Grand Prix cyclist Adam Yates victorious in Montreal - Sportish
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Grand Prix cyclist Adam Yates victorious in Montreal

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2 years ago

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Grand Prix cyclist Adam Yates victorious in Montreal

(Montreal) No one was stronger than Adam Yates on Sunday at the Montreal stage of the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Québec et Montréal (QPCQM).

The Briton from the UAE Emirates team completed the 221.4 kilometers of the event in five hours, 54 minutes and two seconds (5:54:02), ahead of the Frenchman of Russian origin Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers) in the sprint. ). The Spaniard Alex Aranburu (Moviestar) took third place.

Yates and Sivakov took the lead in the race with about 10 km to go, breaking away from a group of about 30 runners positioned at the front, including Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech), the best Canadian in the competition at 15e rank, 55 seconds from the winner.

PHOTO PETER MCCABE, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Alex Aranburu, Adam Yates and Pavel Sivakov

In the last two laps, however, this chasing pack withered away, only counting around ten riders on the last climb. Woods was notably dropped in the penultimate passage. With teammate Brandon McNulty leading the way, Yates positioned himself to take charge.

His breakaway with Sivakov held until the final stretch. Yates launched his sprint 200m from the finish. Sivakov could only observe the damage.

“It’s a super tough race because of the distance and the elevation,” Yates said. There isn’t really a time when you feel good about saying you’re going to try something. You also don’t know how other people feel. But my teammates put me in a good position and I had to try something. It functioned. »

“I gave my best and I’m not disappointed,” Sivakov said. If it had come down to the photo finish, I might have been, but there, he was clearly superior. »

Yates also won the title of best climber for a second consecutive year on the side of Mount Royal.

This is Yates’ first victory in Montreal and his fifth this season, matching his harvest from 2019. Tadej Pogacar, champion in 2022, skipped the GPCQM this year.

The Briton’s best result at Mount Royal was a second place in 2015. He finished just off the podium last year.

“I’ve been coming here for a long time and it’s good to finally win,” said Yates, who won’t have time to celebrate his victory as he had to take a flight to Europe in the evening. Let’s hope we can defend this title next year. »

Winner in Quebec on Friday, Belgian Arnaud De Lie (Lotto DSTNY) took 34e rank, at 4:22 from Yates.

Disappointment for Woods

The 15e Woods’ place is a disappointment for him, who made no secret of wanting victory in Montreal in recent weeks. But his teammates at Israel-Premier Tech left a lot of energy on the course by setting the pace for the peloton chasing Florian Vermeersch (Lotto DSTNY), who escaped from the start and led a long breakaway alone.

The Belgian, after leading for some 170 km, was caught with just over 53 km to go. But the hard work of Derek Gee (47e), Hugo Houle, Guillaume Boivin and Daryl Impey (who did not finish the race) left their mark.


PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES

Hugo Houle

“At the start, my job was to control, because it was very fast due to the start of the race in the rain,” said Houle. Daryl made sure to lead us to the front: he was very motivated in his last career race! We took our responsibilities, but when [les gars de] LIDL-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step arrived, they increased the tempo. We were beaten up a bit, but we fought well. »

For my part, after five hours, I had cramps and I couldn’t do better. I remain satisfied with the performance. We ran well as a team. We made a podium in Quebec and even if [dimanche], it didn’t go as well, we showed that we were there. I’m proud of the way we ran. The team was at the front and we are progressing for the future.

Hugo Houle

Vermeersch’s monk’s work

After a start in terrible weather and heavy showers, Vermeersch quickly showed his colors. He went ahead in the first kilometers and after 30 km of racing, he had built up a 30 second lead over the peloton.

The Belgian seemed to be looking for support to carry out this push, but they never came. That didn’t stop him from widening a gap which reached 5:15 with 98.5 km to go.

Meanwhile, the rest of the field didn’t seem inclined to catch up. It was not until the fifth of 18 loops of 12.3 km that two riders – Harrison Wood (Cofidis) and Manuele Borao (Astana) – attempted to close the gap. However, the two runners were caught with 127 km to go. The peloton, led by a quartet from Israel-Premier Tech, was then 4:15 behind Vermeersch.

With just under 100 km to go, Israel-Premier Tech decided to stop riding, asking for help from other teams. LIDL-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step answered the call and the gap began to narrow little by little.

With 60 km to go, the gap was only 30 seconds between Vermeersch and the peloton: the Belgian knew that his hopes were dashed. Yates and Sivakov took it upon themselves to write the rest of the story.

Source: lapresse

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Cycling

Hugo Houle is excited about next season in his new team

Published

1 day ago

on

January 14, 2026

By

Hugo Houle is excited about next season in his new team

Hugo Houle was about to begin his winter training for the next season when he learned at the beginning of December that he would be racing under new colors in 2026.

