Michael Matthews won the last two editions of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, thus succeeding Peter Sagan who was victorious in 2017 and 2016. Both riders were the fastest in a sprint of strong men. The last rider to take the spoils with a late attack was Rigoberto Uran in 2015.
The race consists of sixteen 12.6 kilometres laps with a string of climbs that will wear any rider out. Each round begins with a section through the Parc des Champs-de-Bataile, a park that’s perched up a cliff overlooking the Saint Lawrence River. After 4 kilometres the route drops down to the river bank and continues on the Boulevard de Champlain, which is the flattest section of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.
The last 3.5 kilometres of each round are the most interesting. The riders tackle the Côte de la Montagne, a 375 metres ramp with an average gradient of 10%, before continuing onto the city walls of the narrow Rue de Remparts. Then the next climb appears. Côte de la Potasse is 420 metres long and slopes at 9% before a short descend leads onto the Montée de la Fabrique.
The Montée de la Fabrique, which is 190 metres long and climbs at 7%, tops out with 1.2 kilometre to the finish line remaining. This is a testing uphill drag at approximately 4%.
Another interesting read: results 2022 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec 2022: route, profile, more
Click on the images to zoom
