Riders don’t usually give too much away before a race, but Michael Leonard did offer some clues after his team was presented to the crowd before the start of Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. “We rode a few laps yesterday,” he said. “The climbs definitely hurt. Also, if you look at the previous years, the race has been quite selective. So it’ll be a big day out.” Before his pre-race comments, he had just signed a few items for fans. Their vibes were definitely giving him some energy. “I’m looking forward to showing myself as well as possible in front of them.”
Shortly after the Sunday’s race began, Michael Leonard got into the day’s breakaway. Near the end of the first lap on the city circuit, the Ineos Grenadiers rider and Gil Gelders of Soudal Quick-Step formed a gap. Not too long afterward, Dries de Bondt from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale joined them.
Gil Gelders, Michael Leonard and Dries de Bondt ride in the day’s breakaway at the 2024 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
Leonard comes from Oakville, Ont. His parents, Peter and Jill, were in Montreal watching their son. Michael started racing bikes at 12. He gained experience at the velodrome in Milton, Ont., with guidance from Steve Bauer. “The Milton velodrome was Michael’s clubhouse,” Jill said. “There were lots of people he could connect with there. It gave him the opportunity to meet a lot of other cyclists. They have a good ecosystem.”
How an 18-year-old Canadian signed with Ineos Grenadiers
In 2021, Michael rode on an Italian team, Franco Ballerini. His results attracted the attention of Ineos Grenadiers. In August 2022, the team signed the 18 year old for 2023 to 2025. It was a quick rise, but then it stalled. “In ‘23, I stayed a little bit stagnant from my level in juniors just because there’s a lot of other stuff that happens in your life as you take that step up,” he said a few days before the first GP in Quebec City, where he’d finish 117th. Earlier this year, Leonard faced a setback: he fractured his hip, which ruined the first half of his season.
“But, since I came back from the fracture, I’ve been progressing really quickly. I’m a completely different rider to what I’ve been before,” he said. “I can climb. I can time trial. I miss a little bit of explosivity, but I can ride aggressively. I can almost be an all-rounder. But, now I’m just stronger than ever.”
Michael Leonard, 2024 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
In June, he was second in the national under-23 time trial championship. At the Tour de l’Avenir, he won the prologue. “This summer, I felt a lot more relaxed and confident,” Leonard said. “I know a little bit better what I need to do to prepare myself, and then also what I need to do to perform in races.”
Back in the breakaway in Montreal, Leonard and his companions only spoke a little bit among themselves, but ultimately they knew what to do: share the workload and ride hard. De Bondt was the first to fall out of the group on Côte de Polytechnique with about 55 km left of racing. Behind, Matej Mohorič launched from the peloton to join Leonard and Gelders. “I knew I had to try to follow Mohorič because that would have been the better situation, tactically. I did my best,” Leonard said later. With Mohorič driving on, Leonard didn’t last very long. His day out, for 156 km of the 209.1-km race, was over. Yet, he pushed on to finish more than 13 minutes after the race winner Tadej Pogačar crossed the line.
“Physically, it’s one of the biggest days on the bike I’ve ever had,” Leonard said at the finish. “And to be able to show myself in a big WorldTour race is definitely a continuation of the progress I’ve been making this summer.
“I’m quite happy with it.”
Michael Leonard at the finish of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Image: Nick Iwanyshyn
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