Multiple Tour de Romandie stage winner Michael Albasini placed just outside the frontrunners at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec in Canada as ORICA-SCOTT battled for position to contest the sprint.

A predictable and patient race played out over 201kilometres with four leaders going away early before finally being caught by the bunch with 20kilometres left to race.

Tentative attacks peppered the lead up to the final with Otztaler Pro 5500 winner Roman Kreuziger off the front on the final climb, but caught with two kilometres remaining.

Mitch Docker took up the charge and held the front of the race together into the final few hundred metres before a slightly messy bunch sprint unfolded with Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) taking the win and Albasini and Daryl Impey close behind.

“We knew how the bulk of the race would play out, it’s always the same here,” said sport director Laurenzo Lapage. “The last two laps are the key to getting a result and positioning is all important especially over the last two ramps into the finish.”

Read the full report here.