On August 13th, the UCI Cycling World Championships (Super Worlds) came to a close, with some new and some returning names becoming etched in cycling history. The World Championship, held this year from August 3rd-13th in Glasgow and many other cities across Scotland, provided the opportunity for Canada to show off the many talented riders we have across the country, including Ontario riders and Ontario Cycling’s Ontario High–Performance Sport Initiative (OHPSI) athletes.
OHPSI Athletes Represent Ontario at Super Worlds
Isabella Holmgren, one of Ontario‘s OHPSI athletes, competed in both Mountain Bike Cross-country and Road during her time in Scotland. Competing alongside the best in the world, Holmgren secured a strong 8th in the Women Junior Road Race. Within Mountain Bike Cross-country, Holmgren finished first in the Women’s Junior Cross-country Olympic category, capturing the second gold medal after her great victory at the Cyclo-Cross World Championships earlier this year and etching her name in history as a 2023 Mountain Bike World Champion.
Another OHPSI athlete that competed in Mountain Bike Cross-country during the 11-day event was the 2021 MTB national champion, Ian Ackert. Ackert competed fiercely in the Men Junior Cross-country Olympic category, crossing the line third to capture the bronze medal. Congratulations Isabella, Ian, and their teams that aided them in attaining these great achievements!
Dylan Bibic secures Silver in Scratch At Super Worlds
Many other Ontario riders also caught the attention of cyclists and viewers worldwide with their incredible skills. Ontario Track rider, Dylan Bibic, competed individually in the Men Elite Elimination Race, the Men Elite Scratch Race, the Men Elite Madison, and Men Elite Team Pursuit. Despite a DNF in the Men Elite Madison, Bibic managed to finish the Men Elite Omnium in 13th. A major contributor to Bibic securing his place in the top 15 was his incredible second-place finish in the Men Elite Elimination race.
Shelley Gautier also turned heads with an amazing World Championship run. Participating in the Para-cycling Road Women T1 Individual Time Trial and Women T1 Road Race, Gautier competed fiercely to secure third in both competitions, leaving Scotland with two new bronze medals.
BMX rider, Andrew Colling, who competed in the Men Junior category, gave it all he had in the last chance qualifier race, but unfortunately just missed his chance to move onto the next round, finishing in third. Fellow BMX rider, Curtis Krey, who competed in the Men Under 23 category, had a rocky start to his event, missing out on qualifying in the first round by approximately 0.10 seconds. However, his determination led to an amazing last chance qualifier race where he finished first to secure his place in the 1/8 Final. Here, Krey managed to once again qualify for the next round securing his place in the quarterfinals. Racing in a quarter-final heat that included the soon to be named World Champion, Krey gave it all he had, but ultimately, his fifth-place finish was not enough to move onto the semi-finals.
Congratulations Dylan, Shelley, and their supporters for the amazing achievements! Congratulations to Andrew for qualifying and competing in this year’s World Championships, and to Curtis for his incredibleSuper Worlds run!
Other Ontario Riders make an appearence
A few other Canadians who had phenomenal achievements during the Super Worlds include Alexander Hyndman, Joey Desjardins, Nora Linton, and Charles Bergeron.
Para Road Cyclist Alexander Hyndman competed in both the Men H3 Individual Time Trial and the Men H3 Road Race. In both of his competitions, Hyndman finished within the top 20, securing 18th in the Time Trial and 17th in the Road Race. Joey Desjardins also competed in both events, finishing not too far behind his fellow Canadian. Desjardins secured 26th in the Men H3 Individual Time Trial and 19th in the Men H3 Road Race.
Competing in two road events during her time in Scotland, Nora Linton also had a World Championship run she should be proud of. Linton secured 14th in the Women Junior Individual Time Trial and finished the Women Junior Road Race 54th out of 75 finishers. Finally, 18-year-old Charles Bergeron, competing against the best in the world, was the highest–finishing Canadian in the Men Junior Road Race, taking 49th.
Congratulations, Alexander, Joey, Nora, Charles, and their team members, for the amazing accomplishments at Super Worlds!
Gran Fondo Events in Scotland
The 2023 UCI World Championships also included Gran Fondo events which ensure that cyclists of every skill level had the opportunity to experience and enjoy the World Cycling Championships. Many Ontario cyclists, including Anna Tykoliz, Bruce Bird, Zack Morris, and Rob Legge competed in these events and accomplished amazing achievements. Tykoliz finished within the top 15 in both of her competitions, securing 15th in the Women Media Fondo (65-69), and 12th in the Women Individual Time Trial (65-69).
Competing in the Men’s Gran Fondo (55-59) and Men’s Individual Time Trial (55-59), Bruce Bird also had a Cycling World Championship to remember. Riding alongside the best in the world, Bird captured 5th in the Gran Fondo and 7th in the Individual Time Trial. Zack Morris also had the opportunity to show the world what he could do in the Men’s Individual Time Trial and Men’s Gran Fondo.
Capturing 9th in the Individual Time Trial and 38th in the Gran Fondo, Morris returned home with a lot to be proud of. Finally, after a rocky start to the Men Medio Fondo (75-79), that was due to being wrongly positioned at the start, Rob Legge had to work hard to catch up to the main peloton. Legge’s hard work and dedication paid off as he managed to cross the line 13th against the best in the world. Congratulations to Anna, Bruce, Zack, and Rob for their incredible achievements!
Congratulations to all the Ontario athletes who participated in this year’s UCI Cycling World Championships; you made Ontario proud
