(Quebec) Frenchman Benoît Cosnefroy broke away from the peloton on the last lap and won the 11e edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, Friday.
Posted at 3:53 p.m.
Updated at 4:44 p.m.
The Australian Michael Matthews, champion of the two previous editions, won the title of vice-champion. Eritrean Biniam Girmay completed the podium.
The cream of international cyclists were back in Canada for the first time since 2019. The 147 cyclists from 21 teams will head to Montreal for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Belgian Wout van Aert, one of the favorites in the race, finished five seconds behind Cosnefroy and secured fourth position.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, winner of the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, took 24e rank.
Quebecer Guillaume Boivin took the 45e level and was the best Canadian in the running.
“I’m going to channel my frustration on Sunday’s race,” said Boivin, disappointed with his result.
Quebecer Antoine Duchesne, who announced his retirement the day before the competition, took the 67e rank. The Groupama-FDJ team rider will take part in his last competition on Sunday in Montreal.
With 35 km to go, Quebecer Hugo Houle, Boivin’s teammate at Israel-Premier Tech, gave up. The winner of a stage of the Grande Boucle in 2022 was the best Canadian on this course during the last edition.
“I didn’t have the legs today,” Houle said after the race. I suffered a lot. »
Canadian Thomas Schellenberg was forced to retire around the 120e km. With about fifty kilometers to go, the 20-year-old cyclist from Bois-des-Filion, Nicolas Rivard, also forced to throw in the towel.
Champion of the 2016 and 2017 editions, the Slovak Peter Sagan was forced to retire with 36 km to go.
The thread of the race
- 34e km: five riders, including Canadian Carson Miles, break away and give themselves a four-minute priority over the peloton.
- 57e km: the five riders in the leading group continue to exchange leads and maintain their lead of just over four minutes.
- 100e km: halfway through the race, the contingent that escaped maintains its lead. The peloton did not drop any riders.
- 135e km: Miles no longer maintains the rhythm and the group of leaders is reduced to four. The peloton is approaching nearly three minutes from the leaders.
- 160e km: A group of five chasers led by the American Quinn Simmons broke away from the peloton and was on the heels of the leaders by less than a minute.
- 172e km: the pursuers have made up the delay on the leaders and the peloton is approaching a handful of seconds from the lead.
- 180e km: at the start of the final lap, the headliners, including Tadej Pogacar and Wout van Aert, are positioned at the head of the peloton.
- 200e km: with 1200 meters to go, Benoît Cosnefroy gives himself a priority of several seconds. He stands up to the push of the rivals and triumphs.