"Catching Pogacar was impossible, but I did my own race" - Pello Bilbao best of the rest at GP de Montréal

Tadej Pogacar was the ultimate favourite to win GP de Montréal and he did the job in relative comfort. The race for second place was won by Pello Bilbao who put in a brilliant performance to snatch a strong result ahead of the World Championships where he will be an outsider for the medals.

“It feels amazing. We came here with a strong team, confident that this could be a great opportunity. The guys did an incredible job for me, especially after Quebec. They believed in our chances, and everything went perfectly," Bilbao said in a press release. "I saved a lot of energy because they protected me throughout the race, so in the end, I just had to give my best."

Pogacat attacked on the penultimate lap and went solo off the front. Behind, a few riders formed the chasing group, and in the few hilltops in Montréal Bilbao got away in a group of 4. On the final climb of Mont Royal he dropped his group companions and soloed to a runner-up on the road. "Catching Pogacar was impossible, but I did my own race, set my rhythm on the last climb, and made it to the finish line. This podium finish at the end of the season is a huge morale boost for the upcoming races," he added.

Team DS Michal Golas was equally satisfied with the strong result on the day: “We can be very satisfied as a team after these two races,. We’re thrilled with Pello’s podium in Montréal. The team followed the plan perfectly, staying aggressive in the latter part of the race. Matej Mohorič’s attack with 50km to go was key in forcing other teams to react and it was important to use other teams’ strength. Pello had fantastic legs today, and I’m proud that he believed in himself enough to take the risk and go solo behind Pogacar. His second place is a testament to the hard work of the entire team.”