The action moves to Montreal for the second of two one-day races in the space of three days in Canada, with WorldTour points again up for grabs.

Another lengthy circuit-based race provides great preparation for the upcoming World Championships in Limburg, and as a result, a bumper field of talent will be in attendance.

The course is located in the Universite de Montreal area of the city and while the climbs are longer than those in Quebec City two days earlier, they are not as steep.

Route

Held in Quebec's largest city, the downtown circuit is once again not short on climbing, with 17 laps of a 12.1km circuit amounting to a tough 205.7km in the saddle.

The route begins on the Avenue du Parc before immediately taking on the ramp of the Cote Camilien-Houde. At 211m, the opening climb marks the highest point on the course, with the drag likely to play a more significant role as the race progresses, particularly heading into the final lap.

From the summit, the course continues to skirt around the ground of the Universite de Montreal, descending down the Chemin de la Cote des Neiges. A twisty section follows through the streets before the second ascent of the race, the Cote de la Polytechnique.

After that rise, the peloton descend gradually back through the streets towards the start/finish area. The riders head past the finish line on the opposite side of the road before a dead turn and a short, sharp ramp back to the line which will likely decide the race.

Tactics

This is a hard late-season test for the riders and only the strongest will be in position to battle it out for the win at the end of lap 17. Team Sky's line-up includes Edvald Boasson Hagen, who is looking to build on his recent victory at the GP Ouest-France, and Canadian rider Michael Barry.

Team Sky history

Team Sky have competed in the two previous editions of the race but have yet to taste success. Boasson Hagen was 34th in 2010 and 15th last year, on both occasions the Norwegian was the team's highest finisher.