After four years with the Israel-Premier Tech team, the 35-year-old Quebecer made the jump to Alpecin-Premier Tech, where he will notably find stars Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen.

It was therefore with additional motivation that he began to work harder in training two weeks later with his new bike.

“Training is going well despite the weather being a little colder these days,” Houle said during a recent telephone interview with The Canadian Press from his home in Monaco.

“The bike is going very well, I’m happy,” he continued. It handles well, it is very responsive. This is the biggest difference between this one [Canyon] and my old [Factor]. It’s really pleasant going downhill. »

Since 1er January, Houle has already covered more than 1,100 kilometers and climbed more than 20,000 meters of elevation gain in 12 days. This hard work will allow him to show off his new jersey with confidence on the 1ster next February, at the La Marseillaise cycling Grand Prix, in France.

“I knew it was a possibility that I would participate, but I only had confirmation five minutes before our conversation,” Houle said with a certain excitement in his voice. I’m very happy, it’s not far from home and it’s a race that I know well and which suits me. »

Houle started this race six times during his career and finished in the top 20 three times, signing his best result in 2016 with a 13e place.

He will then participate in the Étoile de Bessèges – Tour du Gard, a five-stage race which will take place from February 4 to 8 in France. He finished eighth overall in 2023.

It is still too early to talk about what awaits Houle in terms of the three major cycling tours (Tour of Italy, Tour of France and Tour of Spain) this year, but he is excited by the opportunities that could present themselves to him.

The team has plenty of strong riders to support Mathieu van der Poel on the monuments. But they don’t necessarily have grand tour riders, so that should allow me to make the most of my qualities as a rider who likes breakaways to try to win a stage.

Hugo Houle

That said, Houle is also excited about the idea of ​​racing alongside Van der Poel and Philipsen, two riders who start every race, or almost, with victory in their sights.

“It’s definitely stimulating,” he admitted. When you have riders who are important in the race, you ride differently. You take control of the race and stay active. This is another race configuration that could be interesting. »

Eyes fixed on Montreal

Houle is expecting a good season with Alpecin-Premier Tech, but it is also the year of the UCI Road World Championships Montreal 2026, which will take place in September.

And he makes no secret of it, the objective is to appear at the top of his form.

“It’s one of the main objectives of the season, that’s for sure,” he said. The goal will be to be at 110% when the time comes. »

Houle does not yet know whether he will participate in the Quebec and Montreal cycling Grands Prix or the Tour of Spain in the preceding weeks, but with the World Championships in sight, participation in a grand tour would be preferable, according to him.

“The Vuelta starts from Monaco this year, so it’s tempting,” he explained. Normally, I’m always in the best shape after a big tour. I think it would be ideal to prepare for the World Championships. »

A change of team, new teammates, a new bike, new challenges, World Championships at home… 2026 promises to be busy and it’s not the athlete from Sainte-Perpétue who will complain.

“It’s motivating, I can’t wait for it to start,” he concluded.

Source: lapresse

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Cycling

Alpecin-Premier Tech Hugo Houle excited about next season in his new team

Published

1 day ago

on

January 14, 2026

By

Hugo Houle is excited about next season in his new team

Hugo Houle was about to begin his winter training for the next season when he learned at the beginning of December that he would be racing under new colors in 2026.

After four years with the Israel-Premier Tech team, the 35-year-old Quebecer made the jump to Alpecin-Premier Tech, where he will notably find stars Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen.

It was therefore with additional motivation that he began to work harder in training two weeks later with his new bike.

“Training is going well despite the weather being a little colder these days,” Houle said during a recent telephone interview with The Canadian Press from his home in Monaco.

“The bike is going very well, I’m happy,” he continued. It handles well, it is very responsive. This is the biggest difference between this one [Canyon] and my old [Factor]. It’s really pleasant going downhill. »

Since 1er January, Houle has already covered more than 1,100 kilometers and climbed more than 20,000 meters of elevation gain in 12 days. This hard work will allow him to show off his new jersey with confidence on the 1ster next February, at the La Marseillaise cycling Grand Prix, in France.

“I knew it was a possibility that I would participate, but I only had confirmation five minutes before our conversation,” Houle said with a certain excitement in his voice. I’m very happy, it’s not far from home and it’s a race that I know well and which suits me. »

Houle started this race six times during his career and finished in the top 20 three times, signing his best result in 2016 with a 13e place.

He will then participate in the Étoile de Bessèges – Tour du Gard, a five-stage race which will take place from February 4 to 8 in France. He finished eighth overall in 2023.

It is still too early to talk about what awaits Houle in terms of the three major cycling tours (Tour of Italy, Tour of France and Tour of Spain) this year, but he is excited by the opportunities that could present themselves to him.

