September 25, 2016 (Ste-Catherine-de-Hatley, QC) – A new era of sanctioned racing in Canada has begun, with the very first CCC sanctioned rollerski race, Challenge Volvo 2016, hosted by Orford Ski Club on Saturday.

10km Open Men's race at Challenge Volvo 2016 © Jean Pinard

“Thanks to Club de ski de fond du Mont Orford for an amazing event and having dared to be the first club in Canada to organize a CCC sanctioned roller ski race! Feedback from the athletes has been amazing and they want to do more! It just shows how fun a well organized roller ski event can be the recipe to get more cross country ski athletes excited about training specifically in the summer and validating their progress during our long off season. In the long run, it can only help our country catch up with Europe and Scandinavian countries in particular, where by the way you can sign up for a roller ski race somewhere every weekend… Who’s next for hosting a roller ski race?,” commented Stéphane Barrette, CCC Director of Athlete & Coach Development.

More than 60 racers took part in the inaugural sanctioned Canadian rollerski event where athletes from midget to masters’ categories pushed their limits on the 10km & 5km race courses.

“I would like to thank everyone who helped organize the Challenge Volvo. Your contribution added professionalism to our event, and most importantly great motivation for athletes to participate. We are very happy with how the event unfolded. With a small budget, we were still able to hold a great event.”, René Pomerleau, Race Director.

Local star athlete Zachary Cristofanilli of Orford Ski Club, Qc and Sophie Carrier-Laforte of Skinouk, Qc clinched the 10km free mass start titles.

“The event & organisation were great as I expected it would be. It’s really nice to be able to take part in an official race at this time of year. My teammates & I are doing lots of race simulations in our training right now, so an event like this on a closed circuit can only help with preparation. I hope to see a full rollerski racing circuit in the near future!”, Zachary Cristofanilli, Men’s 10km champion.

Full race results

Race photos