Ottawa, ON (November 20, 2019) – Cycling Canada is pleased to announce a robust 2020 national calendar adding new events to an already substantial list of national and international races on Canadian soil. Spanning the country, the calendar starts in January and runs through November offering racing opportunities to cyclists of all major disciplines. With the Tokyo Olympics taking place from July 24 to August 9, 2020 is set up to be a big year for cycling in Canada.
“We are very excited to announce our complete 2020 national and international race calendar,” said Josh Peacock, Cycling Canada’s Events Manager. “Through the support of our provincial partners and event organizers – both new and returning – we are confident that this calendar will provide athletes in all disciplines every opportunity to perform at their best on Canadian soil. Our overall calendar continues to expand both in quantity and in quality of competition offered. We would like to extend a very special thank you to all of our dedicated organizers and host communities who continue to support the sport of cycling across the nation and look forward to another great year of racing.”
The mountain bike calendar kicks off on temperate Vancouver Island on March 28-29 where the Bear Mountain Canada Cup once again opens the 2020 race season. The Canada Cup calendar continues with XCO and DH stops in Quebec, Alberta and finally concludes in Nova Scotia on August 30. For the first time this year, all junior events within the series will be sanctioned at a minimum level of UCI C2. From July 11-12, the Canadian XCO Championships return to Hardwood Ski & Bike in Oro Station, ON, while the Canadian Downhill Championships head to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, B.C. on July 25-26. The season will conclude with the well-established Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, which returns to Mont-Sainte-Anne on August 22-23.
While the international BMX calendar will start early in the year, the BMX Canada Cup series kicks off in Drummondville, QC, on June 27-28, with Okotoks, Alberta making its debut on the BMX Canada Cup calendar on August 15-16. Concluding the season will be the Canadian BMX Championships paired with the last round of the Canada Cup, which return to Calgary BMX on August 22-23.
The track calendar starts January 17-19 with the Western Track Challenge in Burnaby, B.C. Canada will host for the first time the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Milton on January 30 to February 2, a week after the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup closes out the 2019-2020 series. The U17/Jr/Para Canadian Track Championships will come back to Milton April 3-5 with the Elite and Masters Canadian Championships returning in the fall of 2020.
The UCI Gran Fondo World Series will increase its presence on Canadian soil with the Classique Des Appalaches in Victoriaville, QC, on July 2-4 moving onto the calendar for the first time. The event will also host encompass the Canadian Masters Road Championships ensuring masters racers will have multiple opportunities to race and prove themselves on the road. The UCI Gran Fondo World Championships will then come to Canada for the first time in Vancouver/Whistler as a part of the esteemed RBC Gran Fondo Whistler from September 9-13.
On the Elite side, road races start on June 4 with the UCI women’s GP Gatineau followed on June 5 with the Chrono Gatineau. The Tour de Beauce (June 17-21), Canadian Elite/Jr/Para Road Championships (June 26-29) organized by La Corporation du Grand prix cycliste de Beauce, BC Superweek (July 10-19), Tour de l’Abitibi (July 14-19), Grand Prix Cycliste de la Matapédia (August 12-16) and the Tour de l’Avenir MaKadence (August 13-16) will offer many road racing opportunities for various categories across Canada throughout the summer. The season is capped by the UCI WorldTour stops on September 11 and 13 for the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal.
The Para national schedule will once again consist of four events, all on the UCI calendar. On April 3-5 the Canadian Track Championships will take place in Milton, followed by the Défi sportif AlterGo in Montreal on May 2-3. The road season will continue with the Canadian Road Championships on June 26-27, and finishes with the UCI Para Road World Cup which returns to Baie-Comeau, QC, for the third year in a row on August 6-8.
To close out the season, Langford, B.C. will host the Canadian Cyclocross Championships on November 14 at Bear Mountain Resort, home of the Canadian Mountain Bike National Team, followed by a UCI C2 race on November 15.
For the full 2020 events calendar, click here.