September 11, 2018 (Montreal, QC) – Canadian riders were front and center for the Grands Prix Cyclistes Quebec et Montreal (GPCQM) races on September 7th (Quebec) and 9th (Montreal). The GPCQM races are the only Canadian events in the World Tour of road cycling, the highest level of international competition for professional men.

In Friday’s 201.6 kilometre (16 laps) through the streets of Old Quebec, five riders broke clear after two kilometres, including three Canadians. The break consisted of Alexander Cataford (Team Canada), Guy Sagiv (Israel Cycling Academy), Bruno Langlois (Team Canada), Nicolas Dougall (Team Dimension Data), and Robert Britton (Rally Cycling Team). The lead quickly grew to reach a maximum of 6:30 after three laps.

Alex Cataford took advantage of the breakaway to collect the KOM points on Cote des Glacis for 13 laps. With two laps remaining, Langlois and Britton were still clear, and were only caught in the final 20 kilometres. Guillaume Boivin (Israel Cycling Academy) was the top Canadian finisher, in 21st place with the lead group.

“GPCQM was a success once again for the National Team,” said Team Canada captain Bruno Langlois. “Alex did a great job getting KOM points throughout the day, and we really put on a show for the spectators. It was one of the best days I’ve ever had on a bike and I want to thank all the people who came out to encourage us.”

On Sunday, the competition moved to Montreal for the 195 kilometre (16 lap) race on the classic Mont Royal circuit, where Canadians again animated the race. After one lap a five rider break formed, containing Canadians Hugo Houle (Astana Pro Team), Adam Roberge (Team Canada), Nigel Ellsay (Rally Cycling Team), and Charles-Etienne Chretien (Team Canada), as well as Briton Owain Doull (Team Sky). Their lead reached five minutes at the end of the fourth lap, with a maximum gap of 5:45. With three laps remaining the gap was still two minutes, and Houle, Roberge and Ellsay were still at the front, before they were finally caught in the final 30 kilometres. Guillaume Boivin was once again the top Canadian finisher, in 19th place with the same time as the race winner.

“I’m really happy with the race,” said Team Canada manager Kevin Field after the Montreal race. “We did what we had to do today. We expected the break to be between four and six riders, and we wanted to have one or two riders in the move. That happened with two of our Under-23 riders [Roberge and Chretien]. It’s fantastic for them to get that experience and exposure so close to the upcoming World Championships in Innsbruck [where both will ride the Road Race].”

“James [Piccoli] has been on an exciting progression path in domestic racing over the past two seasons. After winning the Tour de Beauce this year we were looking forward to seeing what he could do in Montreal. Unfortunately, he got tangled up in a crash on the final climb of Mont-Royal, preventing James from truly showing his stuff. Overall, I’m really happy, and the guys rode to the expectations I had.”