What. A. Race. The kids did all right. Although there were a handful of WorldTour pros, who fought amongst themselves, Jérôme Gauthier pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent Canadian road nationals history on Friday, taking both the elite and under-23 men’s road race titles after a cagey finale in Saint-Georges, Que.
Game on
The 185-km race exploded early as a select group featuring Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek), Hugo Houle (Alpecin-Premier Tech) Mike Woods (Ventum), Pier-André Côté (NSN) and Riley Pickrell (Modern Adventure Factor Pro Cycling) animated the race.
On the final lap, Woods launched another searing attack, whittling the lead group down to a handful of riders. With the WorldTour stars closely marking one another, several under-23 riders were able to stay in contention.
Gauthier timed his sprint perfectly to take the biggest win of his career. Luke Valenti (Club Ciclista Padronés – Cortizo) finished second, while Léo Roy (Team Vittel N’side), who has impressed while racing in France this season, rounded out the podium. Both Valenti and Roy are making waves in Europe, so it’s no surprise they’d be in the mix in a tough, rainy and attritious race.
On the nationals
“It feels awesome,” Gauthier said to Canadian Cycling Magazine. “To be national champion in both the elite and under-23 categories is crazy. I still don’t believe it.”
While his primary objective was the under-23 title, Gauthier believed the revised course could also give him a chance against the elite riders.
“My goal coming into the race was definitely the u23 jersey, but with the course change I thought I could have a good ride in the elite race too. I had that in the back of my mind. I just tried to be there when it mattered.”
That proved easier said than done.
“I was suffering, especially on the last climb, but I came back. I think I was on the limit for more than four hours. Some riders started to fade near the end, but I was still feeling the same as I did at the start.”
The tactical battle between the favourites also played into his hands.
“All the WorldTour guys, like Derek Gee-West, Mike Woods and Hugo Houle, were watching each other. They were racing each other a little bit, so we didn’t have to do much behind. That definitely worked to my advantage.”
Gauthier admitted he isn’t sure what comes next, but hopes the performance opens new doors.
“I’ll see what this brings. Hopefully some teams reach out or something like that. For now, I’ll just enjoy it, race the crit tomorrow and then start thinking about the road worlds.”