The best cyclists in the world competed in Montreal for the 8th annual Grand Prix Cycliste.
Hundreds of cyclists from 20 teams competed in the race that made it’s way through Mount Royal.
“It’s a world tour event so what it means is we get the best teams in the world participating with the best riders in the world,” Marcel Leblanc, executive vice-president of the Grand Prix Cycliste, said.
After over five hours of intense cycling and a final sprint, it was Italy’s Diego Ulissi of Team Emirates who came away with the victory. He was followed by Movistar rider Jesus Herrada Lopez and Cannondale’s Tom-Jelte Slagter.
PHOTO GALLERY: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal
The race is an important event for riders to gain coveted points to improve their international ranking.
“It’s a new race, but it’s very important,” Wim Vos, Het Nieuwsblad reporter, said. “You can see it also when all the riders who participate here. You have the world champion, you have Greg Van Avermaet the Olympic champion and also the riders they take it very serious.”
For cyclists like Quebec’s Antoine Duchesne, who took part in the Rio Olympics and the Tour de France, the opportunity to race at home is like no other.
“It’s really nice to be racing in front of all the family and friends,” he told Global News in an interview last week, adding he enjoyed the attention.
“It’s not really often that my name gets screamed on the side of the road,” he said.
Another perk of racing in Montreal?
“We stay in good hotels and we have good food,” Duchesne said. “Usually, we sleep in small hotels, in little villages.”
Duchesne was the first Canadian across the finish line, placing 42nd overall.
WATCH BELOW: Quebec cyclist Antoine Duchesne and Grand Prix Cycliste VP Marcel Leblanc tell Global’s Laura Casella about the events in Quebec City and Montreal.
The Grand Prix Cycliste, with stops in Quebec City and Montreal, are the only North American races on the UCI World Tour calendar aside from the California Tour.
The 20 best teams in the world were on the starting line Sunday morning, as riders made their way on a 12.1-km course around the mountain and through city streets.
Cyclists repeated the circuit 17 times for a total of 205.7 km.
READ MORE: Tour de France athlete shows what 2,800 km of cycling can do to your legs
While it’s unusual for a World Tour event to be on such a small course, it does offer certain advantages.
“What is nice is people can move around the course and around every 20 minutes, they see the pack going by them,” said Leblanc.
There are also giant screens located at the fan village to allow spectators to follow the pack, no matter where it is on the course.
It’s also one of the few world-class sporting events that doesn’t charge an entry fee, according to Leblanc who suggested making a day of it.
“It’s a nice day for the entire family to come around the course to have a picnic and it’s free of charge,” he said.
But as with many large-scale events on city streets, it does come with a few inconveniences, such as road closures and parking restrictions.
Parc Avenue is closed between Mount-Royal and Pine avenues, as are several streets around the mountain and in the borough of Outremont.
Motorists boxed in by the race will be allowed to exit via the intersection at Gatineau Avenue and Queen-Mary Road, with police on hand to direct traffic.
Pedestrians can cross the road anywhere without barriers, provided the road is clear of cyclists. Most roads are scheduled to be reopened by 5 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, consult the Grand Prix Cycliste website.
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