At 19 years old, Michael Leonard signed with one of the biggest teams in the world, Ineos – Grenadiers. The team, which in its various iterations such as Team Sky, has had Tour de France winners like Chris Froome, Sir Bradley Wiggins, and Geraint Thomas. He’s not the first Canuck to ride there—Toronto’s Michael Barry did so from 2010 to 2012.
Michael Leonard, yellow at Avenir
Leonard, 20, is competing in the Grands Prix Cycliste de Québec et Montréal for the first time. The Oakville, Ont. native is coming off a recent big result at the Tour de l’Avenir, where he won the prologue and wore the yellow jersey. The race, quite literally the Tour of the Future, has often been a prescient event for pro cyclists. It’s the little sibling of the Tour de France, and many pros have achieved success there before going on to greater things. Notable winners include Miguel Induráin, who won in 1986 before his five Tour de France titles from 1991 to 1995, and Laurent Fignon, who won in 1982 and later claimed the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984. Colombian climbers Nairo Quintana and Egan Bernal, winners in 2010 and 2017 respectively, went on to secure Grand Tour victories—Quintana with the Giro d’Italia in 2014 and the Vuelta a España in 2016, and Bernal as the first South American to win the Tour de France in 2019. Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar won in 2018.
In 2023, he joined one of the top teams in cycling following an outstanding year in Italy, where he raced for the Franco Ballerini junior team and achieved numerous impressive results. The Canadian claimed overall victory at the Tour du Léman, highlighted by a commanding win on stage two. He also secured victories in races such as the Memorial Paolo Batignani, Gran Premio Bermac Gara, and Trofeo Sopegu, among others.
Canadian Cycling Magazine caught up with Leonard on Saturday in Quebec as he was getting ready for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Check out his thoughts on cycling and coffee below.
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