Because of the earlier UCI Street World Championships in 2023 as a part of the UCI’s ‘tremendous worlds’ in Scotland, the GP Québec and GP Montréal had been rid of their spot as the standard good ultimate tune-up race in anticipation of the battle for the rainbow bands.
However in 2024, they’ll as soon as once more, as that they had achieved since their inception in 2010, function one of many ultimate WorldTour races earlier than the World Championships, this yr in Zürich, the place the likes of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Crew Emirates), Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel will all vie for glory.
Solely considered one of them is current in Canada, Pogačar, who has had success beforehand on the 2022 GP Montréal, and they are going to be his first two races again since dominating the Tour de France and finishing the elusive Giro d’Italia-Tour double for the primary time since 1998.
He might have arrived in Canada later than anticipated with some journey documentation points, however the very best rider on this planet was current for press conferences on Wednesday the place each worldwide and native media flocked to listen to his ideas on the races. He is aiming at victory at each with Montréal extra suited to his traits however his affect is larger than simply his outcomes.
Pogačar can also be removed from the one star current in Quebec, with riders like Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) seeking to carry their Tour de France successes into the later levels of the season or Arnaud De Lie and Michael Matthews hoping to repeat their earlier successes on the Quebecois occasions.
Riders arrived from Paris on Tuesday morning, with a brand new winner very presumably coming within the type of considered one of Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny), Juan Ayuso (UAE Crew Emirates) or Stevie Williams (Israel-Premier Tech). The racing needs to be intense and the winners worthy.
With the thirteenth editions of the races approaching on Friday, September 13 in Québec and Sunday, September 15 in Montréal, Cyclingnews appears forward at among the key storylines to observe.
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Tadej Pogačar’s return to racing earlier than triple crown try
Any race that Tadej Pogačar strains up at is an enormous one, with that being precisely the case in Canada this season. It is not solely the primary probability to see how the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France champion is feeling in his first race again but in addition a possibility to see his form forward of the Street World Championships in Zürich, the place he shall be a favorite to take the rainbow jersey and be part of Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche as ‘Triple Crown’ winners.
The Slovenian has been extra dominant than ever in 2024 with a brand new strategy and coach. Nonetheless, he is barely raced the one-day races, taking in solely three thus far. This did lead to two wins and a 3rd place at among the hardest races of the season – Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Nonetheless, his type for the time being actually is unknown.
He is already netted extra wins than any rider this season with 21 however that might effectively be 23 by the tip of the weekend if his beautiful present of power on the Tour is something to go off. Glory on Sunday in Montréal – a race he is gained earlier than – is trying extra doubtless than Québec.
Pogačar will definitely give Friday’s race a great crack if at the least to get the legs shifting again in race rhythm forward of worlds, and he is not to be discounted if it does come all the way down to a dash on the dragging end. What’s extra vital although, is that Pogačar is effectively and really again and desirous to be racing once more.
A return to a pre-Worlds type marker
As mentioned, with the Street World Championships returning to its February slot, the Quebecois races are as soon as once more an ideal indicator of type for the World Championships coming later in September.
For this reason Pogačar is right here, as is similar for his teammate Tim Wellens, who alongside Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Van Gils, shall be seeking to help Remco Evenepoel in Zürich for Belgium towards the flying Slovenian.
Of the 2, Québec has proved the higher indicator of who would possibly win the Worlds, doing so twice in 2016 and 2017 when Peter Sagan got here and gained the races forward of claiming his rainbow jerseys, and equally for Philippe Gilbert in 2011 when he loved considered one of biking’s greatest ever seasons earlier than changing into the world champion.
With such a brutally hilly course awaiting the riders in Zurich, nevertheless, Montréal’s 17 laps and over 4,000m of elevation achieve appears like will probably be the extra correct information of type heading into Switzerland, the place a equally tough parcours of laps round Zürich ought to see the climbers battle out the win.
Can Pogačar make extra historical past and turn into the primary rider to win the GP Montréal and world title in the identical season?
Biniam Girmay appears to hold Tour de France success on in Canada
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) is at the moment nonetheless experiencing the very best season of his profession to this point after claiming a trio of stage wins on the Tour de France and the inexperienced jersey besides. But it surely’s not over simply but as he continues his cost in Canada.
He is contemporary off a rebuild of type on the Renewi Tour and a third-place end on the Bemer Cyclassics, with the Tour, Olympics and a part of the Giro all in his legs. However the course in Québec needs to be perfect for the Eritrean ought to he be delivered onto the ending straight in a half-decent place.
Girmay has established himself because the punchy sprinter to beat, in a position to survive plenty of elevation achieve earlier than nonetheless unleashing sufficient watts to outsprint among the high riders. And Firday’s race appears to play into these strengths, the place he shall be one of many favourites ought to he make it by means of the attacking waves unscathed.
It has been a historic yr for Girmay and for African biking and there could be extra to have fun ought to Girmay win Friday’s race in Québec. It is one thing no African rider has ever managed and it could be an ideal technique to finish his WorldTour calendar this season.
Arnaud De Lie returns to web site of first WorldTour success
For Arnaud De Lie, Québec will all the time be a particular place having taken his first WorldTour win there final season, with a muscular dash from a poor place seeing him scorch to the right debut in Canada.
Something lower than repeating will probably be a disappointment for De Lie, who will this day trip be competing within the Belgian champion’s jersey, with a ultimate bunch dash suiting him after all of the climbing.
Girmay and Pogačar will in all probability be amongst his largest opponents however not like final yr when he was looking for that first WorldTour-level victory, he is acquired extra wins below his belt and shall be a watched rider. Particularly, after taking his second top-division win within the Renewi Tour with a shocking show in on the ultimate stage on the Muur van Geraardsbergen.
Nobody will need to go to the end with De Lie in Québec, realizing how he would not want a lot street in any respect to energy as much as full velocity and reel somebody again in. If the 22-year-old is in his high form, he’ll be extremely arduous to cease – even for the likes of Pogačar.
The 2026 Worlds continues to attract nearer for Montréal
With this yr serving as each the fiftieth anniversary of Worlds in Montréal when Eddy Merckx and Geneviève Gambillon took the primary titles outdoors of Europe, it is also one of many three ultimate costume rehearsals on the brutally powerful Montréal course earlier than the combat for the rainbow bands returns to the large metropolis in 2026.
The WorldTour race’s course round Mount Royal Park in Montréal is more likely to type the big majority of the 2026 Worlds course. The park has already been set in historical past due to the Cannibal’s triumph in 1974, Bernt Johannson’s victory within the 1976 Olympics and the one-day race’s success. In two years, it should as soon as once more present the right enviornment for the world’s greatest to battle for rainbows.
Because the likes of Pogačar and Julian Alaphilippe do battle on the brutally powerful course this Sunday, there will definitely be an eye fixed on the longer term and a thought forward to what sort of motion will happen in a yr’s time.
Biking in Canada needs to be at its pinnacle after Autumn in 2026, with the GP de Québec, GP de Montréal and the Worlds all arriving inside a four-week interval and offering the right launchpad for the game to blow up.
