Letizia Paternoster secured her first victory in five years at the Tour de Gatineau, sprinting to a long-awaited win after 12 laps of an intense 117km race in Québec. The Italian sprinter, supported by a dominant Liv AlUla Jayco team, marked her return to the top step of the podium, her first win since the 2019 U23 European Championship, and her first Elite-level win since the 2019 Tour Down Under.
The race, held on a technical circuit around Gatineau, saw 95 riders take on the challenging course, which featured repeated climbs and fast descents through Gatineau Park. The first half of the race was marked by aggressive riding from Ceratizit-WNT, who had taken first and third in the previous day’s time trial. Their efforts to split the peloton upped the pace, but no serious breakaway could stick. With Liv AlUla Jayco also keen to control the race, the pack stayed largely together, despite several attacks.
As the race neared its conclusion, the peloton remained over 40-strong with just 2.5km to go. The final laps were a tense affair, as DNA Pro Cycling worked hard to reel in a late move from Liv AlUla Jayco and Ceratizit-WNT. By the final 300 metres, it was clear that a bunch sprint was inevitable. The sprint unfolded on a slightly uphill section before the road flattened out, with Paternoster’s team delivering her to the perfect position.
In the final 200 metres, Paternoster unleashed her sprint, crossing the line a bike length ahead of Marlies Mejías and Canadian Sarah Van Dam, much to the delight of the home crowd. Only 17 riders contested the sprint, after the demanding course and fast pace saw the field reduced significantly throughout the day.
Reflecting on her first victory since 2019, Paternoster expressed her relief and joy: “I’m super happy about my first victory of the season, I’ve really been waiting for that. I’m so happy and so proud of all the team, we worked really well together, and that makes me so proud.”
Paternoster’s win also marked her first triumph at the Elite level since the Tour Down Under five years ago. Describing the race, she noted, “It was a really nervous race, super-fast and nervous because it was a hard lap with a lot of corners and a lot of ups and downs. But I had a really fantastic team and they did the best lead out for me, my job was just to give everything in the last 200 metres. We had to control the race all day and in the end I took the victory.”
Meanwhile, Sarah Van Dam, who had flatted during the previous day’s time trial, was pleased with her third-place finish. “Yesterday was a bit of a disappointment; I was really looking forward to that time trial, so to come out today and hop on the podium, thanks to the work of my teammates… I’m pleased with this.”
Despite the attempts to get up the road earlier in the race, Van Dam’s team worked hard to bring things back together for the final kilometres. “We tried getting up the road, but it wasn’t quite successful. In the final lap, Ceratizit and Liv went up the road and my teammate Nadia [Gontova] worked to close the gap, and I had some teammates help me position in the final kilometres.”
Paternoster’s triumph capped off a day of relentless teamwork and race control from Liv AlUla Jayco, securing her a long-awaited and emotional victory.
2024 Tour de Gatineau result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Gregoire Crevier
