Duchesne back to defend under-23 title in Quebec

Antoine Duchesne is aiming to claim a second consecutive under-23 road title at the Canadian national road championships held in Quebec on Saturday. The Bontrager rider enters the race in top form after a series of strong performances on the world-class stage this spring.

“I’m still under-23, for my last year though,” Duchesne told Canadian Cycling Magazine. “I’m coming back to try to defend my title.”

Duchesne has been working hard for his teammates at races like the Volta ao Alentejo in Portugal, under-23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Amgen Tour of California, where he was involved in a decisive all-day breakaway, and the Tour de Beauce where he stood on the podium in the penultimate stage in Quebec City.

“Since Portugal we have always had one guy in the top classification,” he said. “I always work for them a lot. But I’ve been able to do some good stuff, like the break away on the last day in California, that was a big hit for me. I had been working all week to try to get in the break.

“My second place in my home town at the Tour de Beauce was really amazing. Especially the next day when my teammate Nate Brown won the yellow jersey. That was awesome.”

The under-23 men will race with the elite men on a circuit race between Saint-Georges and Saint-Odilon, Que. Duchesne believes that not having a big team like SpiderTech to control the race like last year means that the chances of anyone winning are wide open.

“I think this year the race will be very different because we don’t have a big team to control the race,” he said. “The WorldTour guys are definitely going to look at each other and that might open up a spot for an outsider like me.”

After nationals, Duchesne will take some recovery time before preparing for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado and the Tour of Alberta. He is also hoping to be invited to compete at the world championships in Italy.

Follow our live coverage of the under-23 and elite men’s race here.