Canadian Classics 2025

[TourOfSardinia]

2025 » 14th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec​

ETA: 22:05 CEST

Favourites:​

• POGAČAR Tadej
• ONLEY Oscar
• LIPOWITZ Florian
• DE LIE Arnaud
• VAN AERT Wout
• POWLESS Neilson
• GIRMAY Biniam
• STRONG Corbin
• MCNULTY Brandon
• YATES Simo

Circuit:

Washboard Profile:

Fun Fact:
with the Canadian Nats Team starting there will be the same number of Canadians in the race as USA guys.

Disclaimer:
As you can see I am no Devil's Elbow: not the experience not the knowledge not the nuance.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Appreciate you starting the thread.

Is Quebec the same route every year?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Spoiler alert, but Geneviève Jeanson won the World Cup race in Montréal in 2005.

 

[Samamba]

Is Quebec the same route every year?

No they changed the final. Instead of like 3 short steep climbs starting with 4k to go it's now one longer climb (steep start of the climb is the same) starting with 2k to go. Stupid change imo. I liked the up and down, possibility to follow pogacar and battle between attacker and sstrong sprinters. It was different than other races. Luckily Pogacar often doesn't have his best form in his first race back, or otherwise we would all already know what's about to happen.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

No they changed the final. Instead of like 3 short steep climbs starting with 4k to go it's now one longer climb (steep start of the climb is the same) starting with 2k to go. Stupid change imo. I liked the up and down, possibility to follow pogacar and battle between attacker and sstrong sprinters. It was different than other races. Luckily Pogacar often doesn't have his best form in his first year back, or otherwise we would all already know what's about to happen.

There seem to be some general time perception issues in this thread.

 

[jono]

For Canadians hoping to tune into this race and surprised not to find it on Flo, which carries nearly every other UCI bike race, it is being shown this year, in its entirety, on TVA Sports (French) and CBC Gem (English). CBC Gem is the free streaming platform of the national public broadcaster.

Much better than last year where there was no legal means at all for Canadians to watch the Canadian races in English (I shelled out a few bucks to add the French sports channel to my cable package for a month).

 

[KZD]

Pogačar to win the Canadian double for the first time ever.

 

[scribers]

You mean win it for the first time ever?

 

[Berniece]

Pogačar to do the Canadian double for the first time ever.

Joining the illustrious group of Gerrans and Matthews.

 

[RedheadDane]

Just a shame it will be another 5 years before someone comes up with those races.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

It's not 2005: @TourOfSardinia , would you like me to edit the title?

 

[Pantani_lives]

Appreciate you starting the thread.

Is Quebec the same route every year?

It has changed several times.

Last year the lap contained one climb of 0.4 km @ 6.3%: the Côte des Glacis. After that there was a false flat of about 1.5 km to the finish.

This year the lap contains one climb of 0.6 km @ 8.6%: the Côte de la Montagne. After that it's 1.3 km @ 3% to the finish.

So it seems to be slightly harder than last year, but it never goes higher than 100 m, so the strong sprinters still have a decent chance.

For Pogacar it won't be obvious to drop guys like Van Aert, De Lie, Matthews, Girmay and Strong on that one short climb. Positioning will be crucial.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Would love to see 3 additional 250 km+ races in Canada, maybe with a couple in the spring. Then we'd have a full set of Canadian monuments to challenge the increasingly unimpressive group of European ones. "It was a good race back in 1897" just isn't a motto that entices excitement anymore.

 

[jono]

Would love to see 3 additional 250 km+ races in Canada, maybe with a couple in the spring. Then we'd have a full set of Canadian monuments to challenge the increasingly unimpressive group of European ones. "It was a good race back in 1897" just isn't a motto that entices excitement anymore.

Move over Paris-Roubaix, here comes Saskatoon-Moose Jaw.

 

[Unchained]

For Canadians hoping to tune into this race and surprised not to find it on Flo, which carries nearly every other UCI bike race, it is being shown this year, in its entirety, on TVA Sports (French) and CBC Gem (English). CBC Gem is the free streaming platform of the national public broadcaster.

Much better than last year where there was no legal means at all for Canadians to watch the Canadian races in English (I shelled out a few bucks to add the French sports channel to my cable package for a month).

Is Canadian Tire still a title sponsor? They used to sponsor a couple of races in Calgary years ago.. And the big series was called Canadian Tire Classic I think (?)

 

[Samamba]

It has changed several times.

It hasn't. Quebec has always been the same parcours. Cote de la Montagne followed into a little descent, followed by the Glacis and a drag towards to finish. Now they go directly to the finish (which is on a different, smaller road with also a bend for some reason) from the cote de la montagne, which means that climbs is a little bit longer and there is no decent and Glacis.

The difference is that the strong sprinters had a very slight moment to recover after the short steep climbs, now they won't have it (and they do the full Montagne climb meaning 200 more steep meters) and the Montreal type punchers like Pogacar probably will have the advantage.

 

[Rou]

Palestinian flags on the start in Quebec. Hopefully we get a clean and calm race.

 

[Hupclimber]

Looking at procyclingstats, the profile and the map differ slightly for 2024 and 2025.

Last year:

This year:

 

[jono]

Is Canadian Tire still a title sponsor? They used to sponsor a couple of races in Calgary years ago.. And the big series was called Canadian Tire Classic I think (?)

That was a downtown criterium series, I believe. In the 90s. I know one of those races was held in my hometown as well.

 

[RedheadDane]

Boat in the background so big that if it wasn't for the life-boats hanging off the sides, I thought it was an appartment building.

 

[Sciatic]

Spoiler alert, but Geneviève Jeanson won the World Cup race in Montréal in 2005.

such a sad but also interesting (for an outside observer like me) story

 

[Sciatic]

For Canadians hoping to tune into this race and surprised not to find it on Flo, which carries nearly every other UCI bike race, it is being shown this year, in its entirety, on TVA Sports (French) and CBC Gem (English). CBC Gem is the free streaming platform of the national public broadcaster.

Much better than last year where there was no legal means at all for Canadians to watch the Canadian races in English (I shelled out a few bucks to add the French sports channel to my cable package for a month).

Thanks!

 

[Rou]

This crit race is more boring than the Vuelta sprint stage.
I'm back in 2 hours.
Hopefully the Pogman has put his horses to work by then.

 

[ktel]

This is a pretty boring race so far. Hopefully things will change up soon closer to the end.
I think the Montreal race is better . Maybe I'm biased.

I live in Montreal and will be checking out the race on Sunday. It looks like we'll have good weather . I first watched the race in 2022 when Pogačar won then again in 2024. (2023 I had a broken foot )

I walk almost daily in Parc Du Mont Royal and a lot of the route is part of my regular walk so I don't go there especially for the race but get to see a lot of it as its so accessible.

On Sunday I will check out Camilien Houde first then walk the escarpment and watch them on Chemin Remembrance, cross through the cemetery then watch on Chemin de Polytechnique. I may then continue to follow the route back to the finish I'm not sure.

It's great to see the worlds top riders here.

 

[AmRacer]

Round, round, round, round and round we go.