October 21, 2007

Mark Batty is the Under 23 Canadian Cyclocross Champion 2007

Mark Batty rode the under 23 National Cyclocross Championships in Kamloops BC Sunday October 21st.

It was a cold, windy and rain threatening day at the Canadian Cyclo-cross Nationals in Kamloops BC, but that did not stop me from focussing on my goal.  I made sure there was lots of time for warm up on the course to finalise lines due to a few slippery corners.  When the race started I wanted to play it a little safe and work my way into the race giving me a good feel for who was riding well.  After the first lap Kyle Douglas had put about 10 seconds on me and the field.  I knew that Kyle was a favourite for this race and could not let him get a bigger cap so Mike Bidniak and myself began to try and bring Kyle back.  After about 3 laps I found that I had put a little time in Kyle and began to drop Mike, that’s when I really put the chase on, every lap Kyle was getting a little closer.  The pain was setting in but the determination was high.  I continued to focus on being smooth in my run and making sure to not make any mistakes.  With about 3 laps to go I found that Kyle’s wheel was just in front of me and with him crashing put me into the lead. With only having a few seconds on Kyle, left little time for error.  I dug even deeper to hold the lead.  Coming into the last few corners of the race I took extra caution to not slip up.  I rode across the finish line in first place giving me my first ever national champion jersey!

All in all it was a great day.

Mark Batty, 2007 U23 Canadian Cyclo-cross Champion

For full results of the National Cyclocross Championships visit:
Pedal Magazine
Canadian Cyclist