Team Sunweb have announced a strong line-up for the Canadian one-day races, the Grand Prix Cyclist de Québec which takes place today and the Grand Prix Cyclist de Montreal on Sunday. Their team includes Giro d’Italia winner Tom Dumoulin and multiple Grand Tour stage winner and 2017 Tour de France green jersey winner Michael Matthews.
The route of the Grand Prix Cyclist de Québec sees riders complete 16 laps of a 12.6 kilometre circuit. The parcours are littered with punchy climbs which reach gradients of up to ten percent, with a final uphill drag to the line to finish the day. The race traditionally ends with either a select group sprinting to the line in Québec’s city centre or late prevailing attack.
“Québec offers a challenging course straight through the city centre, with a decimated bunch traditionally sprinting to the victory,” said Team Sunweb coach Aike Visbeek.
“Our goal is to sprint with Michael and have 3-4 riders with him inside the finishing laps of the race. We have Simon and Tom who have previously taken some strong results here and we expect them to play an important support role in the finale.”
The 205.7 kilometre course at Montreal features 17 laps of a 12.1 kilometre circuit, a course used in various historic cycling events.
The race starts and finishes on the Avenue du Parc with each lap featuring a challenging ascent of Mont Royal, a ruthless three-kilometre climb in the heart of the centre. The course is often suited to either the puncheur or late-attacker with the victory coming from a combination of scenarios over the previous years.
“In Montreal Michael will be our designated sprinter,” said Visbeek. “After some good preparations for this part of the season at altitude, he is in good shape and feeling prepared for a good race. It is typically an open race where a decisive break can go for the victory but also a bunch sprint is still an option. We have a strong team to support our goals with guys like Simon, Tom and Nikias who will play a crucial part in the final.”
Team Sunweb for the Grand Prix Cyclist de Québec and the Grand Prix Cyclist de Montreal
Nikias Arndt (GER)
Tom Dumoulin (NED)
Simon Geschke (GER)
Michael Matthews (AUS)
Georg Preidler (AUT)
Mike Teunissen (NED)
Albert Timmer (NED)
Zico Waeytens (BEL)
