Julian Alaphilippe wins the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec with panache

Québec City, September 12, 2025 – A moment of madness turned into a stroke of genius. Julian Alaphilippe provided a spectacular finish to the Grand Prix de Québec to add his name to the list of winners.

Starting in a counterattack group of 12 riders more than 80 kilometers from the finish, the Frenchman from the Tudor Pro Cycling Team used his cunning, saving his strength before making a winning breakaway 2 kilometers from the finish, during the last of the 18 climbs of the Côte de la Montagne.

The two-time world champion (2020 and 2021) held off a challenge from his compatriot Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Italy’s Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team) to win solo on the Plains of Abraham, the new finish line. Alaphilippe had not won a race since July 2024 and a stage in the Tour of the Czech Republic.

Tadej Pogacar on the attack
The final stage of the Grand Prix de Québec was also marked by attacks from Tadej Pogacar. After a lot of hard work from his teammates Tim Wellens and Adam Yates, the world champion and four-time Tour de France winner launched his first attack 13.3 kilometers from the finish. Despite multiple accelerations, the Slovenian was unable to catch up with the leading trio, eventually finishing 29th.

The race was also marked by a long breakaway by Italy’s Luca Vergallito (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Poland’s Filip Maciejuk (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe). Initially accompanied by Canadian national team riders Félix Bouchard and Philippe Jacob, the two men, who had broken away in the early kilometers, were caught by the counter-attack group 34 kilometers from the finish.

The GPCQM continues this Sunday with the 14th edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, where Tadej Pogacar will defend his title.

REACTIONS

Julian Alaphilippe (France, Tudor Pro Cycling Team), winner of the 2025 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec: “It’s going to take me a while to realize what’s happened. The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec is a race I’ve always dreamed of winning. To achieve that today, and in this way, is incredible! My team did a great job, I owe them a lot. This is my first World Tour victory since my stage win in the Giro last year, it’s been a long time. I’m very proud. I felt good throughout the race, but it was also very tactical. I was the only one from my team in the counter-attack group. My sports director told me to save as much energy as possible for the final. I stayed focused until the last kilometer, where I gave it my all. I’m very happy that our plan worked!”

Pavel Sivakov (France, UAE Team Emirates-XRG), second in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec 2025: “First, I want to thank my team, who did an incredible job all day. Pavel Sivakov (France, UAE Team Emirates-XRG), second in the 2025 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec: “First, I want to thank my team, who did an incredible job all day long. We managed to execute our plan by accelerating 80 kilometers from the finish. I found myself at the front and had carte blanche. On the last lap, I knew that Tadej (Pogacar, his teammate) had also attacked, so I didn’t want to collaborate too much and was already thinking about the win. But Julian (Alaphilippe) was very strong, so congratulations to him. I’m obviously disappointed to come so close to victory, but it’s still a very good result.

The last few months haven’t been easy for me. Getting back to my best and finishing second in a race like this is encouraging. This podium has a special flavor and gives me back my confidence. It’s the end of a bad spell. With the team, we are having a historic year in terms of victories (83 to date, editor’s note); adding this one would have been special. I didn’t come far off, I’ll have to keep working on my sprint.”

Alberto Bettiol (Italy, XDS Astana Team), third in the 2025 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec: “It was a very tough race, but I felt really good. I chose the right moment to attack and anticipate the finish, where many feared an attack from Pogacar. I’m very proud of my team, who did an excellent job. Congratulations also to Julian for his victory; he was definitely the strongest. This third place is important to me, especially since the season hasn’t always been easy. To be on the podium with a former world champion and alongside Pavel is a great result, especially in a race with such a strong field.”

THE NUMBER THREE:

Julian Alaphilippe is the third Frenchman in history to have his name added to the list of winners of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. Thomas Voeckler won the first edition of the race in 2010, followed by Benoît Cosnefroy, who won in 2022.