{"id":858156,"date":"2026-08-14T19:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T19:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/858156\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T19:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T19:30:19","slug":"panache-sports-is-stepping-away-from-uci-cycling-canada-events-after-hosting-2026-gravel-and-xc-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/858156\/","title":{"rendered":"Panache Sports is stepping away from UCI \/ Cycling Canada events after hosting 2026 gravel and XC nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a major blow to the west coast, and Canadian racing scene, Jon Watkin, President and CEO of Panache Cycling Sports, announced his organisation will step back from holding any future UCI or Cycling Canada sanctioned events.<\/p>\n

That includes withdrawing from 2027 gravel nationals, currently scheduled to take place outside Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This announcement follows just months after gravel nationals, hosted by Panache at the same venue, were cancelled mid-race<\/a>. It also follows just weeks after Panache held a very successful Canadian cross country mountain bike national championships in Langford<\/a>, for a second straight year. Panache also hosted the Canada Cup season opener earlier in 2026 in Langford, which is a crucial early-season opportunity for Canadian athletes to earn UCI points without travelling south or overseas<\/a>. That event has acted as the lynchpin of Cycling Canada and provincial development camps any year that it is held.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kaitlyn Rauwerda racing at 2026 Canadian gravel championships.<\/p>\n

Waktin\u2019s statement acknowledges that 2026 gravel nationals played a roll in the decision, it also asserts that there are longer-term factors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of the 2026 Canadian Gravel Cycling event were a contributing factor, Panache emphasizes that the core reasons for stepping back are mounting technical, operational, logistical, and economic challenges associated with hosting UCI\/Cycling Canada events,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cThe mounting technical, operational and financial pressures associated with national\u2011level sanctioning make it impossible for us to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever your opinion on gravel nationals, an event that was certainly divisive, it is sad to see such an experienced and committed organiser step away from UCI and Cycling Canada events. While Watkin says Panache will continue to host its extensive calendar of mountain bike and gravel events, this means there are fewer opportunities for Canadian athletes, especially those in B.C., to earn crucial UCI points without travelling.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve always enjoyed covering Watkin\u2019s events here at\u00a0Canadian Cycling Magazine\u00a0(and even, quite slowly, racing them on occasion). We\u2019re looking forward to seeing what Panache has in store for 2027.<\/p>\n

\"Bear<\/a>Start of the 2018 Bear Mountain Canada Cup. Image: Jay Wallace
\nStatement from Jon Watkin, President and CEO of Panache Cycling Sports<\/p>\n

Panache Cycling Sports announced today that it is withdrawing its bid to host the 2027 Canadian Gravel Championships, concluding its 8-year involvement in hosting Cycling Canada and UCI\u2011sanctioned events in road, gravel, cross country mountain biking, and cyclocross. This follows Cycling Canada\u2019s original announcement of the 2027 National race calendar on July 27, 2026 in a broad media release, though they subsequently removed references to the event from their website weeks later.<\/p>\n

While the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of the 2026 Canadian Gravel Cycling event were a contributing factor, Panache emphasizes that the core reasons for stepping back are mounting technical, operational, logistical, and economic challenges associated with hosting UCI\/Cycling Canada events. This also comes on the heels of the recent success of Panache organizing the 2026 Canadian XCO\/XCC Mountain Bike championships in Langford on July 16-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cPanache has always taken pride in delivering safe, wellrun, community\u2011focused cycling events,\u201d CEO and President, Jon Watkin stated. \u201cHowever, the mounting technical, operational and financial pressures associated with national\u2011level sanctioning make it impossible for us to continue. We take great pride in having run a wide range of UCI\/Cycling Canada events over the past 8 years, supporting Canada\u2019s best athletes while maintaining the highest safety standards. We thank Cycling Canada for the opportunity to have hosted these iconic events and wish them well in organizing future events.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Isabella Holmgren racing 2023 Canadian Cyclocross Championships at Layritz Park. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn
\nComplete historical portfolio of Panache Events sanctioned by CCC\/UCI:<\/p>\n

2018 Bear Mountain Canada Cup XCO C2
2018 Canadian Masters Road Championships
2019 Bear Mountain Canada Cup XCO C1
2019 Canadian Masters Road Championships
2022 Canadian Cyclocross Championships
2023 Canadian Cyclocross Championships
2024 Canadian Masters Road Championships
2025 Canadian Masters Road Championships
2025 Canadian XCC\/XCO Championships
2026 Pacific XC UCI C1 XCO Canada Cup
2026 Canadian Gravel Cycling Championships
2026 Canadian XCC\/XCO Championships<\/p>\n

Panache confirmed that it will no longer pursue or host any future UCI or Cycling Canada events moving forward. Instead, the organization will focus on expanding its successful portfolio of public\u2011participation cycling events, regional gravel races such as the BC Gravel Series, and broader outdoor festivals throughout British Columbia such as the Langford Bikefest. These events have seen strong growth and engagement, and Panache intends to build on that momentum with new formats, partnerships, and community\u2011driven experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain deeply committed to the cycling community in BC,\u201d the statement continues. \u201cOur future lies in events that celebrate participation, adventure, and the unique landscapes of our province, without the constraints that have made national sanctioning increasingly unsustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a major blow to the west coast, and Canadian racing scene, Jon Watkin, President and CEO of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":858157,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,117922,298382,82],"class_list":["post-858156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-gravel-news","tag-panache-cycling-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=858156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=858156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=858156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}