Sep 16, 20222 min read

Cross Nationals to be hosted in Saanich BC this November

Saanich, BC – The Lazer Canadian Cyclocross Championships will be hosted in Saanich BC on November 25-27, 2022 and feature 3 days of exciting racing action for cross enthusiasts from across the country. “After 2 long years of having no championship, we feel this is the year to finally make it happen.”, said race director, Jon Watkin. “We had originally planned to host in 2020 but that went sideways due to Covid-19, and then when we tried again for 2021, we were hit with a double whammy of bad weather and Omicron. It is said that ‘Three times is the charm’, so we are all in to make this an awesome event.”

The last Canadian Cyclocross championships were held in Peterborough Ontario in 2018-19. Victoria was slated to host in 2020-21, however the Covid-19 pandemic situation resulted in the race being cancelled for those years.

One major change is that the event has been moved to Layritz Park in Saanich, which is located just north of downtown Victoria. The park has had past cyclocross races including the very popular Tripleshot Cross Fondo and features varying terrain and excellent spectator viewing opportunities.

For the district of Saanich, it is the first major national sanctioned cycling event that has been hosted since the Mount Tolmie Road Race in 2000, which was spawned as a legacy of the Commonwealth Games in 1994.

“I’m thrilled Saanich will welcome the Lazer Canadian Cyclocross Championships to our community this fall,” said District of Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes. “Hosting this event offers many benefits for our local businesses including an uptick in tourism with the many competitors and spectators visiting us for this exciting weekend race.”

“We are super supportive of these kinds of events that bring national attention to the Greater Victoria Region.” Said Keith Wells, Executive Director of the Victoria Sport Tourism Commission. “It also shows that hosting high level sporting events can be attained by all municipalities and can bring enormous economic and social benefits.”

The event schedule combines family friendly activities for kids, fun races for enthusiasts, and high-performance racing for elites, juniors, U23, and Masters.

On Friday November 25, the course will be available for pre-riding by all racers and will also feature some night-time single speed cyclocross racing with the Broad Street Cycles “Blackout CX”.

The Lazer Canadian Cyclocross Championships take place the following day on November 26 and will highlight the Elite, Junior, U23, and Masters Championship events while also offering “Sportif” races for beginners.

Sunday’s racing will feature the Trek Bear Crossing Grand Prix UCI C2 International races where Canadian and International racers will be racing for valuable World Ranking UCI Points. Age group races will also be included to extend the racing action for youth and masters.

Tentative Schedule (Subject to Change)