The Canadian season flew by, didn’t it? Seems like it was yesterday we were watching riders compete for maple leaf jerseys and medals in the dead of winter on the track.
And now we’ve got one last big weekend for ‘cross riders: the national champs on Saturday. It’s being held in Holmgren Country, at the long-running MTB, ski (and ‘cross and fatbike) venue, Hardwood Ski and Bike. It’s also a double whammy—Sunday will be the Ontario provincials. (Although neither Ava, Bella or Gunnar Holmgren wil be racing. But still. It’s their hood.)
The 2026 Canadian ‘cross champs
Elite men’s champion Tyler Clark returns to defend his title, while Canadian cyclocross veteran Sidney McGill is the big favourite for the elite women’s race. Clark just had a solid race at Christie ‘cross, where he took the dub in front of big crowds. McGill was stateside, also having a good race—finishing second at the Major Taylor CX in Indianapolis.
The racing will cover U17, junior, elite and masters categories.
One person who won’t be there to defend her crown is four-time national champion (and current champion, until Saturday!) Maghalie Rochette. The Sainte-Adèle, Que., road, MTB and ‘cross star is expecting a baby with her partner, David Gagnon, so she’ll be sitting it out. She’s still riding as much as she can, though. You can follow her journey on her Substack—it’s a good read. (So, too, is her book, Fever: Stories and Learnings from a Career in Cyclocross.)
If you can, you should head on over and cheer on all the athletes. From Toronto, Hardwood Ski and Bike is around an hour-and-a-half drive.
Canadian Cycling Magazine will be on the scene, so be sure to say hi! And, as always, check back on our site and Instagram for full results and reports afterward.
For the full start list, you can go to Zone.4.com.
The weather looks pretty good for both days too. Sunny and relatively mild, so sorry to those who love watching riders suffer in the mud.