Having been selected for the long list for the World Championships, Enrico Gasparotto recommended himself for the final roster when he rode strongly in the Grand Prix Quebec. The Italian was part of a very strong break in the finale and still had enough left in the tank to sprint to an 8th place.

“It was the right time to attack, and I put my head in the right place to accept the suffering, Enrico Gasparotto said after the Grand Prix de Cyclistes Quebec – an 11-lap World Tour circuit race in beautiful Quebec City, Canada.

Gasparotto jumped into a late-breakaway on the final lap, joining 14 other riders through city streets and a large park on the banks of the Saint Lawrence river. In anticipation of the two short, steep climbs just before the finish, the peloton accelerated to catch Gasparotto and his fellow escapees with 4km to go.

The former Italian National Champion chose to stay at the front of the peloton and retry his luck on the slightly uphill finish. He followed winner Simon Gerrans of Australia to cross the line eighth.