August 20/15 8:56 am - Team Canada Announced for for the Grands Prix cyclistes de Quebec et Montreal

Posted by Editoress on 08/20/15
 

The sixth edition of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal will build on the tradition of road cycling in North America, welcoming the world’s élite racers to the challenging courses in Québec City and Montréal on September 11th and 13th. Since their inception in 2010, the race organizers have invited the national men’s road racing team to these events, allowing the riders to experience a competition of the highest calibre and perform under the eyes of the UCI WorldTeams. Again this year, Cycling Canada has selected an eight-man national team roster for the races, which are the only two UCI WorldTour events in the Americas.

This year’s team comprises of Ryan Anderson (Vancouver, BC / Optum p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies), Guillaume Boivin (Longueuil, QC / Optum p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies), Rob Britton (Victoria, BC / Team Smartstop), Alex Cataford (Ottawa, ON / Silber Pro Cycling), Adam de Vos (Victoria, BC / Team H&R Block), Benjamin Perry (St. Catharines, ON / Silber Pro Cycling), Ryan Roth (Cambridge, ON / Silber Pro Cycling), and Michael Woods (Ottawa, ON / Optum p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies).
 
These riders have all performed well this season, with six riders boasting either a UCI stage win or podium. Boivin took the Canadian Championships title in June and the bronze medal at the Pan-Am Games in Toronto. Anderson finished second at the Delta UCI road race and at the Canadian Championships behind his teammate Boivin. Britton won the general classification of the Tour of the Gila. Woods recently won Stage 2 at the Tour of Utah and claimed second place in the general classification. Roth finished second overall at the GP Saguenay as well as second in the time trial and third in the road race at the Canadian Championships.
 
Kevin Field, Cycling Canada’s Men’s Road Manager, will be the directeur sportif for the two races. “The objective of the team will be to have one rider ranked in the Top 10 at the Québec City event, and activate the peloton and be part of key breakaways in Montréal,” he says. “The event will also be a great preparation tool for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships to be disputed in Richmond, Virginia, later in the month. All eight Canadian riders have qualified for the selection pool for this event.”
 
The cyclists selected for this project have earned 33 of Canada’s 49 UCI race podium performances this season and include five of Canada’s top six ranked riders. Anderson, Boivin and Britton are currently racing the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado, and all team members except for Britton will race the Tour of Alberta starting September 2.
 
“Whether by inviting Team Canada as well as various Pro Continental squads to our events as wild-card entries since 2010, the creation of the Critérium National de Montréal this year, or our recent partnership with the Québec Cycling Federation to financially support the Coupe du Québec Espoirs road race series, the Grands Prix Cyclistes have always been committed to supporting the development of road racing in this country and to encouraging the next generation of local cyclists,” notes Marcel Leblanc, Vice-President, Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal.
 
In addition, this past June the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal organizers announced the addition of the Critérium National de Montréal to the race schedule. This is a development event reserved for North American road racers with a UCI (International Cycling Union) licence in the Junior, U23 and Elite categories (ages 17 to 29).
 
The full list of riders entered in the 6th edition of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal will be announced next week.

Team Canada
Ryan Anderson (Vancouver, BC / Optum p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies)
Guillaume Boivin (Longueuil, QC / Optum p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies)
Rob Britton (Victoria, BC / Team Smartstop)
Alex Cataford (Ottawa, ON / Silber Pro Cycling)
Adam de Vos (Victoria, BC / Team H&R Block)
Benjamin Perry (St. Catharines, ON / Silber Pro Cycling)
Ryan Roth (Cambridge, ON / Silber Pro Cycling)
Michael Woods (Ottawa, ON / Optum p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies)

Press release