If the first edition of the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal in 2010 was intended to be “a gamble”, the only two World Tour races in North America are now must-see events on the calendar, their general manager assured on Wednesday.
“I think it’s been part of the athletes’ calendar for a while, possibly since the second edition,” Joseph Limare said in a video conference. “We meet the teams, especially in the spring, during the Belgian classics, and for many riders, we’re on their calendar from January onwards.”
“We always have this chance to be before the Worlds,” he continued. “So they come to finish their preparation here. On the team side, they can’t afford to let races go by, and we have a lot of points to come and get over two days here.”
Despite this success felt for almost 15 years now, there was some concern within the organizing committee due to the very busy schedule of the 2024 season, while the races in Quebec and Montreal will not be held until three weeks after the end of the Paris Olympic Games, on September 13 and 15.
“It was a bit of a worry because we knew the calendar would be very busy,” Limare admitted. “The European Championship takes place the same weekend as the race in Montreal. Before the Tour de France, we were wondering a bit what was going to happen with the Europeans. Finally, we realize that our Grands Prix attract the biggest names.”
“We’re going to have the winners of the first four stages of the last Tour de France on the starting line,” added the general manager. “A line-up like we have this year is a dream.”
The winner of the recent Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar, is also one of the riders registered in Quebec and Montreal, like the Eritrean Biniam Girmay, the Belgian Arnaud De Lie, the French Julian Alaphilippe, Valentin Madouas and Romain Bardet, the Australian Michael Matthews and the Briton Tom Pidcock to name just a few.
“I think it will be different from other editions. With Tadej, the best cyclist in the world, it will make the race more difficult, earlier,” said Canadian Derek Gee, who will be competing alongside his compatriots Michael Leonard, Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin.
Gee, who took part in the last Olympics, comes with different expectations this year, having taken part in the Quebec GP for the first time in 2023. Gee has burst onto the world stage this season, with a ninth place in the Tour de France and a podium at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
“I’ll have different races, because of the form I’m in in this second half of the season,” he admitted. “Obviously, with Tadej being the big favourite, they might not be as open races as they have been in recent years, but I think they’ll be good races.”
Gee will also want to buy back his 44e make way for the Paris road race.
“It’s clear that I still had the Tour de France in my legs at the Olympics. It was difficult to only go home one night after the Tour and then leave directly for Paris,” explained the Ottawa native. “I felt tired and had an absolutely difficult road race. They weren’t the legs I was hoping for, especially given my performances in the Tour. I was hoping that my legs would still be there, but that wasn’t the case. However, I’ve been able to recover since then.”
Ready for a women’s edition
Limare also confirmed that the organization behind the Grands Prix cyclistes de Québec and Montréal is ready to hold a women’s component of the event. It is at the level of financing that there is still work to be done.
“It’s a file that we are working on. It is obvious that the 2026 World Championships [mis sur pied par le même comité organisateur] are an argument. We will have 13 races, half of which will be women’s.”
“Now we are ready and we have told the donors and public partners that we are ready. Women’s cycling is developing. On our side, we have some private funding issues. We have sought out a second European partner this year. We are ready to organize women’s races. Will they be in the same weeks as the men’s races? We will have to see. There are many issues, whether in terms of television production or facilities.”
“We are working on this with the UCI. […] These races need to develop on the continental side. Having two races in Quebec is great. But there should be others in the United States or Mexico to ensure that the costs are not just a doubling of the men’s events. Because there, in terms of financing, it would be complicated, even for our public partners, who obviously support the project. It must be part of a global project. […] of women’s cycling development.