Slovenian Tadej Pogacar wins the Montreal Cycling Grand Prix

Tadej Pogacar won the Montreal Cycling Grand Prix by breaking away from a group of five leaders in the final moments on Sunday.

Champion of the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, the 23-year-old Slovenian won the 11th edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.

He triumphed at the end of the 18 laps of 12.3 km (221.4 km), including the formidable climb of the Camilien-Houde route.

Wout Van Aert and Andrea Bagioli completed the podium.

They, Adam Yates and David Gaudu made up the top 5 for about 10 km.

Boivin was the top Canadian with a 37th place finish. He finished 45th at the Grand Prix de Québec on Friday.

Playing a last race with the pros, Antoine Duchesne reached the finish in the second wave of the peloton (70th), warmly applauded by the crowd. He will turn 31 on Monday.

Duchesne was part of the breakaway for more or less 150 km.

Hugo Houle, the first Quebecer to win a stage in the Tour de France, had to give up after the first round, suffering from neck pain.

Two days earlier, the athlete from Ste-Perpétue had to throw in the towel with 35 km to go.

Champion of 2016 and 2017 in Quebec, Peter Sagan was forced to retire at the end of the route on Sunday, like two days earlier.

Biniam Girmay, third in the city of Château Frontenac on Friday, also had to retire late in Montreal.

A total of 145 cyclists took the start, divided into 21 teams.

The elite of world cycling were back in Canada for the first time since 2019.

The Montreal circuit is similar to what riders will experience in Wollongong, Australia during the World Road Championships, which will begin next Sunday.

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