Not for the first time this year, Tadej Pogačar tore up the script of yet another major race he lined up at. It’s unusual to see a winning move launched earlier than the final lap at the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Montréal, but Pogačar’s vicious attack on the penultimate ascent of the Côte Camillien Houde was simply unanswerable.
UAE Emirates had controlled the front of the peloton for much of the day. Once the remnants of the breakaway had eventually been caught, the foreboding sight of Rafał Majka moving to the front of the race meant only one thing. A blistering attack from Pogačar was coming. Matteo Jorgenson and Julian Alaphilippe briefly tried to follow, although once the Slovenian had crested the top of the climb, he was never seen again.
