Starting this week, five Squamish mountain biking locals are at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, representing Canada.
All told, there are 130 Canadian athletes representing the country in Glasgow including 38 from B.C.
Squamish had seven athletes qualify, but Jackson Goldstone is recovering from surgery and is unable to attend. Teigen Pascual is also recovering from injury.
Going to the world championships was not a lifelong dream for 18-year-old Ella MacPhee.
It took the COVID-19 pandemic for MacPhee to set her sights on mountain biking victory. In 2020, the longtime dancer's dance studio closed. So, her and her friends took to the trails as a way to stay connected while keeping at a distance. It did not take long for her to start competing.
“I realized how much I really loved it and like how much I really wanted to work towards something and achieving goals in the sport. And I've never looked back at the decision to take it to the next level,” said MacPhee.
That next level has taken her to Glasgow for the Aug. 3 to 13 championships.
Although MacPhee saw herself as a dancer growing up — while also sailing, skiing, and competing in biathlon — she was no stranger to mountain biking. As a kid, her parents put her in a weekly summer mountain biking group with some of the girls she went to school with. Today, she coaches kiddos the same way she got her start.
“It's really cool to kind of pass on that passion,” said MacPhee.
MacPhee said part of what makes heading to the world championships so special is doing it alongside her childhood friend, 18-year-old Marin Lowe, who was also in her childhood biking group. In June, MacPhee joined Lowe in qualifying for the world championships at the Whistler Canada Cup.
“The start of the race did not go well. But I stayed positive and motivated throughout the race. And I actually won that race as well. So, that was a really big moment,” said MacPhee. “And I just remember the feeling [of] crossing the finish line [and feeling] joy, and having Marin … . there at the finish line, too. That was really exciting for the two of us.”
This is Lowe’s second world championship. She competed last year — shortly after recovering from COVID-19 — where she placed 16.
This year, she felt the pressure to make it to the world stage once again. One of the Stimulus Orbea staffers, the performance racing team Lowe is a part of, noticed she was feeling the nerves before the Canmore Canada Cup and gave her a pre-race pep talk, which Lowe said made all the difference.
“It just made me feel like I could just enjoy the race [because ] I love this … and it's so supposed to be fun”
She won the race.
Lowe said her journey to the world stage is as much a mental game as it is physical. While she is an elite athlete, she is also a teenager balancing homework and friendships.
“The balance isn't always easy, but it is worth it,” said Lowe. “The people who support me are really the backbone of it all.”
Lowe said those around her recognized her potential before she did.
(Her dad is Ian Lowe, executive director of the Squamish Off Road Cycling Association.)
Six days after Lowe’s birth, her dad brought her to a mountain bike race.
While she went on bike rides with her parents and was a part of a biking group as a kid, she never considered she would race. At 12, things changed.
Lowe entered her first mountain biking cup and was hooked.
“I just fell in love and ever since I've just loved pushing my limits and meeting so many amazing people in the sport,” said Lowe.
Both Lowe and MacPhee credit their coach Olympian Catharine Pendrel as someone who has helped shape them into the athletes they are.
The pair say they feel ready to compete and are looking forward to the experience.
“I would love and love to achieve a Top 10 result but I try not to get too worked up about the actual numbers. I just want to go out there on the day of and just give it my all and make Canada proud and just make myself proud,” said Lowe.
As for MacPhee, she is hoping for a Top 25 finish. But mostly, she is just excited to watch herself grow as an elite level athlete.
“I’m just really excited to see where I'm at now and compete against the best in the world,” said Macphee.
Squamish riders who qualified are:
BMX Racing
U23 Women — Teigen Pascual
Mountain Bike Cross-Country Olympic
Junior Women — Marin Lowe
U23 Women — Ella MacPhee
Elite Men — Sean Fincham
Mountain Bike Downhill
Junior Men — Dane Jewett
Elite Men — Jakob Jewett
Elite Men — Jackson Goldstone
Keep up with the competition on the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships website and the Cycling BC site.
**Please note, this story has been updated since it was first posted to reflect that Teigen Pascual also announced she is unable to attend.
