Pello Bilbao in high spirits after finishing as the best behind Pogacar in Montreal: "I hope not to be far from the medals at the World Championships"
Cycling
Pello Bilbao was the best of the mortals at the GP Montreal, finishing in solo second behind only Tadej Pogacar. The Bahrain - Victorious rider, after a complicated season in which in general he has not done as well as in 2023, has arrived in top form at the end of the campaign and hopes to be able to perform at the World Championships in Zurich;
He acknowledged that, despite not winning, he was very happy with second place and that he is leaving Canada in high spirits:
"It's not a victory but it's pretty close. We came from a bad streak where nothing was going our way, but after Tour of Britain, having won and having regained sensations I came with a lot of confidence, with a great block and a perfect course for my characteristics and, well, this podium at the end of the season, at the gates of the World Championships, gives us a lot of morale and, well, the truth is that I really enjoyed these two races that I love, I think it will give me a great morale."
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Pogacar's attack helped him interpret what he had to do if he wanted to finish in the box:
"I saw that Pogacar was going to be unreachable but his move showed me a little weakness in the group, I could see that when someone created that gap behind it was going to be difficult to organize, so I was very attentive to any movement because any movement that opened a minimum gap could be good and in the last climb I decided to go at my pace, I saw that I had a good margin that I could keep until the finish. It was difficult to organize behind, Tadej was unreachable, I kept the pace to the finish and great, we have enjoyed this experience."
On the World Championships, positive:
"I think they are big words, there are a lot of people who are going to be in the World Championship, it gives me a lot of morale, it will be a race similar to this one and if I was today (yesterday) to make the podium, I hope that the World Championship will not be far from the medals," he concludes.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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🇨🇦 #GPCQM 👏 @PelloBilbao1990: "It feels amazing! The guys did an incredible job for me. They believed in our chances, and everything went perfectly. This podium finish at the end of the season is a huge morale boost for the upcoming races." @GPCQM 🔗 bit.ly/3XtKTl1
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