Adam Yates returned to form, health and a smile with an impressive performance in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.

Yates finished fourth in the Canadian hilly circuit race behind winner Tadej Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates), Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma), and Andrea Bajori (Quick Step-Alfa Vinyl). He was most aggressive in the final 12.2 km of the final lap, attacking hard on the first steep climb through Parc Monreal and trying to close in on the faster riders in the last km.

"As everyone saw, I couldn't win the sprint, so I tried to go with the climb," Yates said openly.

"The hardest and longest climb is the furthest from the finish. I tried again on the little kicker climb near the finish, but everyone had good legs too. I gave it my all, but some of the faster guys beat me."

The 30-year-old Ineos Grenadiers rider has had a season that has tested his mental and physical abilities, as he contracted COVID-19 just before the Tour de France and also fell ill during the race.

"I was sick for a long time and it felt like the whole season," Yates said, before his usual pragmatism kicked in.

"Then I got COVID-19 at the Tour de Suisse and another illness at the Tour. It was really unfortunate, but that's life and you have to get over it. Now I'm not sick, I'm getting results, and I'm in contention for the win. I am in good condition. Now I just want to take this back to Europe, keep racing, and try to win."

While Pogachar, Van Aert, and others are headed to Australia, Yates, along with most of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec and Montreal peloton, will return to Europe on Tuesday morning for the final race of the 2022 season.

Ineos Grenadier is not fighting relegation to the WorldTour, but is hoping to win as much as possible to overtake Jumbo Visma in the 2022 UCI team standings.

Yates finished fourth overall in the 2021 Vuelta a España, fourth in the Giro delle Miglia, second in Milan - Turin, and third in Il Lombardia. He is looking forward to the next few weeks and to the end of the season.

"I plan to do all the hills and finish the season at Il Lombardia," he said.

"Unfortunately there are not many races that suit me. Milan-Turin was moved in the spring and flattened out, so there's the Giro delle Miglia and Il Lombardia."

Yates' biggest success in the final weeks of the season may be a new contract for 2023 that will allow him to remain ambitious at just 30 years old. His two-year contract with the Ineos Grenadiers ends this year, but the British superteam is hesitant to let Yates join the team in 2023.

Although he hopes to show leadership in WorldTour stage races and perhaps even in the Grand Tours, Ineos Grenadiers is undergoing a major reshuffle, prioritizing a new generation of talented young riders.

Yates won the 2021 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and the recent Deutschland Tour, but struggled in the 2022 season, dropping down the pecking order within the team. However, he has struggled in the 2022 season and has dropped down the pecking order within the team. Yates has rightfully defended his abilities and is rumored to be returning to BikeExchange-Jayco with his brother Simon.

Yates spoke happily after the Grand Prix Cycliste de Monreal, but remained tight-lipped about his future.

"Everything will become clear soon," he simply said with a smile, refusing to admit whether he was even happy to remain in Ineos Grenadiers.