Not for the first time this year, Tadej Pogačar tore up the script of yet another major race he lined up at. It's unusual to see a winning move launched earlier than the final lap at the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Montréal, but Pogačar’s vicious attack on the penultimate ascent of the Côte Camillien Houde was simply unanswerable.
UAE Emirates had controlled the front of the peloton for much of the day. Once the remnants of the breakaway had eventually been caught, the foreboding sight of Rafał Majka moving to the front of the race meant only one thing. A blistering attack from Pogačar was coming. Matteo Jorgenson and Julian Alaphilippe briefly tried to follow, although once the Slovenian had crested the top of the climb, he was never seen again.
"The team was on point today," Pogačar said on arrival in his race winner’s press conference. "We did things exactly how we planned. We made it hard in the final laps and then they set me up for an attack with two laps to go so it was perfect."
Pogačar said he would have little time to celebrate his latest emphatic win. The Slovenian’s next big goal, the World Championships in Zurich, is just a fortnight away meaning that he will head straight back across the Atlantic and into training ready for another shot at winning the rainbow jersey.
"I fly today through the night back to Europe so there's not much time to celebrate this victory," he said. "I mean, for sure we will celebrate a little bit. But in two weeks is the World Championships as well, so you need to focus and be ready for that."
Pogačar's display will undoubtedly make him the outright favourite for the elite men's road race in Zurich. The Slovenian said the strength he showed at the GP Québec on his return to racing surprised him and explained he was intent on backing that up in Montréal with the worlds getting closer.
"Today gave me a lot of confidence and motivation," Pogačar said. "Two weeks from now you cannot really do a lot in terms of physical shape, just a bit more training, maybe some long and intensive training, but not too much and then I think we are ready for the World Championships."
"I was disappointed because I had such good legs that I didn't do better than seventh in Québec," he added. "Just to bounce back after seventh place to victory here, is just an incredible feeling. It's super good."
Ready for the worlds
The huge numbers of spectators in the Parc du Mont-Royal generated an electric atmosphere for much of the race. Knowing full well that he had the win in the bag, the Giro-Tour double winner slowed down in the final kilometre and soaked up every moment as he sped towards the finish line.
He high fived fans along the way, including Michael Matthews, his close friend and the winner of the GP Québec, before being greeted by a group of jubilant UAE Team Emirates staff.
"The last one kilometre of the circuit was incredible," Pogačar said as he explained that the reception he received was incomparable to his first GP Montréal victory in 2022. "There were so many people on the climb all the way to the top. I'm super happy to come and race in this kind of atmosphere here in Canada."
The worlds are set to return to Montréal in 2026, more than 50 years after Eddy Merckx took his third road world title on the Mont-Royal circuit. When asked if he felt inspired to return to Canada in two years time, Pogačar said he would prefer to focus on the imminent challenge that lies in wait in Switzerland instead.
"The chance is always there, it's always been there," he said regarding his prospects in Zurich. "I had the chance last year and took third place on a parcours that didn't suit me the most.
"But this year it is much better so the chances for me are bigger. But World Championships are World Championships, if not everything goes to perfection, it's hard to win."
