Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships awarded to Canada in 2018 and 2019

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Cycling Canada announced that the Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships will be held in Canada in 2018 and 2019. The championship event was awarded to the city of Midland in the province of Ontario. The events will be held on November 3 and 4 next year.

In addition, a Masters Pan-American Championships will be held for the first time for 10-year age groups, aged 35 and above.

"Our team is incredibly excited to invite the Americas to Midland. It is a fantastic opportunity, and the benefits will go well beyond cycling for our rural community. We have partnered with the local Georgian Bay General Hospital Foundation to raise funds through the event," said Event Director, John Hauser.

Hausler is also the event director of the UCI C2 Silver Goose Cyclocross race held in Midland in October.

The announcement was made in collaboration with CykelHaus Race Promotions and the Pan-American Cycling Confederation. This is the first time the event is to be held in Canada. It was previously held in the US in Kentucky and Ohio.

The Pan-American Championships will host five categories of events: junior men, under-23 women and men, and elite women and men. The event provides an opportunity for racers to gain valuable UCI points for international seeding, in addition to winning the coveted Pan-Am Championships jersey.

The Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships are open to racers from the 44 nations included in the Pan-American Cycling Confederation (COPACI), spanning the continents from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego.

Chairman of the Pan-American Cyclo-cross Commission, Brook Watts said, "The announcement is further proof of the continued globalization of our sport as the Championship begins to draw interest and host bids from other nations."

Josh Peacock, competition coordinator for Cycling Canada said that the sport is one of Canada's most sought-after disciplines. "Welcoming the Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships to Canada will be a testament to the strong level of organization and competition that our country has become known for in recent years."

The weekend activities will begin with a UCI C2-level race followed by the Masters Pan-American Championships on Saturday, November 3. The Pan-American elite and category events will take place on Sunday, November 4.

Katie Compton (Trek) and Stephen Hyde (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld) defended their elite women's and men's titles, respectively, at the Pan-American Continental Championships held in Louisville, Kentucky in November.

The province of Ontario has hosted UCI sanctioned cyclo-cross events in the past with the Toronto International Cyclo-cross events in 2009 and 2010.

In addition, Hausler hosted The Silver Goose C2 events at Little Lake Park in Midland in October. American Jack Kisseberth won both men's races and Canada's Ruby West won the women's events.