Sagan wins cycling Grand Prix on breakaway with Canada’s Hesjedal third

MONTREAL – Peter Sagan broke away from the lead group four kilometres from the finish line and held on to win the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal ahead of Simone Ponzi and Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal on Sunday.

Sagan, the Slovak leader of the Cannondale team, finished four seconds ahead of Ponzi, of the Astana team, and five ahead of Hesjedal, the Garmin Sharp team leader from Victoria.

The final 12.1-kilometre lap saw a series of breakaway attempts.

Robert Gesink, winner of a race in Quebec City on Friday, surged ahead but was caught. Then Tour de France champion Chris Froome tried it, but was passed by Hesjedal as the roadside crowd cheered.

Sagan, who is second to Froome in UCI World Tour standings, blew past everyone and built a lead than none could catch.

Large crowds lined the track on a cool, gusty afternoon for the 205.7 kilometre race, which was run in 17 laps up and down Mount Royal in the centre of the city.

A group of seven riders led by Canadian road race champion Zach Bell of Watson Lake, Yukon, escaped on the first lap and built a five minute lead. Taking turns at the front, the group held the lead for 148 kilometres before they were swallowed by the peloton.

Bell was part of a Canadian national team that took part in both races.

Froome was held up briefly on the 13th lap after his Sky teammates Richie Porte and Jonathan Thiernan-Locke crashed. Both opted to retire from the race, but were able to rejoin the peloton.

It was the final race for David Veilleux of Cap-Rouge, Que., who said this week he will retire after the two Canadian events. Not in top shape, he dropped out on the 13th lap. The 25-year-old on the Europcar team this year became the first rider from Quebec to complete the Tour de France. He plans to study engineering at Laval University.

The top riders will now focus on the world championship road race, which promises to be a gruelling 280-kilometre test on Sept. 29 in Florence.