May 1/23 16:35 pm - Russell & Clarke Win Inaugural Gravel Titles at Muddy Paris to Ancaster
Posted by Editoress on 05/1/23
The first ever Gravel National Championships were held on Sunday at the Paris to Ancaster race, with national titles awarded across 12 categories. Over 3000 riders participated in the 29th edition of this Ontario season-opener, with more than 400 taking part in the championship race over 108.9 kilometres. American Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation) was the first finisher at 3:01:38, followed only five seconds later by Canadian Evan Russell (Saint Piran), who becomes the first male gravel champion. Devön Clarke (The Cyclery) was the surprise winner of the women's title, after defending P2A champion Maghalie Rochette (Canyon) was forced to drop out with a mechanical.
American Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation) was the first finisher
Evan Russell on the final climb
"It's pretty unreal, to be honest, standing up there with the Canadian jersey," said Russell, who cracked the top 20 in the 2021 and 2022 Canadian Road Championships. "I knew with 5K to go, that's where I would want to attack. I caught Curtis before the main climb and it was just us to the finish. It gets chaotic, you're cold and muddy, and then you come over [the final climb] and you're Canadian national champ. It's a great feeling."
Rain in the days leading up to the race had made the trails muddy and slippery, and race day was no better, with rain showers regularly sweeping through the region. For much of the course, this just made things wet, however, on some sections - notably, leading into the Harrisburg rail trail - it made the track extremely slippery and treacherous, with whole groups of riders crashing into each other.
A group of 12 went clear before Harrisburg, and it was gradually whittled down from there. Russell and Curtis had a gap on the final climb; the American surged in the final 200 metres on the steepest section and Russell could not respond. Adam Roberge (Jukebox Factor) finished third (second Canadian) at 23 seconds, and Zorak Paillé (Pittstop) was fourth, and the bronze medallist for the Canadian championships. Ashlin Barry (EF Education) was the top Junior man, finishing 12th overall.
In the women's race, defending P2A champion Rochette was with the lead men when she suffered a flat tire after hitting a pothole, shredding her tire.
Rochette sent us a message from out on the course, explaining, "I was in the lead group (the only woman there actually) but I flatted. My front tire exploded. I tried to change it for 15 minutes, even with the help of some nice local people. The tire's too damaged and so I won't be able to finish the race."
Devön Clarke (yellow and pink)
Clarke came in 75th overall, 22:11 down on White, followed by Ruby West (Jukebox Factor), two spots and 16 seconds further down. The next two women across the line were Juniors - Rafaelle Carrier (CVM Sigma Assurance) in 129th, is the Junior women's champion, followed by Addison Frank (Ottawa Bicycle Club) in 133rd, and the Elite bronze medallist - fifth woman across the line in 134th place - was Hannah Simms (Elevate Off-Road).
Results
Paris to Ancaster: Nationals Gravel Championships Womens results
Paris to Ancaster: Nationals Gravel Championships Mens results
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