GP de Montréal "evokes the feeling of a championship" and will be Wout van Aert's last step towards World Championships

Wout van Aert rode to a fourth place at the GP de Québec, however the main goal comes in two weeks at the World Championships. Today at the GP de Montréal the test will be more similar, and it is a race the Belgian is looking for.

After travelling to Canada, Van Aert said of Sunday's race: “The race in Montreal on Sunday is the tougher of the two. There is a good chance that a strong leading group will compete for the win. In comparison to Friday’s race, it requires a different kind of racing."

Van Aert rode an active race, and sprinted to fourth in Québec, beaten by Michael Matthews and Biniam Girmay who will also be favourites. However this race will feature a lot more climbing and will favour the climbers: the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Romain Bardet and Adam Yates as examples.

"Riding local laps is special to me. It somewhat evokes the feeling of a championship. The spectators will also enjoy the race, in addition to the cyclists," he concluded. Alongside him, Christophe Laporte will also be a contender, as both will test their legs for the Worlds in a long race which features over 4000 meters of climbing.