Rigoberto Uran triumphs in 2015 Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec

Etixx-QuickStep’s Colombian Rigoberto Uran made a muscular, sustained attack on the finishing climb of the Friday’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec to take the greatest one day race triumph of his career. Uran, off to Cannondale-Garmin for 2016, held off a large group of pursuers on the Grande Allée for his second win of the season. Uran’s best GPCQ result had been third in 2011.

Happy winner (cc @BiciGoga) #GpQuebec pic.twitter.com/CeB6zgnOw0

— José Been (@TourDeJose) September 11, 2015

The second attempt at a breakaway on Lap 1 succeeded, and Canadians Ryan Roth and Adam de Vos were included in the sextet. De Vos led through the first KOM point atop Cote des Glacis. By the start of the third lap the escape held an 8:40 gap. De Vos kept sopping up the KOM points, while the break lost a man on Lap 5.

By the ninth lap it seemed like de Vos had the KOM sewn up, with 2011 GPCQ winner Philippe Gilbert and Greg Van Avermaet’s BMC cutting the quintet’s lead to 3:10.

#GPCQM – @CyclingCanada @A_De_Vos pic.twitter.com/zej1u2PFgr

— GPCQM (@GPCQM) September 11, 2015

Just before the break lost another member, Canadian Michael Woods, racing with de Vos and Roth for Team Canada instead of their trade teams, wrecked hard. He later climbed off his bike.

Oh no. Mike Woods down at #GPCQM pic.twitter.com/N9EmeB0JCl

— Canadian Cycling Mag (@CDNCyclingMag) September 11, 2015

Confirmed: Michael Woods (@rusty_woods) has pulled out of the race. He crashed, then suffered a mechanical that can't be fixed. @GPCQM

— Cycling Canada (@CyclingCanada) September 11, 2015

Going into the 12th of 16 laps, Cesare Benedetti of Bora-Argon 18 looked the freshest in the breakaway. Roth and Benedetti pulled away from the others on the next lap. With the pack closing in, a few attackers flared off the front, including Hugo Houle of Ag2r. The duo only had 20-seconds on the peloton with three laps remaining.

Reinforcements came from the peloton as Lars Bak (Denmark/Lotto-Soudal) and Viacheslav Kuznetsov (Russia/Katusha) bridged over with 30-km to go, but Benedetti soon fell off. The expedition ballooned to a dozen men on the penultimate lap. Orica-GreenEdge was committed to pulling it back before the final lap began.

Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark/Astana) and Wilco Kelderman (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) led into the bell lap. With 7-km and all three climbs to go, the duo held a 20-second gap. Several teams worked to grab the escape within 2-km.

Van Avermaet attacked on Cote de la Montagne but world champion Michal Kwiatkowski pulled him back. Ryder Hesjedal was still in the mix with 3.5-km to go. 2013 champion Robert Gesink (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) led the streamlined group under the red kite. Uran made an explosive move with 900-metres to go and kept a breathless pace uphill to the line, holding off the pack.

Roth took the KOM title. Hesjedal was top Canadian at 16th.

2015 Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec
1) Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/Etixx-QuickStep) 5:09:56
2) Michael Matthews (Australia/Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
3) Alexander Kristoff (Norway/Katusha) s.t.
16) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Cannondale) s.t.