Our rider finished ninth on his first appearance of the weekend.
Julian Alaphilippe scored his first top ten of the season in a World Tour one-day race at the end of the 201.6km Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec. Soudal Quick-Step’s Frenchman, who returned to Canada after four years, impressed with the powerful sprint he produced on Montée du Fort – the last climb of the day, in the heart of Quebec’s old city – despite coming from far back on the uphill drag to the line.
Before the bunch gallop that decided the 12th edition of the event, the day had been animated by Alaphilippe’s teammate, Mauri Vansevenant, who attacked from the off and took with him three other riders, opening a four-minute maximum gap with ten laps to go. His valiant action came to a conclusion only inside the last 40 kilometers of the race, minutes before a crash that took place in the feed zone, taking down Ilan Van Wilder. The Deutschland Tour winner returned in the peloton, but his chances of featuring in the finale evaporated after the hard effort he put in during the chase.
“It was a very fast race, a very nervous one when it came to positioning. I think we did our best, but it’s a pity that Ilan was involved in that crash and had to use a lot of energy to come back. The team worked hard to be well-placed in the key moments of the race, and I gave my maximum in the sprint, but it was difficult to do more against the really fast men of the peloton. Top ten here is a good result ahead of Sunday, when the race should be harder”, explained Julian at the finish.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
