Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal: Route, favourites, live stream - all the race info

The list of World Tour races outside of Europe is short. Apart from the double competition in Canada, only the Gree Tour in China, the UAE Tour and the two Australian races, the Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race, belong on this list. However, none of them come close to the high-calibre line-up in Canada.

Those making the long journey to Canada usually start both in Montreal and two days earlier in Quebec. With Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates), his twin brother Simon (Team Jayco-AlUla), Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), there are at least four riders at the start who finished in the top 10 at the 2023 Tour de France. Last year's Quebec winner Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R-Citroën Team) is also back, as are Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal - Quick Step), Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty) and Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma). Just like Michael Matthews (Team Jayco-AlUla), who won the race in Montreal as well as Quebec in 2018. Only Simon Gerrans achieved the Canadian double in 2014, while Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) is fuelling hopes of the first Canadian victory in one of the two races.

In addition to all 18 World Tour teams, four wildcards went to the pro teams Israel-Premier Tech, Lotto-Dstny, Tudor and Novo Nordisk. The latter is only made up of professionals who suffer from diabetes. There is also the Canadian national team. A total of 161 riders will start - the field in Canada has never been bigger.

Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal - this is the route

The 221 kilometres of Montreal are held on a 12.3-kilometre city circuit, which leads the field 18 times through the metropolis of 1.7 million inhabitants, which is located on an island in the St. Lawrence River. It crosses the green heart of the city, the Parc du Mont Royal.

The mountain in the park's name is also reflected in the profile right at the start of each lap. Less than 400 metres after the start, the route heads directly uphill, with the toughest ascent of the lap awaiting you. 1800 metres with an average gradient of eight percent have to be mastered first. After a long descent, the second ascent begins in the middle of the lap, which is 780 metres long with a gradient of six per cent, but breaks the 10 per cent mark on a 200-metre section.

The biggest difficulties have now been mastered. At kilometre 9, the route climbs another 500 metres at 7.5 per cent, followed by the half-kilometre-long finishing straight at four per cent, on which you will have to sprint on the last lap if in doubt, which would not be without its difficulties. 269 metres of elevation gain per lap add up to a total of more than 4,800 metres, which is equivalent to a mountain stage in a Grand Tour.

Whether this is too difficult for the sprint-strong hill lovers around Matthews, Girmay and Laporte and the mountain specialists like the Yates brothers or Gaudu decide the victory among themselves depends on the course of the race.

Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal - TV broadcast and live stream

There is a six-hour time difference between Montreal and Germany. The race starts there at 10:15 am. Discovery+ will be broadcasting the race over the full distance, with the live stream starting at 4pm CEST. The same applies to Eurosport.

Eurosport 1 will broadcast the second part of the race live on free-to-air television from 6pm.

Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal - all winners

• 2022: Tadej Pogacar
• 2021: not carried out
• 2020: not carried out
• 2019: Grev Van Avermaet
• 2018: Michael Matthews
• 2017: Diego Ulissi
• 2016: Greg Van Avermaet
• 2015: Tim Wellens
• 2014: Simon Gerrans
• 2013: Peter Sagan
• 2012: Lars Petter Nordhaug
• 2011: Rui Costa
• 2010: Robert Gesink