UAE Team Emirates’ Diego Ulissi returns to the stage of his last one-day race win as the Italian gears up for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal later this week.

The 29-year-old took home first place in the GP Montreal last year, his second one-day victory in UAE colours, and will be hoping for a repeat performance this time round.

Joining Ulissi will be former European Champion Alexander Kristoff, alongside teammates Rui Costa, Alexandr Riabushenko, Manuele Mori, Marco Marcato and Jan Polanc.

Commenting ahead of the race, the Lugano resident said: “The GP Québec and the GP Montréal are two races that I particularly like. They are classics that are similar to the world championships.

“Among the two, I like Montréal because it’s a little harder than Québec and it’s more open to attackers. I had a fever a few days ago so I am not heading into the races in the best shape , but let’s see how my body will respond under force. I hope I can defend the title I won last year in Montréal.”