The team has plenty of strong riders to support Mathieu van der Poel on the monuments. But they don’t necessarily have grand tour riders, so that should allow me to make the most of my qualities as a rider who likes breakaways to try to win a stage.

Hugo Houle

That said, Houle is also excited about the idea of ​​racing alongside Van der Poel and Philipsen, two riders who start every race, or almost, with victory in their sights.

“It’s definitely stimulating,” he admitted. When you have riders who are important in the race, you ride differently. You take control of the race and stay active. This is another race configuration that could be interesting. »

Eyes fixed on Montreal

Houle is expecting a good season with Alpecin-Premier Tech, but it is also the year of the UCI Road World Championships Montreal 2026, which will take place in September.

And he makes no secret of it, the objective is to appear at the top of his form.

“It’s one of the main objectives of the season, that’s for sure,” he said. The goal will be to be at 110% when the time comes. »

Houle does not yet know whether he will participate in the Quebec and Montreal cycling Grands Prix or the Tour of Spain in the preceding weeks, but with the World Championships in sight, participation in a grand tour would be preferable, according to him.

“The Vuelta starts from Monaco this year, so it’s tempting,” he explained. Normally, I’m always in the best shape after a big tour. I think it would be ideal to prepare for the World Championships. »

A change of team, new teammates, a new bike, new challenges, World Championships at home… 2026 promises to be busy and it’s not the athlete from Sainte-Perpétue who will complain.

“It’s motivating, I can’t wait for it to start,” he concluded.

Source: lapresse

Continue Reading

Cycling

Hugo Houle feverishly ahead of next season

Published

1 day ago

on

January 14, 2026

By

Hugo Houle is excited about next season in his new team

Hugo Houle was about to begin his winter training for the next season when he learned at the beginning of December that he would be racing under new colors in 2026.

After four years with the Israel-Premier Tech team, the 35-year-old Quebecer made the jump to Alpecin-Premier Tech, where he will notably find stars Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen.

It was therefore with additional motivation that he began to work harder in training two weeks later with his new bike.

“Training is going well despite the weather being a little colder these days,” Houle said during a recent telephone interview with The Canadian Press from his home in Monaco.

“The bike is going very well, I’m happy,” he continued. It handles well, it is very responsive. This is the biggest difference between this one [Canyon] and my old [Factor]. It’s really pleasant going downhill. »

Since 1er January, Houle has already covered more than 1,100 kilometers and climbed more than 20,000 meters of elevation gain in 12 days. This hard work will allow him to show off his new jersey with confidence on the 1ster next February, at the La Marseillaise cycling Grand Prix, in France.

“I knew it was a possibility that I would participate, but I only had confirmation five minutes before our conversation,” Houle said with a certain excitement in his voice. I’m very happy, it’s not far from home and it’s a race that I know well and which suits me. »

Houle started this race six times during his career and finished in the top 20 three times, signing his best result in 2016 with a 13e place.

He will then participate in the Étoile de Bessèges – Tour du Gard, a five-stage race which will take place from February 4 to 8 in France. He finished eighth overall in 2023.

It is still too early to talk about what awaits Houle in terms of the three major cycling tours (Tour of Italy, Tour of France and Tour of Spain) this year, but he is excited by the opportunities that could present themselves to him.

The team has plenty of strong riders to support Mathieu van der Poel on the monuments. But they don’t necessarily have grand tour riders, so that should allow me to make the most of my qualities as a rider who likes breakaways to try to win a stage.

Hugo Houle

That said, Houle is also excited about the idea of ​​racing alongside Van der Poel and Philipsen, two riders who start every race, or almost, with victory in their sights.

“It’s definitely stimulating,” he admitted. When you have riders who are important in the race, you ride differently. You take control of the race and stay active. This is another race configuration that could be interesting. »

PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES

Hugo Houle

Eyes fixed on Montreal

Houle is expecting a good season with Alpecin-Premier Tech, but it is also the year of the UCI Road World Championships Montreal 2026, which will take place in September.

And he makes no secret of it, the objective is to appear at the top of his form.

“It’s one of the main objectives of the season, that’s for sure,” he said. The goal will be to be at 110% when the time comes. »

Houle does not yet know whether he will participate in the Quebec and Montreal cycling Grands Prix or the Tour of Spain in the preceding weeks, but with the World Championships in sight, participation in a grand tour would be preferable, according to him.

“The Vuelta starts from Monaco this year, so it’s tempting,” he explained. Normally, I’m always in the best shape after a big tour. I think it would be ideal to prepare for the World Championships. »

A change of team, new teammates, a new bike, new challenges, World Championships at home… 2026 promises to be busy and it’s not the athlete from Sainte-Perpétue who will complain.

“It’s motivating, I can’t wait for it to start,” he concluded.

Source: lapresse

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