Guthrie top junior in Canada

Peachland mountain biker Evan Guthrie is the top junior cross country mountain biker in Canada.

Guthrie, 17, won the Canadian National Cross-country Championship in the junior (17 and 18-year-old) men category with a dominating ride at the event in Mont Ste. Anne, Quebec on Saturday.

Guthrie built a big lead on the 5.1 kilometre course of which junior riders rode four laps.

He had such a lead, even a spectacular crash that saw him tumble into the crowd on the race’s final descent couldn’t keep him from winning.

In the end Guthrie won the race by 1:46, claiming the gold medal at the nationals.

Guthrie, a member of the Total Restoration Cycling team out of Kelowna, took the lead on a climb on the second lap and never looked back.

It was Guthrie’s first national title and the continuation of a successful season of riding.

Earlier this year Guthrie was the winner of the first Canada Cup and he also rode for Canada in both the cross country and Team Relay at the 2008 MTB World Championships.

He also claimed a bronze medal in the provincial road racing championships in the junior expert category.

Guthrie attends Mount Boucherie Secondary in Westside.