July 18, 2010 (Canmore, Alberta) – “It’ll be a great for the 50K in Oslo!” That’s the take-home message from Alex Harvey after he finished 9th (corrected from 7th) in the U23 men’s race at the 2010 Canadian MTB XC Championships on Saturday on the Canmore Nordic Centre trails in sunny Canmore, Alberta. This was a much better performance than his race up Mt. Norquay on Friday against a small field of National Team XC skiers – read more here.

While Harvey had said in an earlier interview that he had moderate hopes of qualifying for the MTB World U23 Championships to be held in his back yard at Mt St. Anne, Quebec in early September, he was realistic about his expectations.

“I just don’t have the power. I can last, but when those guys shift gears I’m left hammering,” he said, mopping sweat from his face at the finish line. For complete results and to read more on the Championships click here – and here… and for more of Harvey’s thoughts on the day, check out the video below.

U23 Men – 35km – 5 Laps
1. Jared Stafford (ON) Bikesports Racing 57:37.0
2. Francis Morin (QC) Team Quebec/Specialized 0:26
3. Simon Lalancette (QC) Equipe du Quebec/DEVINCI 1:38
4. Jon Kinsie (AB) Lapierre 2:32
5. Félix Cote (QC) CVM Val-David 2:54
6. Tyson Wagler (ON) 3 Rox Racing 3:22
7. Andrew L’esperance (NS) Cyclesmith/Trek 4:39
8. Zachary Hughes (ON) Norco Factory Team 5:01
9. Alex Harvey (QC) Indépendant 5:28
10. Alexis Cartier (QC) CVM Val-David 6:13