Matisse Julien wins Stage 1 of Tour de Beauce

Heartbreak for Evan Russell, caught just before the line

Photo by: Tour de Beauce - VeloImages

Matt Hansen June 14, 2023

Matisse Julien (Team Ecoflo Chronos) took Stage 1 of the Tour de Beauce, as well as every single leader’s jersey. Julien won the sprint on the opening day on Wednesday after an exhilirating but heartbreaking chase back of Evan Russell (Cycling BC), in a 142.8 km race from Saint-Georges to Notre-Dame-des-Pins.

Gagnant de l’épreuve d’aujourd’hui, le Lavallois Matisse Julien (Ecoflo-Chronos) sera à surveiller dans les prochains jours. À 20 ans, il a également remporté une étape de la Ronde de l’Oise, en France, il y a deux semaines. pic.twitter.com/3cIW8kTiNM

— Guillaume Piedboeuf (@GPiedboeuf) June 14, 2023

The race returns after a three-year hiatus, welcoming 15 teams to the race, out of which nine are based in Canada. The 35th edition is five stages long, for a total distance of 673 km. This year the race has no time trial, which should prove interesting as the week goes on.

In Wednesday’s stage, Tyler Stites (Project Echelon Racing) placed second, with Matteo Dal-Cin (Toronto Hustle) slotting in third. The race featured several early breaks, but it all came together for the sprint after a hard chase by Team Ecoflo Chronos. Russell, the Canadian gravel champion, was caught just before the finish after being away most of the day.

20 secondes d’écart pour le numéro 83 Evan Russell de @CyclingBC pic.twitter.com/b4W1dZRo8a

— Tour de Beauce (@TourDeBeauce) June 14, 2023