Watersley Challenge UCI 2.1 2026

The Watersley Challenge UCI 2.1 is always one of the biggest races on the PNW Racing calendar, bringing together some of the top U19 riders and teams from across Europe and beyond.
For our boys, it also came at the end of a massive stretch of racing and travel. After finishing the Tour de l’Abitibi in Canada, the team headed straight to the Netherlands to line up for three demanding stages at Watersley.
Add in some seriously hot conditions, a strong international field and the accumulated fatigue from Abitibi, and it was going to be a challenging weekend and exactly the kind of racing experience we want our riders to have.

Stage 1 | Individual Time Trial | 6.4 km
The Watersley Challenge opened Friday with a short and fast 6.4 km individual time trial. Mitch Williams delivered an outstanding ride to finish 3rd, putting PNW Racing on the podium against a very strong international field.
After winning the Canadian Junior Time Trial Championship in Quebec in June, Mitch had the opportunity to pull on his custom PNW Canadian Champion kit and proudly race with the Maple Leaf on his back in the Netherlands.

Stage 1 Results:
🥉 Mitch Williams – 3rd
Marcus Huebner – 57th
Aubrey – 70th
Cor – 71st
Sebastian Grund – 73rd
Luke – 84th
A fantastic result for Mitch and solid efforts across the entire team to start the weekend.

Stage 2 | 110.9 km
Stage 2 brought a completely different challenge: 110.9 km of hard racing in extremely hot conditions. The pace and level of competition made for a demanding day, with Cor finishing 32nd, Aubrey 55th and Marcus 72nd. Mitch, Sebastian and Luke were unable to finish the stage.
At this level, not every race goes according to plan. Learning how to manage international racing, heat, fatigue, positioning and the relentless pace of a UCI junior peloton is all part of the development process.

Stage 3 | A Strong Finish
The final stage saw the boys finish the Watersley weekend on a high note.
Aubrey rode an excellent race to finish 9th, giving PNW another top-10 result, while Cor crossed the line in 18th and Marcus did not finish the final stage.

Stage 3 Results:
9th – Aubrey
18th – Cor
DNF – Marcus

Final General Classification
25th – Cor
27th – Aubrey
Two riders inside the top 30 overall was a strong way to close out a very demanding weekend. Another Important Step for PNW Racing

Watersley is about much more than results. Giving Canadian junior riders opportunities to compete in races like the Watersley Challenge UCI 2.1 exposes them to the speed, depth and style of European racing and gives them experience that is difficult to replicate at home.

Coming directly from a full week at the Tour de l’Abitibi and stepping immediately into another major international stage race made this an especially challenging block.
The boys continued to fight, learn and improve throughout the weekend, highlighted by Mitch's podium in the opening time trial, Aubrey's 9th-place finish on Stage 3, and Cor and Aubrey finishing 25th and 27th overall.

A huge thank you to John, Dave and Paul for the incredible support throughout the weekend. These projects aren't possible without the people behind the riders, and we're extremely grateful for everything they do.

And thank you once again to the organizers of the Watersley Challenge. It's always great to be back in the Netherlands. They put on an incredible race, and we're grateful to have PNW Racing be part of it each year. Big effort from the entire team. 🇨🇦

This is what the PNW Racing pathway is about: giving Canadian junior cyclists opportunities to race, learn and develop against some of the best young riders in the world.
On to two weeks of Belgium Kermesses.