The GP de Québec and GP de Montréal, the Canadian double, have been among the biggest races in the autumn for years. This year, a strong field lines up again in Québec, partly in preparation for the upcoming World Championships in Rwanda, but all eyes are on one man: Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian is making his comeback after his triumphant ride in the Tour de France, but has never won here before. Will that change now? WielerFlits previews the race!
Back to Friday, September 13, 2024. The assembled peloton looked towards Tadej Pogacar before the start of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, who had won all of his races except Milan-San Remo. Several teams therefore tailored their race plan around the Slovenian. After neutralizing the early break that included Dutch rider Frank van den Broek, Pogacar was set to take charge, hoping to drop the fast men.
But it was not Pogacar; rather, Matteo Jorgenson launched a serious bid for victory in the final lap. The American from Visma | Lease a Bike attacked with ten kilometers to go and had built a twenty-second lead, but that ultimately proved insufficient. Jorgenson was caught with three kilometers remaining, after which Julian Alaphilippe made another attempt. The former world champion, however, received little freedom from Pogacar’s team.
The UAE Emirates leader launched his final attack 2.2 kilometers from the finish. The Slovenian impressed but, strikingly, could not shake off three(!) Lotto Dstny riders: Arnaud De Lie, Maxim Van Gils, and the surprisingly strong Jenno Berckmoes. Defending champion De Lie was brought to the line in a perfect position but could not repeat his win on the significantly rising Grande Allée.
The leaders were ultimately swallowed at the last moment by a rampaging chase group. As in recent years, the race ended in a sprint from a reduced group. Tiesj Benoot went early and looked set for victory but was overtaken by the until-then unseen Michael Matthews. The Australian secured his third win in Québec ahead of Biniam Girmay and Rudy Molard.
It will take some getting used to: the GP de Québec has long stuck to its proven formula, but this year the organizers decided to partially overhaul the course. Not for sporting reasons, but due to roadworks in the city and to provide more space for spectators to watch the finale up close.
The main change: the race is partly moved from Parc de la Francophonie to the Plains of Abraham. Furthermore, the local circuit in Québec is slightly shortened to twelve kilometers, and the outcome will no longer be decided on the Côte de la Potasse (420 meters at 9%) or Montée de la Fabrique (190 meters at 7%).
An important reason: the organizers and the city of Quebec want as many people as possible to attend the event. Given the race’s popularity, finding a larger venue was a key agenda item. According to race director Joseph Limare the natural grandstands of the Plains of Abraham are perfect for the event. On top of that, roadworks on several streets have forced the race to move to another part of Québec.
Although the GP Québec route has been slightly shortened, an extra lap is added for the upcoming edition. The riders will thus still cover 216 kilometers through the winding streets of the old capital. Each lap has 145 meters of elevation, which after 18 laps totals 2,610 meters of climbing. After the start, the race first passes through Battlefields Park and then along Avenue Ontario, before reaching Boulevard de Champlain via the Grande Allée Ouest. The peloton then heads back to the heart of the Canadian city.
The course is still flat for the first ten kilometers, but when it turns away from the water, there are two very challenging kilometers in the historic center where the better climbers and punchers must make the difference. After ten kilometers, the Côte de la Montagne presents a 600-meter-long sharp climb with grades reaching up to 13%. At this point, the peloton briefly rides along the city walls with views over the harbor.
After the summit of this short but steep Côte de la Montagne, it’s just over a kilometer to the finish, which also rises significantly. The finish line is drawn on Avenue George-VI, after climbing the Montée Rue Saint-Louis (1 km at 3%), in the heart of the Plains of Abraham. According to former pro Antoine Duchesne, now an ambassador for the Canadian races, this route change makes the race more challenging for sprinters. "They will now need to sustain their effort for a longer period," he explains.
"We have slightly adjusted the course to have more space around the start and finish. We now also have more room for spectators at this location," says Limare about the renewed course. "Because of this change, we also altered the finale somewhat, and this is how it will stay in the coming years. The finish is not the same as in previous years. Then we had three short climbs in the last five kilometers, including some descents. But now the last two kilometers go uphill."
The complete start list for the Grand Prix de Québec is not yet known. Therefore, this favorites section is not fully completed. If a start list is published on time, we will update and revise this preview accordingly.
For some riders, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec serves as one of the final preparation races for the World Championships in Rwanda at the end of September, but above all, it’s a race that would be a major addition to any palmarès. In the early years of the GP de Québec, it was primarily the punchers fighting for victory. Think of Philippe Gilbert, Thomas Voeckler, and Robert Gesink. That trend has shifted in recent years, as the recent winners have typically been strong sprinters or classics specialists.
Peter Sagan’s two wins and Michael Matthews’s three victories are good examples, but Arnaud De Lie’s win also illustrates how the GP de Québec has evolved. However, now that the course has changed significantly, it’s difficult to name a top favorite or predict the race dynamics. Looking at the new route, one might assume the strong sprinters have an edge since there is only one serious climb (Côte de la Montagne) left on the menu.
Yet, this gives a distorted picture, because the short but steep climb is now closer to the finish. It makes the Côte de la Montagne an ideal springboard for Tadej Pogacar to launch a winning attack. The Slovenian aims to fine-tune his form ahead of the World Championships in Canada, but as the hungry rider he is, he will certainly want to win. Especially in Québec, where despite two previous participations, he has yet to record a victory. You can bet this will push the ambitious Pogacar to step up his effort.
