Canadian WorldTour races set to be star-studded once again

While the standard ebb and flow of men’s professional racing has had a bit of a shakeup in 2023 with the shift of the World Championships to August, racing has still been fierce as the peloton tracks towards the off-season.

With the Vuelta a España in full swing and the Tour of Britain starting on Sunday, European racing is very much still at the forefront of everyone's minds. Yet, across the Atlantic, September brings the only WorldTour racing to North America with the Grand Prix du Cyclistes in Quebec City and Montreal.

With engaging city circuits and full crowds, the two Canadian one day races continue to bring more and more stellar riders across the ocean to take on last WorldTour one day races before Il Lombardia closes out the season in October. While normally the races are tune up races to the World Championships, this year they very much stand on their own as prizes to add to a palmares.

Who to watch

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While the some of the top riders are skipping this years Canadian one days, the podium of the GP Quebec will all be back

While the calendar shifts may have left a couple of the biggest names off of the start list, the riders making the trek over are some of the best in the world. Chief among them are both of the Yates brothers – Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) and Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) – Jullian Alaphilippe, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers), Christophe Leporte (Jumbo-Visma), Micheal Matthews (Jayco-AlUla), Victor Lafey (Cofidis), Benîot Cosnefroy (AG2R-Citoën), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) and Ben Healy (EF Education First), among other standouts.

Greg van Avermaet (AG2R-Citoën) will be continuing his farewell tour at the races. He has twice been the winner of the GP Montreal, winning in 2016 and 2019, while he came in second at the GP Quebec in 2016.

As always, the North American contingent will be strong with this being their only time to show themselves on prime time to their home fans. Even though the races are in French speaking Quebec, they are still loved by many south of the border. This year, as was the case in 2022, the races will neatly follow the Maryland Cycling Classic, the only American one day race, and provide two weekends of opportunity for North America’s best.

Micheal Woods (Israel Premier Tech) is the big hope, but he is not the only Canadian in his team. Derek Gee is also slated to start and will hope to produce an encore from his breakout Giro d’Italia, as will Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin. The American contingent will be well represented with Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) bringing top one-day form to the race after his near miss at the BEMER Cyclassic. Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) will return to World Tour racing following his injury at the Tour de France.

Lastly, it is likely, while not confirmed, that Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) will line up for the races, with his name on the start list for Sunday’s Maryland Cycling Classic.

“We are pleased and proud to be hosting such a high-level field of competitors once again in 2023, including proven champions who perform at their very best for us every year,” Sébastien Arsenault, CEO of the GPCQM, said in a press release.

“Since 2010, our events have delivered spectacular athleticism and excitement, and Tadej Pogačar’s and Benoît Cosnefroy’s victories last year were the ultimate reward for us.”

The Worlds coming to Canada in 2026

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The last time Worlds were in North America brought the peloton to Richmond, Virginia, and the cobblestones of Libby Hill

But that is not all the weekend will have in store. On Saturday, the day between the WorldTour races, the 2026 UCI World Championship that is set to be held in Montreal will be officially launched with a presentation of the event. The 2026 World Championships will be organised by the same firm that conducts the two Canadian races and will be the first time the road championships return to North America in 11 years, with Richmond hosting the event in 2015.

“Thanks to the hard work of our teams and the confidence of our public- and private-sector partners,” Arsenault said.

“Over the years we have built up the reputation of our races — the only UCI WorldTour events in the Americas — to the point where they are acclaimed as being among the very best on the planet. The prospect of hosting the UCI Road World Championships in 2026 further fuels our ambition and determination to stage outstanding, world-class cycling events.”

GCN will be bringing you full coverage of the events in Canada with previews, live coverage and reportage of the races, as well as bespoke content on the website from our North American correspondent who will be on the ground in Canada. Be sure to subscribe to GCN+ and bookmark this page to follow all the action.

GP Montreal

• Dates 10 Sept
• Race Length 221 kms
• Start Montreal
• Finish Montreal
• Race Category Elite Men