The weekend was also a showcase for the Ottawa Valley itself, with local elected officials joining podium ceremonies and spectators given excellent vantage points across all three venues.

Friday: Individual Time Trial, Barry’s Bay

The weekend opened on the rolling roads around Barry’s Bay. Smooth, fast tarmac gave riders an excellent surface on which to hold an aerodynamic position, while narrow roads with no shoulders demanded concentration from start to finish. Distances varied by category, beginning at 15 km for Para and U17 riders before progressing to 30 and 40 km for other categories.

Nancy Donovan from town council joined the event during the morning and helped present awards, with Mayor Gary Serviss taking over podium duties around midday and distributing medals through the remaining ceremonies.

Saturday: Criterium, Petawawa

Saturday changed the character of the championship entirely. Rather than a traditional square criterium, the Petawawa course ran along an out and back style stretch with numerous corners, keeping riders constantly accelerating, braking, positioning and looking for a chance to attack. It made for dynamic racing and a spectator friendly circuit.

Community support continued throughout the day, with Whitewater Region councillors Connie Tabbert, Joey Trimm and Michael Moore each coming out to help with awards ceremonies and personally recognize the new provincial champions.

Sunday: Road Race, Westmeath

The championships closed in Westmeath with the longest day of competition, on a course that ran along a peninsula with the Ottawa River on either side. Quiet, smooth roads and very little vehicle traffic made for an outstanding racing environment, and a 26 km loop with roughly 170 metres of climbing per lap struck a balance that kept both climbers and sprinters in contention. The result was a course with real tactical options and an exciting finish in the heart of Westmeath.

2026 Provincial Champions

Individual Time Trial, Barry’s Bay

Criterium, Petawawa

Road Race, Westmeath

Weekend standouts

• Farland Lamont completed a clean sweep of U19 Men, winning the Individual Time Trial, Criterium and Road Race.
• Chris Caruana matched the feat across the Master A Men competition, taking all three titles.
• Emily Flynn won both the Elite Women’s Criterium and Road Race.
• Max Bradwin won the U23 Men’s time trial and road race. Cadie Geertsema did the same in U23 Women.
• Bruce Bird captured Master C Men in both the time trial and road race, and Elly Moore did the same in U19 Women.
• Jennifer Bell and Jennifer Stephenson each added road race victories to their Masters time trial wins.
• Maelle Burton took U17 Women’s victories in the time trial and criterium.
• Para competitors Nancy Kawaja and Thuy Do each recorded wins on both Friday and Saturday.

Thank you to the commissaires, volunteers, athletes and spectators for an outstanding weekend. Thank you to Ottawa Valley Tourism, who generously prepared welcome bags for every athlete competing across the championship weekend, to Ben Bravo Photography for capturing the racing, and to RaceTiming for keeping results accurate and current throughout.

Ontario Summer Games 2026

July 31 and August 1, 2026, Waterloo Region, with racing in Erbsville and Bamberg.

The 2026 Ontario Summer Games brought together some of the province’s most promising young athletes for a celebration of sport, teamwork and community in Waterloo Region. Across four days the Games welcomed 4,200 athletes aged 12 to 18, more than 600 coaches and support staff, and over 1,000 volunteers.

The cycling competition featured 52 road and para-cycling athletes competing across four events: the Hill Climb, Circuit Race, Individual Time Trial and Road Race. Over two days of racing, athletes showcased their strength, speed and tactical ability while representing their regions with pride. From powerful climbing performances to exciting sprint finishes and strategic road races, each event demonstrated the depth of talent within Ontario’s cycling community.

Athlete pathway and eligibility

• Male athletes aged 13 to 17 and female athletes aged 13 to 18 were eligible, in addition to para-athletes of all ages.
• An expression of interest process opened in April for both riders and coaches or support staff, with submissions due April 26 and selection details to follow.
• Para athletes raced H3-H5 categories alongside the U16 and U18 road fields, integrated into the same competition programme.

Results

Hill Climb

Circuit Race

Individual Time Trial

Road Race

Games standouts

• Anna Christensen won U18 Female in all four events, the only rider to sweep the entire cycling programme.
• Nancy Kawaja won H3-H5 Female in every event she contested, taking the Hill Climb, Circuit Race and Individual Time Trial.
• Noah Carter took three of four U16 Male events, winning the Hill Climb, Circuit Race and Road Race, with Tomas Liska-Gardiner taking the Individual Time Trial.
• Ben Glover doubled up in U18 Male with wins in the Individual Time Trial and Road Race.
• Daniel Bigu won the H3-H5 Hill Climb and Individual Time Trial, with Roger Koert taking the Circuit Race.
• Hannah Lehmann closed the Games strongly, winning both the U16 Female Individual Time Trial and Road Race.
• Rowan Koolwine, Maelle Burton, Charlotte Caners, Claire Mackinnon and Adeline Latour all featured repeatedly on the podium across the weekend.