For the world champion—who will be racing his first kilometres since his hugely successful Tour de France—it’s crucial to make the race as hard as possible. If he doesn't, it’s questionable whether he can shake off the strong sprinters—who possess even more explosiveness—on the short Côte de la Montagne. Fortunately for Pogacar, he has the team to turn the race into a battle of attrition, as UAE Emirates will also bring big guns like Brandon McNulty, Tim Wellens, and Adam Yates to the start.
But is that enough to drop Arnaud De Lie? Reflecting on the 2024 edition, it was indeed the Belgian who was able to follow Pogacar uphill. He managed to neutralize the Slovenian’s attacks, though he ultimately came up short in the sprint. Nevertheless, we dare to name De Lie the top favorite, as the Lotto leader has fully returned to form after a very difficult period in cycling. This has already resulted in overall victory in the Renewi Tour (after a fantastic duel with Mathieu van der Poel) and a win in the Bretagne Classic.
In short: we can speak of a reborn Arnaud De Lie, who is brimming with confidence and proving the world-class rider the team always believed in. He will be eager to continue his winning momentum and faces an ideal course in Québec. The Côte de la Montagne suits him perfectly, and the uphill finish street is also to his liking. We all remember his sprint in 2023 when, despite being beaten, he still managed to outsprint everyone else. That combination—being able to survive tough racing and having a very strong (even stronger than Pogacar) final sprint—earns De Lie four stars from us.
There are still plenty of other fast finishers at the start. From a Belgian perspective, the performance of Wout van Aert is definitely worth watching. The Visma | Lease a Bike ace admits he's "kind of longing" for the end of the season but remains highly motivated for the two Canadian races. The almost 31-year-old Belgian—celebrating his birthday next week—is always a rider to watch with his explosiveness and strong sprint. Van Aert finished fourth in his only participation so far in 2022.
Van Aert then narrowly finished behind Biniam Girmay, who will also start again this year. The 25-year-old Eritrean rider will undoubtedly be disappointed with his season, having yet to score a win this year, but his form seems solid. The Intermarché-Wanty rider always looks well positioned but just misses out on the win. Recently, he was fifth in the Bretagne Classic, a race featuring over 4,000 meters of climbing. In short, Girmay should definitely be considered for at least a top placement.
One rider we always include among the favorites is Michael Matthews. His track record in the Canadian races—especially in the GP de Québec—is simply impressive. The Australian not only won the race three times (2018, 2019, and 2024) but also frequently finished second (2015 and 2022), third (2017 and 2023), and fifth (2016). Matthews never disappoints on Canadian soil. The Jayco AlUla puncheur was sidelined for a long period due to signs of a pulmonary embolism but made a strong comeback with an eighth place in the Bretagne Classic, which bodes well for his races!
If the race ends in a sprint with a limited group, Dorian Godon will certainly try his luck. The French champion (currently with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) is known as a strong puncheur but can also finish well after a tough race. This is a dangerous and potentially winning combination, especially in Québec. His compatriot Christophe Laporte has similar qualities and has been as high as sixth in Québec, but the Visma | Lease a Bike rider is coming back from far off form. Will he be back to full strength after a few races?
Bahrain Victorious may not have a pure finisher, but with Fred Wright, Pello Bilbao, Matej Mohoric, and dark horse Edoardo Zambanini, they have several cards to play. XDS Astana will hope for a breakout performance from Simone Velasco, especially after his fourth place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, or from Alberto Bettiol. Visma | Lease a Bike counts on Tiesj Benoot—who last year was briefly on his way to victory—as a second interesting Belgian rider. Swiss team Tudor relies on Julian Alaphilippe, who was in excellent form at the Tour of Britain.
Additionally, we keep an eye on fast riders Tobias Lund Andresen and his teammate Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL), Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech), Mattias Skjelmose, Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Lewis Askey, Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers), Florian Lipowitz, Roger Adrià (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R), Alex Aranburu (Cofidis), and Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty).
We will also watch a Dutch rider on Friday who will soon retire: Ide Schelling (XDS Astana). Can the natural attacker still make a difference before the peloton finally leaves him behind?
The riders can look forward to a beautiful race day, as it will stay dry in Québec with occasional sunshine. Temperatures will rise to eighteen degrees Celsius during the day (in Canada, that is). A moderate wind will blow from the west.
The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec will again be broadcast live this year on Eurosport 1 and via HBO Max. See all TV channels and broadcast times in our TV guide Cycling on TV.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2024 |  Michael Matthews |
| 2023 |  Arnaud De Lie |
| 2022 |  Benoit Cosnefroy |
| 2019 | Michael Matthews |
| 2018 | Michael Matthews |
| 2017 |  Peter Sagan |
| 2016 | Peter Sagan |
| 2015 |  Rigoberto Urán |
| 2014 | Simon Gerrans |
| 2013 |  Robert Gesink |
Michael Matthews is once again the best - photo: James Startt / GPCQM
Grand Prix Cycliste de QuébecQuébecQuébec
Tadej Pogacar - photo: Cor Vos
Arnaud De Lie - photo: Cor Vos
Wout van Aert - photo: Cor Vos
Biniam Girmay - photo: Cor Vos
Is the finale tough enough for Tour revelation Oscar Onley? - photo: Cor Vos
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
