Guillaume Boivin second on Stage 1 of Grand Prix Cycliste de Saguenay

The 2017 edition of the UCI 2.2 Grand Prix Cycliste de Saguenay kicked off on Thursday with Stage 1 in La Baie on the Saguenay River. Always raced fast, the first stage often plays an important role in deciding the general classification.

Stage 1 featured 166 km on a 15 km circuit with a tough 1.8 km climb that averages 5 per cent. Unusually hot temperatures greeted the riders with the thermometer hitting 32 celsius.

Guillaume Boivin of Montreal racing for Team Canada was the best-placed Canadian finishing second on the stage to American stage winner Steve Fisher (Canyon Bicycles) who managed to outkick the fast Canadian on the line.

“I haven’t raced since the Tour of Azerbaijan,” explained Boivin, “so I wasn’t sure how I’d go, but I knew I was strong from recent training. I really surprised myself during the bridge. I just did a supertuck on the descent and got away from the group and decided I might as well go.”

The race began with aggressive riding by the peloton but the breakaway took 80 km to form. When it did it contained 10 riders including Canadians Travis Samuel (H&R Block) and Jack Burke (Aevolo).

Boivin bridged to the original break and helped to leave the peloton in the dust. Last year’s Stage 1 winner Ben Perry (Team Canada) was the first rider from the peloton t cross the line three minutes behind Fischer in 13th. He was followed by last years overall winner and then teammate Ryan Roth (Silber Pro Cycling).

The speed and heat saw 23 riders abandon or finish outside the time limit of the races first stage. A total of 12 riders remain within one minute of the race lead and it’s likely that the overall race winner will come from this group.

Fisher leads Boivin by seven seconds after time bonuses with his performance helping Team Canada place second in the team standings behind Canyon.

For full results visit grandprixcyclistesaguenay.com