The Slovenian rider claims a solo victory in Canada

Tadej Pogačar marked his 22nd personal win and the 73rd for UAE Team Emirates this season with a dominant performance at the GP Montreal.

The race, covering 209.1 km over 17 laps, initially saw a small breakaway group held in check for the first circuits. UAE Team Emirates placed Igor Arrieta on the front of the bunch for the early stages to better manage the day.

As the gap gradually closed, the favourites of the day began launching attacks with 50 km to go. It was a team effort for the Emirati squad, with Fisher-Black, Ayuso, and finally Majka setting the pace, leading to Pogačar’s decisive attack with 23 km remaining.

The Slovenian rider finished solo, repeating his success on Canadian soil after his 2022 victory, enjoying applause and greetings in the final 500 meters.

Pogačar: “The team did a super job. We did it exactly how we wanted to. It was really great racing, and thank you to all my teammates because, without them, this plan would not go to perfection. Luckily, I also had good legs to pull it off at the end. We made it hard from early on, also to keep the break in check, and really the hard course suited me well. It was a hot day out there with lots of climbing but I’m so happy to take victory again here in Montreal.“

GP Montreal Results

1.Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) 5:28:15

2.Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) +24”

3.Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quickstep) +40”

Elsewhere, Alessandro Covi secured a podium finish at the Trofeo Matteotti after a reduced group sprint. The day saw a nine-man breakaway get up the road early, though they were reeled in with 45 km of racing still to go. As the race headed into the final lap, a counter-attacking group of ten riders opened up a gap on the peloton. Covi battled hard in the closing kilometres but narrowly missed out on victory, taking second place behind Colombia's Orluis Aular (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA).

Trofeo Matteotti Results

1.Orluis Aular (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) 4:31:14

2.Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates) s.t

3.Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan Team) s.t