Langlois to lead Garneau-Québecor at Tour of Alberta

Garneau-Québecor has announced its eight-man roster heading into the inaugural Tour of Alberta that begins on Sept. 3 in Edmonton and ends on Sept. 8 in Calgary. Its leader Bruno Langlois expects his riders to deliver jersey-winning performances and a top overall placing.

“It’s not every day that we get a chance to compete against ProTour riders, and it will be good for the evolution of each rider,” said Langlois. “We will also try to get visibility during stages by winning points for distinctive jerseys (most aggressive, best climber, best Canadian, etc.). The best-case scenario will see Garneau-Québecor place one of its riders in the top 10.”

Louis Garneau Sports is the sponsor of each distinctive jersey: overall leader, best climber, best sprinter, best young rider, most aggressive rider and best Canadian rider.

The roster also includes national criterium champion Pierrick Naud, national time trial champion Alex Cataford, Simon-Pierre Gauthier, Geoffroy Dussault, Adam Farabaugh, Michael Chauner and Michael Woods.

The men will be racing against some of the top teams in the world: BMC, Cannondale, Garmin-Sharp with Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal, Argos-Shimano, Belkin and Orica-GreenEdge. Professional continental teams include Champion System with Zach Bell and Ryan Roth, and UnitedHealthcare. Continental outfits include Bissell, Garneau-Québecor, Jelly Belly presented by Kenda with Nic Hamilton, Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies with Ryan Anderson, SmartStop presented by Mountain Khakis with Ben Chaddock, 5 Hour Energy presented by Kenda.

Team Canada’s roster includes Hugo Houle, Will Routley, Rob Britton, Antoine Duchesne, Stuart Wight, Ryan Aitcheson, Jean-Sebastien Perron and Garrett McLeod.