With last Tour de France stage winner Michael Woods as the headliner, the 12th presentation of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal next September promises to be very tough again, with a more impressive peloton than usual.
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In addition to the 18 WorldTour formations, the organization will of course welcome Israel-Premier Tech, but also the Canadian national team, Belgium’s Lotto Dstny, former champion Fabien Cancellara’s Tudor team and, for the first time, Novo Nordisk, an athlete-only formation Diabetes.
The addition of these five additional teams brings the roster to 161 cyclists on September 8th and 10th, a high since 2010.
“I’m always very humbled and full of admiration when I see this contingent coming to us to race,” said GPCQM CEO Sébastien Arsenault.
The big start of the 78th Tour of Spain this Saturday will give a good impression of which stars are available for the trip to Canada in two weeks time. Champions Benoît Cosnefroy and Tadej Pogacar could be back to defend their respective titles in Quebec and Montreal.
About Camilien Houde
Hugo Houle will be present, as will Guillaume Boivin. For his part, Michael Woods is aiming for a great result in Montreal, who finished 8th in his last appearance in 2019.
“I can’t wait. I’ve recovered well. The goal is really Montreal. For me it’s one of the most important races of this season. I’m ready to attack,” said the climber, who will be 37 in October, in a video conference .
On July 9th, Woods became a legend during the 9th stage of the Tour de France. With just under 500 meters to go, Canadian Matteo Jorgenson joined before triumphing alone at the top of the Puy de Dôme. Since that long-awaited win, Woods’ life has changed a bit.
“Even if I take my daughter to school, the teachers tell me about it. When I drive through the streets, a lot of people want photos. I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I’m an athlete who always thinks about the future,” he added.
New goals
In addition, Woods is now considering winning a stage in the Tour of Italy. “A win at the Giro. It would be very cool to get a win in each of the three grand tours. »
In recent weeks, the Ottawa-based cyclist has taken the time to privately watch the stage he so spectacularly won.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to win and if you look at the stage it’s incredible. “Mentally, I didn’t give up in this race, even though I was two minutes behind,” he explains, full of emotion.
Woods has a contract until 2025 and is not yet sure if he will continue his career after the World Cup in Montreal.
“It’s certainly a dream in my mind, but I’ll be 40 in 2026 and we’ll see if I can still be at a high level. »
In summary…
- The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec takes place on Friday, September 8th. For Saturday September 9th, in addition to the national criterion, the organization has also planned a symbolic presentation on the 2026 World Cup in the metropolis on the Avenue du Parc. The team works intensively on the courses three years in advance. The Montreal Grand Prix will take place the following day, Sunday 10th September 2023.
- The organization of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal (GPCQM), which holds a third license for a World Tour event, announced in June that it could not add this new event to the 2024 calendar. She’s still aiming for 2025, maybe to the eastern townships.