Ontario Athletes Deliver Strong Performance at 2025 Canadian Road Championships (Elite/Junior/U17/Para)

The Canadian Road Championships were held in St-Georges, Quebec during June 27th to June 30th 2025 and everyone knew to expect the courses to be challenging featuring long climbs and quick descents. St-Georges in no stranger to road cycling races as several large-scale events, including Nationals, have been hosted here,over the years. The weather was cooperative during the entire event, creating ideal conditions for some outstanding performances by Ontario athletes.

The Canadian Road Championships was hosted by Grand Prix Cyclistes de Beauce, and was an event athletes were excited to not only compete at, but where they were able to connect with others from around the country. – .

“Participating in the 2025 Canadian Road Championships was an incredible experience. The course offered both technical learning opportunities and the challenge of grueling hills, pushing us to grow as athletes,” said Nancy Kawaja, Silver Medalist (WH4 – ITT), she added: “What truly stood out was the team environment. The camaraderie and collective spirit made it feel much more than an individual competition. A heartfelt thank you to Ontario Cycling for the outstanding support. The planning and preparation were evident in every aspect of the event, and I’m deeply grateful for the work that went into making the weekend so successful. I leave this experience feeling motivated to continue training, learning, and progressing.”

Kevin McKenna, who accomplished his first podium finish with a Bronze medal in the Men’s H3-4 Road Race after starting handcycling five years ago, had a wonderful message to share: “The cycling community is truly special, and as a proud Team Ontario athlete, I’m always reminded that ‘We Ride as One.’ The spirit at Nationals, from volunteers to officials, creates an atmosphere that pushes every athlete to grow – podium or not.”

Former Paralympian Mike Trauner was on-site at Nationals to provide coaching support and share the expertise that he gained through this extensive training and competition as a world-class athlete. He shared this message with the athletes: “It was wonderful working together as a cohesive and motivated team. You all have such incredible potential, and I look forward to working with you all as you progress into the world of para-cycling.”

Ignite Junior Cycling’s Brody Mann reflected on his experience at Nationals and shared the following: “Overall, my National Championships went relatively well, with a 6th place finish in the ITT, and a 2nd place finish in the Criterium. I am pleased with my performance this weekend.”

Team Ontario’s Julia Lehmann (U17) had a fantastic Nationals capturing silver medals in both the Individual Time Trial and Race. “This weekend was a great experience. I am super happy to have gotten two podium finishes, and for the opportunity to represent Team Ontario,” she said.

In addition to growth and development as athletes, Ontario riders were also able to bring home some heavy hardware – including 8 Gold medals, 10 Silver medals, and 7 Bronze medals.

Provincial Coach, David Jack shared: “Overall, many good things happened at Nationals. The U17 and Junior women were very impressive and executed the plan on day 2 (road race) by working hard and working together, which led to two podiums and some other great placings. The U17 and Junior men survived a tough one on day 3 (road race), with some good work being done and lots of learning taking place.”

OC is so very proud of all our athletes, and we offer congratulations to all who competed along with their Coaches and teams. We also wish to send a special thank you to all volunteers who gave so generously of their time. Finally, a big thank you to the organizers, Grand Prix Cyclistes de Beauce and Cycling Canada for providing a world-class platform for Canadian cyclists.

A full list of Ontario medalists can be found below.

Individual Time Trial

Para-Cycling WT1 Shelley Gautier (Gold)

Para-Cycling MH1 Maarten Duif (Gold)

Para-Cycling WH4 Nancy Kawaja (Silver)

Para-Cycling MH3-4 Rajiv Das (Bronze)

U17 Women Julia Lehmann (Silver)

U17 Men Carter Deveer (Gold)

Junior Men Antoine Bergeron (Silver)

U23 Women Ava Holmgren (Gold)

U23 Men Carson Mattern (Gold)

Elite Men

Michael Leonard (Gold)

Derek Gee (Silver)

Road Race

U17 Women

Julia Lehmann – Silver

Junior Women

Elly Moore – Bronze

Elite & U23 Men

Derek Gee – Gold

Michael Leonard – Bronze

U23 Men

Luke Valenti – Silver

Para MH3-4

Mark Ledo – Gold

Kevin McKenna – Bronze

Para WH3-4

Nancy Kawaja – Silver

U17 Men

Carter Deveer – Silver

Josh Tyers – Bronze

Junior Men

Antoine Bergeron – Bronze

U23 Women

Ava Holmgren – Silver

Criterium

Junior Women

Elly Moore – Bronze

Junior Men

Brody Mann – Silver