The second edition of the Tour de l’Abitibi Femmes finished up on Monday, which means it’s time for the (junior) hommes!

The 56th edition of the Tour de l’Abitibi Glencore got underway Tuesday with an spicy opening stage, and Quebec’s Simon Gaudreault took the dub.

Stage 1 recap

The first day of racing was 121.6 km from Val-d’Or to Rouyn-Noranda. Team Quebec’s Gaudreault won after a fast and aggressive day that featured repeated attacks, multiple breakaway attempts and a dramatic finale. Although there’s not too many hills in the region, fast pace, relentless moves and crosswinds can make for some top-notch, and super hard days in the saddle for the junior men.
The race was active from kilometre 0. All sorts of riders repeatedly trying to escape the peloton and stay clear. Ultimately, A seven-rider move briefly gained an advantage before being brought back, quickly followed by another unsuccessful attempt from a four-rider group.

The winning move

The decisive move came at the 56.2 km mark when 11 riders managed to break clear. The group had a good number of Cancks. That included Gaudreault, Zachari Moreau and Fabrice Dufresne of Team Quebec, along with Canada’s Aubrey Allan and several others.
The break quickly built a 40-second advantage. As the race approached Rouyn-Noranda, the group began to split, with four riders moving ahead before chasers eventually bridged back to form a 13-rider group with a chance at the stage victory and brown jersey.

The finale

With the finish line approaching, attacks continued as riders fought for position. Gaudreault timed his final acceleration perfectly. He took the win ahead of Andrew Lawson (Black Mixte) and Julien Bélanger (Canada).

Riders return Wednesday for Stage 2, another challenging day on the roads of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. Gaudreault will wear the brown leader’s jersey and also leads the points. Kiwi Alex Bishop leads the KOM competition.

The Tour of Abitibi has a long history of producing some big names in the sport. Steve Bauer, Alex Stieda, Bobby Julich have made their mark on the longstanding stage race. There are current pros too who did well, including Victoria sprinter, Riley Pickrell.