Quebec provincial championships preview

On Aug. 24 and 25, Quebec riders will compete in their provincial time trial and road racing championships. The weekend of racing will begin on Saturday with all categories set to race a 22-km time trial in Rivière-du-Loup. Remi Pelletier-Roy (Garneau-Quebecor) is the favourite for victory in the elite men’s time trial. However, last year’s third place finisher Emile Jean (Ekoi-Devinci) is confident and aiming to improve upon his 2012 finish. “The course is very special because it is very fast. Last year, the winner completed it with an average over 50 km/h. Personally, I hope to repeat or improve my third place in the time trial.” There will most likely be some surprise results as the day’s racing unfolds. Anything can happen as demonstrated earlier this year at the elite men’s national championship in which Curtis Dearden was the surprise winner.

Following the time trials on Saturday will be the Quebec road race championships. With the Garneau-Quebecor team undergoing their final preparations for the Tour of Alberta, Canada’s first UCI 2.1 stage race, it is unclear as of yet who will be lining up on Sunday for the squad. In addition to the strong presence of the Garneau team will be Quebec’s other major continental team, Ekoi-Devinci. “The focus will be on racing aggressively because we know Graneau are very strong,” said Jean. “If we want to achieve something we will have to surprise or isolate them. There’s nothing really selective on the course, accept maybe the wind.”

Jean and his teammate Jordan Brochu will undoubtedly play a role as major protagonists against Garneau. After strong performances in the Canada Summer Games, they’ll be eager for more results.

Information on the weekend’s events and timing can be found at Cyclest, the Quebec championship’s host.