Five days after his victory at the GP Industria & Artigianato in Larciano, Pidcock once again showed strong form against a world-class field, narrowly missing the podium on the demanding streets of Québec City.

Making its debut at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team raced with intent from the opening kilometres. Canadian Nickolas Zukowsky took responsibility at the front of the peloton during the first part of the 206-kilometre race, helping to control the gap to the early breakaway and keep the Team well positioned as the pace and pressure increased.

As the race opened up, Quinten Hermans remained firmly in contention while Pidcock followed the decisive racing deep into the finale.

A tactical battle ultimately left Pidcock chasing a move that proved difficult to bring back. The Brit nevertheless had the legs to fight all the way to the line, finishing fourth on the Team’s Québec debut. Hermans completed a strong collective performance in 11th place.

“I felt really good today” said Pidcock. “It was a tactical race. The move that got away was quite a soft move at first, which is often the way it goes, but then nobody could bring it back. I had good legs, but tactically it was always going to be difficult today.”

For Hermans, the result also confirmed the strong sensations he has been building over recent weeks.

“I’m definitely happy with the race” said Hermans. “I think I’ve been feeling like this for the last four weeks and this is a course that suits me well. The form is good and today I was able to race aggressively and be part of the action. It’s really satisfying because it confirms the feeling I’ve had in recent weeks. In some races you don’t always get the opportunity to translate that feeling into a result, but today I could. Montréal probably suits me a little less, but I hope I can be there again on Sunday.”

Racing on home roads gave Zukowsky extra motivation as he played an important role in the Team’s early work.

“We came into the day wanting to be at the front and to show that we had one of the favourites” said Zukowsky. “We knew the race would become aggressive, so my job was to ride on the front, set the tempo and keep the break close while helping the guys stay well positioned. I felt really good today and I think I showed that I still had the legs to stay there for quite a long time afterwards.

“Racing here at home is something we only get once a year and I really worked hard to arrive in the best possible shape. Hearing my name from the crowd, with my family here as well, gave me even more energy. Tom finished fourth and of course we would have liked the podium, but we still have Sunday and another opportunity in Montréal.”

The Canadian WorldTour double-header now moves to Montréal for Sunday’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.

A significantly tougher challenge awaits around Mont-Royal, with 214.4 kilometres and more than 4,300 metres of climbing across 16 laps of the demanding circuit.

A fourth place on the Team’s first appearance in Québec, two riders inside the top 11 and a committed collective performance from the opening kilometres: a strong start to the Canadian WorldTour campaign.

Next stop: Montréal.