Ava Holmgren, Isabella Holmgren and Ian Ackert each had podium performances at a number of international cyclocross events in Europe.
For elite cyclocross athletes, the Christmas holidays are anything but a breather.
For these passionate and talented cyclists looking to climb the ultra-competitive world rankings, it’s one of the most intense stages of the year.
That was the case for a trio of local athletes, twin sisters Ava and Isabella Holmgren and Ian Ackert, all from Orillia, who helped Canada make their mark on the international cyclocross stage.
The trio are members of the Stimulus Orbea Cycling Team that exceeded all expectations at Kerstperiode, an elite series of races between Christmas and New Years in Europe.
Each of the Orillia athletes delivered podium performances, competing in seven races over the two-week period, with support from Cycling Canada.
The team’s goal was to gain experience on highly technical European courses while learning how to repeatedly perform at their best against the highest level of competition, Cycling Canada head cyclocross coach Rob Holmgren said.
They did just that, and more.
The team began and ended its two-week campaign with World Cups and earned podium finishes in both, which is a remarkable feat for a Canadian in a European-dominated sport.
The Stimulus Orbea teammates were the only Canadians to get on the podium. In some of the races, the junior women were required to compete with the elite women, as they did not have a separate event.
The results are the following:
At the World Cup event in Gavere the course featured thick heavy mud with lots of climbing and lots of running. Ian Ackert finished second in the junior men’s division, while Isabella Holmgren finished first in the junior girls (28 among elite women) and Ava Holmgrem finished third in the junior division (50 among elite women).
At the Superprestige Heusden-Zolder, Ackert was 10th on a fast track held on the grounds of Circuit Zolder Motor Speedway. Ava Holmgren placed third among young women (23 among elite women) and Isabella Holmgren placed fourth among young women (28 among elite competitors).
Next up was a classic night race, the Superprestige Diegem, which took place in the city center of Diegem, 20 minutes from Brussels. This was a muddy technical track interspersed with high-speed roads through the city. Ava Holmgren finished first among the junior women (22 among the elite women), while Isabella was right behind, finishing second (26 among the elite women). Ackert finished in eighth place among the young men.
On New Year’s Day, local athletes played 2023 at the Sven Nys Cycling Center. There was thick dense mud with some long climbs, runs and technical descents/corners in the X20 Trofee – Baal. Once again, Orillia’s twin sisters dominated, with Isabella finishing in first place, followed by Ava in second. Ackert ran as high as 11th in the junior men’s race.
The local athletes continued their stellar results in the X20 Trofee – Herentals on a course that included a little bit of everything, including fast roading, cycling on a running track, steep runs and steep, technical descents with muddy corners, suited to mountain bike skills. The training at Hardwood Ski and Bike paid off as Ackert raced as high as fourth. Ava Holmgren took second place, while Isabella Holmgren finished in third place.
The next event was the X20 Trofee — Koksijde. This race has been held since 1969 and although this year is not a World Cup, the race has been on the cyclocross World Cup circuit since 1996.
This course is almost entirely deep sand with steep climbs and descents, requiring riders to have excellent technical skills and running ability. Isabella Holmgren ran to a 1st among junior women, 15th among elite runners. Ava Holmgren finished second among junior athletes and 21st among elite runners. Ackert did not race in this event.
The grueling series concluded with a World Cup race in Zonhoven. This iconic race features ‘de Kuil’, which is a large bowl of sand that riders enter at high speeds, causing crashes, followed by steep climbs of sand. The junior women faced torrential rain during their run, challenging their skills to the max.
Despite the conditions, Isabella Holmgren managed a third-place finish, while her sister finished fourth. Ackert did not finish.
In addition to the demanding race schedule and keeping up with their 12th grade studies, the riders were responsible for co-shopping, cooking and cleaning for a team of 18 athletes and staff.
They were grateful to receive mechanical support from Team Canada mechanics to keep their bikes running smoothly.
The team is now training for the last two World Cups of the season on January 22 in Benidorm, Spain and January 29 in Besancon, France.
Their cyclocross season will culminate in Hoogerheide, The Netherlands, from February 3-5, where they will represent Canada in the Cyclocross World Championships.
