Adam Roberge and Katja Verkerk win elite titles at Canadian Gravel Championships

Adam Roberge (Felt UN1TD) outsprinted Julien Gagné (Équipe Qui Roule) to win the elite males’s title on the Canadian Gravel Championships on Sunday, whereas Katja Verkerk (Physical Culture Straight Up Cycles) outlasted Haley Smith (Trek Driftless) to take the elite girls’s gravel nationwide title.

The 118km course featured a clockwise loop in western Alberta with 6,800 ft of climbing, the best level of the route hitting on the half-way level and climbing to five,400 ft above sea stage. Rolling hills prevailed all through a chilly, moist and wet day.

After the third and remaining feed zone and 30km to go, Roberge and Gagné had made separation with Michael van den Ham (Giant Cycling) on the entrance of the race. Van den Ham was dropped with 5km to go. In the ultimate kilometres on the pavement, Roberge rushed to the road for the win in 3:44:31, three seconds forward of Gagné. Van den Ham held on to 3rd place, 44 seconds again.

Verkerk got here into the gravel championships after a spring of highway racing, the place she had stage wins at Valley of the Sun Stage Race and Tucson Bicycle Classic in Arizona in class 4 and three divisions, respectively. The Victoria, British Colombia rider took the solo victory in 4:37:45, 2:54 in entrance of Smith. Anna Gabrielle Traxler was third, one other one minute again.

“I wasn’t anticipating to place a Canadian jersey on immediately, so it’s type of loopy. I’m new to racing, so I don’t know anybody,” Vervek informed Canadian Cycling Magazine, saying she simply took a chance to maneuver out entrance and stayed there. 

“I attempted to comply with the primary 5 to 10 wheels and I adopted an assault from a rider for some time, till she had a mechanical, the place I might move her.”

This yr’s nationals have been a part of Ghost of the Gravel weekend, an hour from Calgary in Water Valley. The identical 118km course, known as the Scary route, was used for different begin waves for leisure fondo riders. Last yr the gravel nationals have been held in Ontario.

Results – elite girls prime 5

Results – elite males prime 5