Team Canada brings experience & youth to the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal Français
OTTAWA, Aug. 28, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Cycling Canada is pleased to announce the athletes who will ride in the colours of Team Canada for the eighth edition of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et Montréal (GPCQM), Canada's two only WorldTour races, that will take place on Friday, September 8th, in Quebec City and Sunday, September 10th, in Montreal.
Since the inception of GPCQM in 2010, the race organizer, Serge Arsenault, has invited the national men's road racing team to these events, allowing the riders to experience competition of the highest calibre and perform under the eyes of the UCI WorldTour Teams. This year's team is a mix of experienced professional WorldTour veterans and Under-23 future stars.
Team Canada will be led by WorldTour riders Ryan Anderson and Antoine Duchesne, both of whom ride for the Direct Energie team. Duchesne was a member of Canada's Olympic squad in Rio last year, and won the Climber's Jersey at Paris-Nice. Anderson finished second at Polynormande last year and was fifth overall at the Tour of Alberta in 2014.
Team Canada also includes three current Canadian national champions. Matteo Dal-Cin is the current Elite road champion, Marc-Antoine Soucy is the Under-23 champion and Pier-Andre Cote is the Criterium champion, as well as the Canada Summer Games champion. Rounding out the team are Under-23 riders Jack Burke and Alec Cowan, plus 2016 national road champion Bruno Langlois.
"We're thrilled to be back again this year," said Kevin Field, Road Head Coach at Cycling Canada. "Marcel [Leblanc], Serge [Arsenault], Sebastien [Arsenault] and the whole team at GPCQM are awesome to work with. We have a strong team, and we think Antoine, Ryan and Matteo can be strong riders for the finishes - especially in Quebec. We are again bringing our U23s to gain critical experience before the World Championships. Like past years, we'll look to animate the race and be aggressive in breakaways in both Quebec and Montreal. Racing at home at this level of race is extremely motivating for our athletes, they can't wait for the opportunity."
"It has always been very important for the GPCQM to support the next generation of cyclists at the national level," said Marcel Leblanc, Executive Vice-President of GPCQM. "Again this year, it is with great pride that we welcome Canada's National Team into our races. We hope they have a memorable experience alongside the best riders in the world."
THE TEAM
Ryan Anderson - Spruce Grove, AB
Jack Burke - Squamish, BC
Alec Cowan - Calgary, AB
Pier-Andre Cote - St-Henri de Levis, QC
Matteo Dal-Cin - Ottawa, ON
Antoine Duchesne - Saguenay, QC
Bruno Langlois - Quebec City, QC
Marc-Antoine Soucy - Amos, QC
About Cycling Canada
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, Cycling Canada aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic, and World Championship medal performances. With the vision of being a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, Cycling Canada manages the High Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country. Cycling Canada programs are made possible through the support of its valued corporate partners – Global Relay, Lexus Canada, Mattamy Homes, Louis Garneau and Bear Mountain Resort – along with the Government of Canada, Own The Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
About the GPCQM
The Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, the two only UCI WorldTour races ever presented in the Americas, contribute to fulfilling one of the primary objectives of the International Cycling Union (UCI): the globalization of the WorldTour circuit. These tour stops are in addition to the existing, officially sanctioned events in Europe and Oceania. Since 2010, the organization has been responsible for the planning and the conduct of the GPCQM and counts on the invaluable support of public and private partners: the Government of Canada, the Gouvernement du Québec, the city of Québec, the city of Montréal, the National Battlefields Commission, Québec City Tourism, Tourisme Montréal, Québecor, Air Transat, and TVA Sports (official GPCQM broadcaster).
SOURCE Événements GPCQM
Karine Bedard l Cycling Canada l 438-884-8771 l [email protected]; Véronique Lavoie l Grands Prix Cyclisme de Québec et de Montréal l 514-554-2161 l [email protected]
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