Paula Blasi, going for the medals in Montreal

He Montreal Road Cycling World Cup faces the elite women’s online test today (3:00 p.m.), with Demi Vollering as a rival to beat. The Dutch cyclist has a unique opportunity to put the finishing touch to a historic season. Winner of the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour of Flanders and the Fleche Wallonne, Vollering is looking for one of the few great goals that still eludes her. It also has a powerful selection that will help you throughout the 180 kilometers and 2,570 meters of elevation gain of a race that will be decided in the eight laps of the circuit. Mont-Royal. The climb to the Voie Camillien-Houde, 1.7 kilometers at an average gradient of 7.3 percent, appears as the key point to break the race.

Blasi, license to dream

Yes ok Vollering As a big favorite, she will have several rivals willing to challenge her for the title. One of them will be Paula Blasiwho last year won world bronze in the under-23 category and is now looking to get on the podium again, this time as an elite. There is no shortage of arguments. The Catalan has completed a sensational course, winning the Vuelta a España, the Amstel Gold Race and the Volta a Catalunya. Blasi also demonstrated in a Tour de France in which she was fifth that she can compete head-to-head with the best in the peloton.

At 23 years old, he will lead the Spanish team, which also has the advantage of Mavi Garciabronze in the last World Cup. Mireia Benito, Usoa Ostolaza, Sandra Alonso and Sara Martín complete the team led by Gema Pascual. A team that aspires to add another podium to the great Spanish role in this World Cup, which already has five medals (3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze). Blasi arrives at the event with a week of competition in her legs and after acclimatizing to Montreal, after being 18th in the individual time trial and sixth in the mixed time trial.

The Polish Kasia Niewiadomasecond in the Tour behind Vollering, will be another of the main threats, like the Italian Elisa Longo Borghini. The Mauritian Kim Le Court, the Swiss Marlen Reusser, world time trial champion, the Belgian Lotte Kopecky, double road world champion in 2023 and 2024, or the current world champion, the Canadian Magdeleine Vallieres, also start with options on a demanding route that can lead to a very selective race.