"I know you have to wait" - Arnaud De Lie wins GP de Québec after studying past editions

Arnaud De Lie stuck around the back of the peloton at the GP de Quebec until close to the finale but it proved to be the right strategy. The Lotto Dstny rider took his much awaited debut win at World Tour level with a destructive sprint.

“I wanted to save all my energy for the sprint. I have watched a lot of previous editions of this competition and I know you have to wait," the Belgian, on his debut in the Canadian classics, said in a post-race interview. "I had two more teammates with me in the final. I was far ahead of the sprint, but I wanted to come back with speed. To pass [Michael] Matthews and [Corbin] Strong is great."

On the final two laps there were several attacks on the circuit's climbs. Christophe Laporte was among those responding, as many riders were afraid of missing out on the winning move. Others had blind trust on the sprint, it was the case of De Lie. The race situation panned out perfect for the 21-year old, as Jumbo-Visma led out the final straight without any surprise attacks.

Corbin Strong launched an early and very powerful sprint, but on the hoods De Lie came from behind and was the only rider to have the legs to overtake him. “The team really rode perfectly today. This is a great victory, it's great to win here. I was already watching this race at the age of eight and it is great that this race is now on my list of achievements," he concluded.