Canmore mountain bikers send it to bronze, top 10 at nationals

NOVA SCOTIA­ – Going neck and neck with tough competition, Canmore’s Logan Sadesky put the pedal to the metal to claim bronze in the XCO Canadian Championships in Kentville, Nova Scotia on Saturday (July 20).

Sadesky took the elite men’s podium with a time of 1:24.34.90, only 0.52 and 1.03 ahead of the opposition, earning his most prideful and best result to date in the national race.

“I was in such a tight battle with two other guys,” said Sadesky. “Coming up to that line, it was all just about putting myself in the right spot and making sure I could outsprint these two guys at the very end.”

Sadesky focused on being smooth through the roots and technical sections of the XCO (cross-country) course, saving him the energy he needed to pull of the third-place photo finish.

“I feel like it was a lot about just being smooth there and limiting mistakes,” said the 24-year-old rider. “I feel like I was able to do that because I kind of came into the sprint between those two guys with a little bit more energy.”

In the XCC race on July 18, Sadesky put himself in the right positions on the short track to score eighth spot crossing the line, which was his best result for the XCC race in the national event.

“It's also my best short track national championship result to date, so I'm actually quite happy with that one,” said Sadesky.

Canmore’s Larix Hallet also burned some rubber and earned 10th in the XCO race among a field of 55 riders in the U17 expert men class. Hallet finished with a time of 50:06.09.

“I knew the course this year, and I kind of knew all the technical sections, so I could really visualize it and go a lot faster too this year,” said Hallett.

Hallett highlighted the speed and amount of the competitors compared to local races.

“My category was so fast compared to some local races here. All the kids from Ontario and stuff, it's really stepped up a level,” he said.

On the XCC track, Hallett had a rough start, making it hard to come back from on the tight course.

“I felt pretty good, but I really had the wrong positioning off the start. I kind of messed up my first corner and couldn't move up the field,” said Hallett. “That XCC course was really hard to pass on.”

For Sadesky, the burning heat was becoming a factor in the XCO, with temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius, which is something the rider has been training to endure.

“I knew that these sorts of races will come around eventually, and being prepared for racing in the heat, again something I struggled with in the past, is something I was trying to focus on this year,” said Sadesky.

Sadesky is also coming off a major XCC win earlier in July in the Canada Cup in Dieppe, New Brunswick.