From tomorrow until the end of September, the eyes of the cycling world will be on Canada and the Quebec region. Before diving into the rainbow week, there are the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal to tackle, with several of the anticipated protagonists already overseas, ready to get familiar with Canadian roads.

The real appetizer, naturally, will be Sunday's race in Montréal, but the GP de Québec will already be an opportunity to understand how the various training blocks and races have responded for the big names. It's the 15th edition of a race that has grown considerably over the years, and whose roll of honor includes riders like Philippe Gilbert, Peter Sagan and Michael Matthews, the only one able to win it 3 times. Last year it was won by Julian Alaphilippe, in what was his last career victory. Italians don't have a great tradition here, with Alberto Bettiol being the only one able to reach the podium, just last year, with a fine third place. The race can also boast the privilege of being one of the few races that Tadej Pogačar, despite having raced it three times, has never managed to win.

The race will be broadcast live on Discovery+ channels starting at 5 PM, with the finish expected around 10 PM.

THE COURSE

The circuit has been slightly shortened compared to last year, but the substance and highlights remain unchanged. The loop develops almost entirely within the urban park Plains of Abraham, just steps away from the fascinating historic center, where English and French battled each other in 1759-1760 during the Seven Years' War, and which citizens define as what Central and Hyde Park are to New York and London. The old city (Vieux-Québec) has French and European features in general, and is indeed the only American settlement north of Mexico to still preserve a city wall, which makes it unique in the panorama of major Canadian and North American cities.

The circuit measures a total of 10.3 km and will be repeated 20 times, giving fans the opportunity to enjoy a truly unique spectacle all day long. The only difficulty of the course is the Côte de la Montagne (600 meters at 8.8%), which from the city center leads to the heart of the park and ends about 700 meters from the finish. After tackling it 20 times (with a total elevation gain of 2780 meters), some selection will naturally emerge and it appears difficult, given the proximity to the finish line of the climb, that a sprint finish is possible.

THE FAVORITES

The spotlight will be especially on 4 riders: Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) and the new XCO world champion Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5). With Pogačar's withdrawal, and given the course, they will likely also be the favorites for the Worlds, which is why the clash promises to be thrilling.

Historically, however, the GP de Québec smiles less on pure climbers; the race is more open and one cannot rule out that, in the end, second-tier riders might also celebrate, or those who attack from mid-distance as happened last year with Alaphilippe. There will also be Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla), a true star here with 3 victories and 7 overall podiums, who can also count on a very strong teammate like Mauro Schmid. Among the strongest teams is also Lidl-Trek, with Quinn Simmons, Giulio Ciccone, Juan Ayuso and the local hero Derek Gee, as well as UAE itself, which besides Del Toro could also field Brandon McNulty, winner in Montréal last year, Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narváez.

Also worth keeping an eye on are Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto Intermarchè), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious) and Thomas Silva (XDS Astana). Among the Italians, besides the already mentioned Ciccone, also eager are Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana), 3rd last year, Alessandro Pinarello (NSN) and perhaps also Alessandro Borgo and Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious).