It was not a perfect return to racing for Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) in the Grand Prix de Québec.

Pogachar tried to win the race with his trademark stinging attack 2.2km from the finish, but defending champion Arnaud de Lier (Lot Doszny) and his two domestiques were right on his tail and his chance for solo glory was His chances were closed.

He then had to decide whether to gamble on his own sprint or attack again on the dragging climb of the Grand Allee West. Before he could make a decision, however, the 40-man peloton came up behind him and made contact, ending his hopes of victory.

“It was a really good race. The team did a really good job. We wanted a hard final and we got it,” said Pogachar after his first race since July 21.

“I was able to ride really hard for the last couple of laps, but in the last kilometer I wasn't sure if I should attack or not.

Pogachar, the reigning Giro d'Italia and Tour de France champion, said he was happy with how he was feeling, even though he had to settle for seventh place in the sprint win over Michael Matthews (Jayco Alura).

“But I'm really happy to be back. My leg rotation was good and I can't wait for Sunday,” said the Slovenian rider, who said that of the two World Tour one-day races in Canada, the Grand Prix of Montreal suits him better.

“I didn't expect to have such good legs back, so I'm very happy with how I'm doing, how well I did in the first race after a bit of a break. So I think I'm ready for Sunday and the World Championships.”

With the World Championships in Zurich drawing closer by the day, Pogachar is here not only to win, but also to get back into the rhythm of the race before competing for his first rainbow jersey against Lemko Evenpole and Mathieu van der Pol.

And perhaps what he lacked in the final was rhythm, as he thought the trio of himself and Lotto Dostny could get away with it.

“Sure, that's why I didn't go for a longer attack. I looked back and there was still a gap with 1km to go,” Pogachar said.

“With three guys in the lot, I thought we could go all the way to the finish, but the group was coming up on me really fast from behind, so I should have gone for the front more.”

But he was happy to be racing again after more than 50 days without a race number.

“Maybe I could have stayed away, but as it was, it was a really fun race and I enjoyed it a lot,” Pogachal concluded.