In sunny Québec, the peloton tackled eighteen laps of a local circuit in the Canadian city on Friday. After a quiet start and a long spell off the front for a small breakaway, the one-day race came to life about eighty kilometers from the finish. A few strong riders, including Christophe Laporte, briefly stretched the peloton. A new group broke clear, after which the riders of Team Visma | Lease a Bike settled at the front of the peloton.

With the enthusiastic crowd cheering them on, the pace increased. Despite several attempts by various riders, the gap to the leaders could not be closed. In the final lap, Alaphilippe launched an attack from the leading group, which proved to be the decisive one. Behind the Frenchman, Van Aert and Benoot sprinted just outside the top ten in the chasing peloton.

“We weren’t positioned well enough once the finale began”, Van Aert reflects afterwards. “We couldn’t follow the counterattacks, and the chase never really got organized. The plan was for Tiesj and me to save something for the last lap. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out.”

The Belgian continues: “We had to react a bit too early to neutralize attacks. By the final ascent of the climb, we were no longer riding for the win but just for a place of honour. There was definitely more possible today, but I also have to admit that I simply didn’t have the legs to win. I look back with mixed feelings.”

The Canadian doubleheader concludes on Sunday with GP de Montréal. The black-and-yellow team will get another chance, this time on a course featuring more than 4,500 meters of elevation.