Benoît Cosnefroy: «I can't believe it.»
«It's incredible! I can't believe it. I had planned to attack at exactly that spot. If it hadn't worked, we had Greg Van Avermaet to sprint. I'm very happy because I didn't necessarily expect to hold on like that in the last two kilometres. I gave it my all and was able to savour the last fifty metres.
From an average season, I'm moving on to an exceptional season. With six second places, including the Amstel Gold Race and the Flèche Brabançonne, I was just waiting for this victory and it came in one of the most beautiful races on the calendar, which is huge.
A big thank you to the public and the organisers here. The entire international peloton was eager to return, and we have not been disappointed.
We will enjoy ourselves and then focus on the Montreal Grand Prix, which suits me even better on paper. We will try to do just as well.»
Vincent Lavenu: «The great Benoît»
«I thought Benoît's attack at that point was daring, but we know what he's capable of when he's at his best. By holding his own against the world's best riders in the final kilometres, he achieved a remarkable sporting feat. Very few had managed to do so before in this Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.
This performance is a step up from his victory at the Bretagne Classic in 2021. It places him among the strongest in the international peloton. I'm happy to see him raise his arms in victory because, with six second-place finishes this season, all he needed was the win. Benoît was outstanding today.»
The number: 2
By winning the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, Benoît Cosnefroy claimed his second UCI World Tour victory after the Bretagne Classic in 2021.
He raises his arms for the first time in his career outside France.
This is Benoît Cosnefroy's first victory and the eleventh for the AG2R CITROËN team this season.
Greg Van Avermaet takes thirteenth place in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. The 2019 winner will defend his title at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal this Sunday.
News: Ben O'Connor eighth in the overall standings of the Vuelta a España
Ben O'Connor remains eighth in the overall standings of the Vuelta a España ahead of the final two stages.
«There is still a battle to be fought to try to gain one or two places in the overall standings and attempt to raise our arms in victory to validate the objectives of the AG2R CITROËN team at the start of this Vuelta a Espana,» says Julien Jurdie, sporting director of the AG2R CITROËN team.
