Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec et Montreal: A testimony to Professional Cycling

Despite the increased coverage of various world sports on the Indian television, there are some sporting events we still tend to miss. One of them is Professional Cycling. And before everyone gets their rabbits out of the hat I would like to clarify that this is not related to Tour De France.  It is a glorious event in its own right and commands a worldwide viewership lesser than no other.

Unlike the 21 day event, I am talking about the single day cross city races help in Quebec and Montreal on September 7th and 9th respectively. If we talk in Indian terms, it is basically the T20 of professional cycling. And unlike the multi stage Tour De France, endurance and strategy play a more significant part for the cyclists to course the race route.  I have seen the tour and these events were in fact much more exciting owing to their short format. It’s like an actual cycle race filled with nail biting anticipation and the fervor of human body’s physical and mental capacity. I haven’t been able to catch the Montreal Grand Prix just yet because of the non-availability of relevant content through the VOD (Video on Demand) feature on my LG Smart TV. 

But the Quebec Grand Prix was quite an exhilarating affair. After leading the chasing pack behind with the final 2.5 miles of the 125 miles left, Belgian Greg Van Avermaet created almost a 6 feet distance and was closely followed by Australian Simon Gerrans. It looked liked the classic “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar” scenario and after after staying on the heels of Avermaet, Gerrans outsprinted the Belgian to secure victory in seven minutes short of 5 hours. Of the chasing pack, only Rui Costa of Portugal was able to get close enough to the front two to secure third place.

I personally feel that these races have a lot of scope for the increasingly aware population of India. And with TV manufacturer’s doing their part with the introduction of 4K and 8K TV’s, sports channels should also flex their muscles to ensure a more dedicated coverage of professional cycling events in India.