The people behind the Games

A special thank you to Bill McBay of T.E.A.M. Financial for generously opening his property to us. Bill’s support was instrumental in creating a unique and challenging venue, and in delivering a safe, memorable and enjoyable experience for athletes, coaches, officials and spectators alike.

Ontario Cycling put out repeated calls across the April, May, June and July newsletters for caravan drivers, course marshals, registration, parking, athlete holding for the time trial, and setup and tear down crews. The response is what allowed the cycling programme to run across two venues and four race formats. Sincere appreciation goes to those volunteers, to Games Organizing Committee staff, officials, coaches, families and supporters whose dedication made another successful Ontario Summer Games possible.

Congratulations to every athlete who took to the start line and to all this year’s medallists. Your determination, sportsmanship and perseverance were on full display throughout the competition and continue to inspire the next generation of cyclists across the province.

Para Road Racing in 2026

Para categories were an integrated part of both the Ontario Summer Games and the Provincial Championships in 2026, rather than a separate add on. Para riders raced the same Barry’s Bay time trial course and the same Petawawa criterium circuit as every other category, with the time trial distance set at 15 km for Para and U17 riders. At the Ontario Summer Games, para-athletes were counted within the 52 road and para-cycling athletes on the start list and raced the same four event programme.

Para provincial champions

Nancy Kawaja and Thuy Do both doubled up, winning on Friday and again on Saturday. Their results were highlighted alongside every other standout performance of the championship weekend, which is exactly where they belong.

Para at the Ontario Summer Games

The Games produced the deepest para road fields of the season, with H3-H5 categories running in the Hill Climb, Circuit Race and Individual Time Trial for both men and women.

Nancy Kawaja was unbeaten across all three events, and Christine Molnar and Ellen Rowe were on the podium every time they raced. Daniel Bigu and Roger Koert traded wins across the men’s events, with Richard Vanderwal and Fernando Resende completing consistently strong fields.

Para pathways and gaps

The Ontario Summer Games Road cycling programme was open to para-athletes of all ages, alongside the age-based categories for able bodied riders. That is a meaningful entry point and is worth naming explicitly when promoting the Games in future seasons.

Two gaps remain worth acknowledging honestly. No H3-H5 results appear in the published Ontario Summer Games Road race, and no para categories appear in the published Westmeath road race champions list at Provincials. In both cases the road race is the missing piece. If those races ran and results exist, they belong here. If the categories did not start, that is useful planning information for 2027.

Beyond these two championship events, no dedicated para road or gravel event appears anywhere in the 2026 newsletters.

Youth and Development Racing

Midweek Youth Crit Cup

July 11, 2026, Mississauga, on the Tahoe and Buckhorn closed circuit. Hosted by Midweek Cycling Club.

The Midweek Youth Crit Cup brought together Ontario’s next generation of cyclists for a full day of racing, with a morning individual time trial and afternoon criterium across Youth Categories A through E. Despite the summer heat, athletes from clubs across the province embraced the challenge under bright blue skies.

The atmosphere was one of the best of the season. Families, teammates and cycling fans lined the course all day, ringing cowbells, shouting encouragement and even handing out bubbles that drifted across the circuit as the young riders raced past.

The day also produced the Ontario Cycling Photo of the Month. Captured by Ben Bravo Photography, it shows first time racer Allison crossing the finish line amid a flurry of bubbles. It is hard to think of a better single image of what youth racing in Ontario is meant to feel like.

Thank you to the coaches, officials, volunteers, families and Midweek Cycling Club for creating an outstanding development opportunity. Events like this build confidence, race experience and a lasting passion for the sport.

Youth racing across the road calendar

• The Ontario Summer Games gave 52 road and para-cycling athletes a four-event programme across two days of racing in Waterloo Region.
• Tour di Via Italia ran U13 and U15 categories, with KW Cycling Academy, Midweek Cycling Club and other clubs well represented on the podiums.
• The Clarence-Rockland Classic 28 km Mini Ride gave younger riders and newcomers a welcoming introduction to gravel racing.
• The Preston Street Criterium in Ottawa, now in its 52nd edition, continues to feature kids races as a highlight of the day.
• The York Durham Crit Series offered a 50 percent discount for junior and female racers, and a paced then race format to help newer riders build confidence.
• The Ontario Cycling Youth Cycling Fund in memory of Tony Osborne remained available to youth events for operational costs such as medals, timing, police and barricades.

