MONTREAL — There has never been a sweep of the UCI WorldTour races in Quebec City and Montreal, but Simon Gerrans has a chance at becoming the first to accomplish the feat.
The Australian will lead the Orica GreenEdge team at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal on Sunday, two days after taking top honours in Quebec City.
“It’s a goal to win regardless of what happened in Quebec,” Gerrans said Saturday as the 19 teams arrived at Central Station. “We come to Montreal and try to win as well.”
It’s the fifth year for both events, the only UCI WorldTour races in North America.
It was a second win in three years in Quebec City for Gerrans, who sits third in World Tour rankings with 398 points behind Spaniards Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (462 points) and Alberto Contador (407), who are both racing in the Spanish Vuelta this week. A win in Montreal is worth 80 points.
Gerrans joined Dutchman Robert Gesink, the winner in Montreal in 2010 and Quebec City in 2013, as the only riders with two wins at the Canadian one-day races. Gesink skipped the events this year to lead the Belkin team at the Vuelta, although he withdrew from that Thursday to attend to a family matter.
While both events are run in laps around a circuit through the centre of the city, the Montreal race is considered a tad tougher because of the steeper climbs up and over Mount Royal.
Quebec City was a little flatter than usual this year because the course was altered due to roadwork.
“It was quite different than in the past,” said Gerrans. “There was a lot less climbing, a lot less circuit so the course was not as demanding as in the past.
“I thought it maybe suited us a little bit less, so it was great for us to come out of it with a win. In Montreal, there’s going to be a lot more climbing and it will be a lot more of a race of attrition. It’ll be quite different.”
Gerrans won despite a mechanical problem with his bicycle with a lap and a half to go. He managed to catch up to the pack and get into position for the final sprint before edging Dutchman Tom Dumoulin of the Giant-Shimano squad.
The 18 WorldTour teams, plus the Canadian national squad, will race 17 laps of a 12.1-kilometre circuit for a total of 205.7 kilometres. There is 229 metres of climbing per lap, most of it in one steep run to the Mount Royal summit.
Even though the pack tends to fracture on the final two laps, it nearly always ends in a sprint involving several riders.
“I think this is really exciting racing,” said Gerrans. “And it’s great for the crowd, who can stay in one spot at the side of the road and watch the riders go past many times.
“We’ve seen different winners quite often, so it’s an opportunity for plenty of guys.”
Among them is Frenchman Tony Gallopin of the Lotto Belisol team, who finished ninth in Quebec City.
“Among the quickest sprinters, I think I climb pretty well, and I’ve always done better in Montreal than Quebec,” said Gallopin, who won a stage at the Tour de France in July. “The course suits me.”
Another is reigning world road race champion Rui Costa of the Lampre-Merida team. The Portuguese rider won in Montreal in 2011.
Someone who might have had a shot was Arthur Vichot of France, but the FDJ.fr rider fractured a collarbone in a crash during the sprint in Quebec City.
Canada’s team is led by Ryan Anderson of Edmonton, who was top Canadian in Quebec City, and 35-year-old Bruno Langlois of Matane, Que.
Two Canadians are with European-based teams, including Antoine Duchesne of Saguanay, Que., with Team Europcar and Hugo Houle of Ste-Perpetue, Que., with the French team AG2R La Mondiale.
Canada’s top cyclist, Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria, is racing in the Vuelta.
For many in the peloton, it will be a last major test before the men’s world championship road race Sept. 28 in Spain.