Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal Race Report: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won in Montréal on Sunday. In the Canadian WorldTour race, the Slovenian was unbeatable and took the victory after a solo of 24 kilometres. Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) finished second and third.
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Montréal highlights
Route:
The Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal is on a hilly circuit of 12.3 kilometres in the city with 269 metres of climbing and had to be ridden 17 times. The total distance is 209.1 kilometres, with 4,573 metres of elevation.
Montréal’24 profile
From the start/finish, the road climbs up the Côte Camillien-Houde (1.8km at 8%) in the Parc du Mont-Royal, followed by a descent of almost two kilometres on wide roads. After 6 kilometres there is the climb of the Côte de Polytechnique (780 metres at 6%), where there is a section of 11% for 200 metres. Then there is a short descent on a bumpy road surface. Next is the short Pagnuelo (535 metres at 7.5%), from the summit there are 3 kilometres to the finish. The finish (and start) is on the Avenue du Parc. At first it is downhill, then climbs to the finish line. The last 560 metres are uphill at an average of 4%.
Montréal’24 map
With 4,500 metres of climbing, the Montréal race was more for the altitude men the the sprinters of Québec. In 2023 it was Adam Yates who won and in 2022 it was Pogačar. The Slovenian was the top favourite at the start to repeat his win of two years ago.
Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) at the start
The break of three built up a lead of 6 minutes, but Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates team soon showed that they wanted to keep a tight hold on the race. With 130 kilometres to go, the lead was down to just over 2 minutes and the peloton could catch them when it wanted.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) taking it easy in the peloton
Fifty kilometres from the finish, Leonard and De Bondt were the first to be caught, just as Matej Mohorič put in an attack. The Slovenian was chasing down Gelders, but the Bahrain rider was caught. UAE Team Emirates were still doing the work on the front of the peloton. With three laps to go, everything came back together and everyone was waiting for Pogačar to make his move.
Pogačar wins in Montréal
Bilbao 2nd and Alaphilippe 3rd
The Montréal podium: Bilbao, Pogačar and Alaphilippe
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Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 5:28:15
2. Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Spa) Bahrain Victorious at 0:24
3. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:40
4. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Lotto Dstny
5. Ion Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Cofidis
6. Toms Skujins (Lat) Lidl-Trek
7. Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Michael Woods (Can) Israel-Premier Tech
9. Edoardo Zambanini (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
10. Jai Hindley (Aus) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.
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