Julian Alaphilippe, Arnaud De Lie and Biniam Girmay are among the riders who will target victory at the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal on September 8 and 10.
Adam Yates, Simon Yates, Jai Hindley, Christophe Laporte, Michael Matthews and Michal Kwiatkowski have also confirmed their participation in the Canadian WorldTour races, together with local favourites Michael Woods, Derek Gee and Hugo Houle.
The races in Québec and Montréal have traditionally served as a warm-up for the World Championships since they were added to the WorldTour in 2010. This year, with the Worlds already having taken place in August, the events take on a different guise, though the trip to Canada will still allow riders the chance to sample the 2026 Worlds course in Montréal.
“We are pleased and proud to be hosting such a high-level field of competitors once again in 2023, including proven champions who perform at their very best for us every year,” said Sébastien Arsenault, CEO of the organisers of the only WorldTour events in the Americas. “The prospect of hosting the UCI Road World Championships in 2026 further fuels our ambition and determination to stage outstanding, world-class cycling events.”
Tadej Pogačar won in Montréal a year ago, but the Slovenian is not expected to line out on this occasion, though UAE Team Emirates are expected to field a strong team that will include Adam Yates and Brandon McNulty.
Benoît Cosnefroy, who claimed victory in Québec last season, returns at the head of an AG2R Citroën team that will also feature Greg Van Avermaet, who makes a farewell appearance before bringing the curtain down on his career at the end of this season.
Biniam Girmay, third in Quebec last year, lines out in his first race since he crashed at the Clasica San Sebastian in late July.
Julian Alaphilippe will be joined by Ilan Van Wilder in the Soudal-QuickStep squad, while Jayco-Alula have an intriguing double act in Michael Matthews and Simon Yates.
Israel Premier Tech are one of four ProTeams in the race, alongside Tudor Pro Cycling, Lotto-Dstny and Novo Nordisk. The Canadian trio of Woods, Gee and Houle lead the line for Israel Premier Tech, while De Lie, who recently signed a contract extension with Lotto-Dstny, will seek the first WorldTour win of his career.
