This past weekend several athletes from XC Ottawa went down to represent their school at the Bates College Carnival at the Black Mountain resort in Rumford, Maine. Athletes competed in a 15/20 km classic race on Friday and a 5/10 km freestyle event on Saturday.
As usual, competition was stiff but racing went well. The first day of racing the weather was an enjoyable temperature just below freezing, and the trails were in excellent condition.
Colin Abbott had an exceptional race and was able to gold in Friday’s 20 km classic race for the men. Colin led the pack right from the start, and eventually breaking away entirely to claim the win. Steffan Lloyd also had a good race, coming in close behind in 23rd position. In the women 15 km classic, Kyla Vanderzwet finished in 46th, Liza Rozina in 68th and Logan Hong in 76th.
On Saturday, the skiers ran into some bad luck, as their bus broke down on the way to the race course, causing almost all the women to miss their start, and the men to race without proper race wax and support. Nonetheless, Colin Abbott posted another very strong finish in 6th position, and Steffan Lloyd close behind in 19th.
This university race is precursor to the Ontario University Championships that they’ll be attending in mid-February in North Bay, Ontario. XC Ottawa athletes will first be competing at the Easter Canadian Championships to be hosted at Nakkertok South.