Regional Road and Gravel Events

Beyond the Ontario Cup and Provincial Championships, the 2026 calendar was carried by clubs, small organizing committees and volunteer crews running events in their own communities. A selection of the road and gravel events promoted through the season:

Spring Classics and Gravel

Weekly and series racing

Riding for a cause

Two events stood out this summer for the way they connected cycling to community health.

Voyageur 200, August 14 to 16, Nipissing District

A volunteer run gravel event on backroads and trails across the Nipissing District, with 30, 60, 100 and 200 km distances drawing local riders and cyclists from across the province. Proceeds support the North Bay Regional Health Centre Foundation while also contributing to Discovery Routes and the volunteer led trail networks that make events like this possible. To date the Voyageur 200 has raised over $17,000.

The event grew out of a personal story. Organizer Jeff Miller experienced a stroke and heart attack as a young man and credits cycling as a powerful part of his recovery, a way to rebuild strength, improve heart health and reconnect with community. The Voyageur 200 helps ensure others in the region have access to the same quality care and rehabilitation services.

The Children’s Breakfast Clubs Ride the Track, August 14, Markham

Cyclists, families and community members took to the closed Honda Indy course at the Markham Pan Am Centre in support of The Children’s Breakfast Clubs. At $25 per rider and open to everyone from seasoned racers to families out for a fun evening, it is a good example of an event that widens the definition of who gets to call themselves a cyclist.

Thank You

To our volunteers

Course marshals, caravan drivers, registration teams, parking crews, athlete holding at the time trials, setup and tear down, and everyone who stood at an intersection in the cold at Clarence-Rockland or in the July heat in Mississauga. Volunteers made every one of these events possible. Over 1,000 volunteers supported the Ontario Summer Games alone, and in several cases, such as the Voyageur 200, the event exists only because volunteers built it. Thank you.

To our organizers and host clubs

• Ride with Rendall and the City of Clarence-Rockland, for the Clarence-Rockland Classic.
• Pak Ho and the City of Windsor, for the 68th Tour di Via Italia.
• Limestone City Cycling, Performance Driven Events and Tourism Kingston, for the Kingston Stage Race.
• Midweek Cycling Club, for the Midweek Youth Crit Cup and the weekly Midweek Crit Series.
• Bill McBay of T.E.A.M. Financial, who generously opened his property to create the Ontario Summer Games cycling venue, and the Games Organizing Committee staff who delivered the weekend.
• The organizing committees behind Almonte Paris-Roubaix, Paris to Ancaster, the Melrose Gravel Tour, the 100-Acre Gravel Race, the Perth 700, the Tour of Kincardine, the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour, the Preston Street Criterium, the Ottawa Tuesday Night Crits, the Ciociaro Race Series, the York Durham Crit Series and the Voyageur 200.

To our commissaires and officials

Commissaires, officials and timing crews worked in every Ontario Cup weekend, both days of the Ontario Summer Games and all three days of Provincials, often from before dawn until well after the last podium. They also carried the 2026 equipment changes into the field, giving riders notice and running courtesy handlebar and lever checks rather than simply enforcing. Thank you for the consistency and the patience. Thank you as well to RaceTiming for keeping results accurate and current throughout the Provincial Championships weekend.

To our host communities

Barry’s Bay, Petawawa and Westmeath opened their roads and their podiums to us in August. Nancy Donovan and Mayor Gary Serviss helped recognize Friday’s champions, and Whitewater Region councillors Connie Tabbert, Joey Trimm and Michael Moore joined Saturday’s ceremonies. Ottawa Valley Tourism prepared welcome bags for every athlete. Thank you also to Waterloo Region and the communities of Erbsville and Bamberg, and to Clarence-Rockland, Windsor, Kingston, Ottawa, Mississauga, St. Thomas, Belleville, Peterborough County, Perth, Kincardine and the Nipissing District, and to the Ontario Provincial Police, St. John Ambulance and the medical teams who kept everyone safe.

To our partners

Thank you to Montu Bikes for supplying the Ontario Cup Series Overall Winner jerseys, to Champion System by Tribe Solutions as Official OC Apparel Supplier, to Ben Bravo Photography, to the bike shops across the province who keep riders rolling, and to every local sponsor who backed an event in their own community.

To our Athletes & their Families

To everyone who pinned a number in 2026: the riders who won provincial jerseys, the riders who finished a first gravel race in the cold at Saint-Pascal-Baylon, the U11 riders chasing bubbles across a Mississauga criterium circuit, the para-athletes who raced the same courses on the same days, and the masters riders still lining up after decades in the sport. You are the reason the rest of it matters. Thank you for racing hard, racing clean and racing with respect for the people running the show.

Still to Come: The September Gravel and Gran Fondo Calendar

The road season has crowned its champions, but the riding is not finished. Several significant gravel and gran fondo events remain on the September calendar, and they are worth promoting to riders looking to close out the season well.