"This gives me confidence that a victory could come soon" - Julian Alaphilippe bright and attacking but ultimately unsuccessful at the GP de Montreal

Julian Alaphilippe showed some impressive fighting spirit on Sunday night, in Canada, at the GP de Montreal and whilst he was ultimately unsuccessful and unable to take the win, the Frenchman has seen his confidence boosted by his performance.

“It was a very fast race from the beginning," recaps Alaphilippe in a post-race interview with the official website of his Soudal - Quick-Step team. "We were among the teams who tried to make it hard with Mauro Schmid, who did a great job. I tried my best, but in the end, it was the legs that made the selection."

Adam Yates was the eventual winner of the race, with Alaphilippe coming home 38 seconds later in twelfth position. After finishing ninth on Friday night in Quebec, the 31-year-old leaves North America having grown in confidence.

"My form isn’t fantastic yet, but it was really nice to see I can feature in the finale of a race this hard," Alaphilippe concludes. "This gives me confidence that a victory could come soon."