Unique elimination sprint race is a crowd favorite at Grand Prix cycliste de Québec

(Montréal, QC – June 17, 2013) The Pro Sprint Challenge is back for a third year, after two very successful editions. The crowd favorite race, which features action-packed sprint finishes, is making its return on the calendar of the weeklong cycling festivities in Québec.

The event, which is contested on a  1km course on the streets of Old Québec and through the iconic Grande Allée, features a sprinter of each of the participating teams of the Grand Prix cycliste de Québec.

Annually, tens of thousands of spectators amass or gather along the short course to see the best tactical sprinters go head-to-head in an elimination format, with the two fastest sprinters of each heat advancing to the next round. The event is closely watched by the International governing body for cycling — the UCI, and by team managers from the WorldTour teams, with the push to get the event sanctioned by the UCI.

“The event is without a doubt a fan-favorite, and TV-friendly for the broadcasters. The ambiance is relaxed, and offers a small taste of what cycling is about. Road races ending with a sprint makes for a great atmosphere, and this Sprint Challenge replicates that feeling in every round,” said Mathieu Boucher, Director of Performance Development at Cycling Canada.

In 2012, Canadian rider Rémi Pelletier-Roy of Garneau-Quebecor surprised some of the best sprinters in the world, finishing second of the Pro Sprint Challenge.

There will be a minimum of four Canadian cyclists on the start line of this race. Along with the Team Canada selection to be determined by Gord Fraser (Manager for team Canada at these events),  the winner of the Elite Men criterium race at the 2013 Canadian Road Championships, the winner of the 2013 Canadian Sprint Challenge and an additional discretionary committee selection will receive an invitation to participate at the Pro Sprint Challenge.

Some of you may know I like a good soccer game.  There’s a respectful tradition that when a player scores against his former team he refuses to celebrate and often times almost looks sorry to have done so.  Today in St. Georges we pulled out all the stops once again to help vault Christian into a final podium on GC and a shot to win outright.  The price would be paid by my former team 5-hour ENERGY and my good friend Paco who’d lose his grip on the race.

The circuit in St. Georges is vastly underrated.  Lacking the glitz and glam of Quebec City, the final stage in our hosts’ backyard always challenges the athletes and provides dramatic racing.  From the gun the action was hot and cracks were already showing on defending team 5-hour’s armour.  It wasn’t until the third lap when the pressure dropped on the field as a very strong 8 rider break formed.  3 riders; Carlsen of H&R Block, Euser of UHC and Ottawa boy wonder Mike Woods of Garneau were all within 2:27 of the lead and would supply ample urgency to the chase behind.  Two Bissell riders in McCarty and McCartney provided grunt with the former on track to take polka dot climber’s jersey.  Along for the ride and looking for stage win was Jiminez of the unknown Inteja team and Jamis powerhouse Amaran.  Cycling Canada would place Nic Hamilton up front but his duties lay in either stage win or providing help to another CC rider coming from behind later.

Back in pack, the GC contenders and their respective teams were not letting 5-hour settle down and kept the pressure high in hopes of bridging to their teammates up the road.  Eventually a game changing chase group emerged with 3^rd, 5^th and 6^th placed riders on GC giving 5-hour the slip.  Nathan Brown of Bontrager, Phil Deignan of UHC and our own Christian Meier would form a lethal alliance and make short work of the gap.  Any doubt of them making it across was erased when CC rider Nic Hamilton astutely dropped back and helped the trio with the last 20 seconds of road to close. 

Paco would have to launch with 2 laps to go and try and bridge a seemingly impossible 55 seconds by himself.  Watching Paco from within the past two years, I can assure you nobody in the peloton can push himself harder then my former team captain.  He would take Ben Day from UHC and the impressive Ty Magner of Hincapie to an agonizingly close 20 seconds before the group’s numbers up front withstood the charge and slowly pulled away.  The vitual standings vaulted Brown into yellow with Deignan 2^nd and a fine podium for Christian in third. 

Guesses from guest Steve Rover in the car and my backseater and wrench extraordinaire Shawn Marshall for stage win honours and we concluded Amaran would win from the Inteja rider but we got it reversed as the Inteja rider took a fine win in front of the likeable Cuban from Jamis.

Christian would wrap up a dramatic comeback from puncture in the time trial and subsequent 8^th overall up to a podium place.  Our post race meeting was unanimous.  It was the spirit of coming together as Team Canada that was the catalyst for this result.  We may have Canadians starting to produce world class results in the Grand and World Tours, but it’s these hardworking pros that give me great pleasure to work with.  I hope to see these guys again in the near future when a Cycling Canada team reassembles for the inaugural Tour of Alberta and of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout to Paco and 5-hour ENERGY for a valiant defense this week. 

We will enjoy the race organization’s banquet this evening knowing we raced our best and maximized our results under the conditions presented to us.  A special thanks to Louis Garneau whos new National Team jersey design was a hit with riders, press and spectators alike.  I’m sure they will become available for public consumption soon. 

Thanks for reading everyone!

— Gord Fraser, Directeur Sportif

Cycling Canada would like to inform road athletes, provincial associations, coaches and managers of some changes to the 2013 national team program.

The women’s road program has been modified to reflect that the majority of national team athletes will be competing in North American events in the month of July. As a result, a European summer project has been cancelled. National coach Denise Kelly will instead attend BC Superweek to keep in touch with the athletes.

On the men’s side, thanks to the support of the organizers of the Grands Prix cyclistes de Québec et Montréal, Canada will be able to line up three additional starters in the Pro Sprint Challenge in Quebec City on Sept. 12. These riders will compete against representatives from all 19 WorldTour Teams, one Pro Continental team and the Canadian national team participating in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec the next day. Two of these athletes will be selected through the sprint challenge and criterium events at the Canadian Road Championships.

The updates to the programs and selection criteria can be found on the Cycling Canada website at https://cyclingcanada.ca/road/national-team/program-policies/