We saw some great riding at the 2026 ‘cross nats on Saturday. A bunch of new riders were crowned champs, getting the beautiful red-and-white maple leaf jersey to wear for a year. Here are some thoughts from just some of the winners. For the full results from all categories, head on over to Zone4.com.
Jon Mercier — junior men’s champion
Mercier had his work cut out for him. He started further back in the field, without any UCI points to help him secure a better starting position. But he played it cool. Rather than burn too many matches early, he kept his powder dry and waited for his chance.
All photos by Nick Iwanyshyn.
“In the last lap, I had a little juice left, and I attacked in the woods where it opened up,” he said. “I just played defensive through the end and sprinted for the win.”
Hannah Lehmann — under-17 women’s champion
Lehmann knew the Hardwood course well, having raced in the venue’s Wednesday night mountain bike series since she was five. (Yes, five.) That familiarity defo paid off at nationals. She’s been riding those trails for 12 years, so you can be sure she knew every rut, bump and corner.
“I felt super strong, especially on the climbs, and I was able to relax in the corners and take them smooth,” she said.
Racing nationals the close to home made the win extra special. When asked whether she had a home-court advantage, she agreed. “Yeah, exactly.”
NB: Charles Elie Belzile won the under-17 men’s race, but we didn’t get a chance to chat! Next time, Charles.
Alexa Haviland — junior women’s champion
Haviland is a skilled ‘crosser, who loves when the courses can be a bit technical. That’s why Hardwood was a fun course for her.
She did say the hills in the first half of the course made things difficult.
“The first half of the course is a lot of climbing, so that was the hardest part,” she said.
Her favourite section came later, where the course became faster and more flowing. The sand also offered a useful technical challenge ahead of her next races.
Haviland said she would be heading to the Pan American championships, with European racing also a possibility.
Sidney McGill — elite women’s champion
McGill took her first elite women’s national title after several years of trying to win the maple-leaf jersey. She said the victory meant a lot, especially because last year, she came up just short in Lévis, where Maghalie Rochette won. Rochette is now taking a break from racing as she and partner David Gagnon are expecting a child.
“It’s been quite a few years of racing elite, but never being able to get the Maple Leaf,” she said.
Now she has it. McGill was delighted to finally take the title and was looking forward to representing Canada.
“Very happy with that. Looking forward to repping the maple leaf,” she said.
Nico Knoll — under-23 women’s champion
Knoll won the under-23 women’s title and finished second overall in the elite race, keeping McGill in sight through parts of the course.
“I was seeing her in the switchbacks,” Knoll said. “I was kind of hoping maybe to latch on to her and then we can have a fun race, but it didn’t quite get there.”
For Knoll, the victory was particularly satisfying after a run of second-place finishes.
“It’s just super awesome to win one finally. I’m always second, so it’s good to have one,” she said.
Rhett Bates — under-23 men’s champion
Bates definitely, definitely had some extra work to take his nationals dub. Sure, everyone has to work hard to win — but Bates had a whole bunch of bad luck. After getting a good start and establishing an early lead, he suffered a rear flat tire and headed to the pits. That was fine … until it wasn’t. Things got worse when the spare also let him down. On the second bike, he got a double puncture!
He had to pit again, dropping back to second before fighting his way back into the lead.
“No, it wasn’t an easy race,” he said. “I got a pretty good start and got an early lead and was trying to hold it. And then I got a rear flat tire.”
Despite all that, he went on to take a great win.
Tyler Clark — elite men’s champion
Clark took his second consecutive elite men’s national dub. But it was also on a course that brought plenty of support from friends and family. It wasn’t a straightforward ride, though: he crashed twice during the race. Clark is also Bates’ teammate, so it was a helluva day at the office for the ‘crossers.
His first fall came while trying to jump the barriers. After that little whoopsie, there was more fun in store. The sandy ground caught him out, and he lost his front wheel. Later, he got caught in a deep gravel corner.
“It’s super sandy in the middle of them, so I tried to hop them and just going too fast, and like lost the front wheel,” he said of the first crash.
The second incident happened quickly, too, when his front wheel got stuck in the gravel.
“It was so quick, and my bars were crooked,” he said.
Still, he got back going and took a great win. And there’s lots left for him this year. He will be heading across the pond to race a bunch of Euro races.
If you want even more video or photo content, be sure to check out the Canadian Cycling Magazine Instagram page, too!
With files from Matthew Pioro