2026 Elite Men's World Cycling Championships Preview | Evenepoel vs Del Toro vs Seixas vs Pidcock and the rest in Montréal
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Follow us on GoogleSunday is the big day: the final race of the World Cycling Championships in Montreal, Canada. On a course that’s virtually identical to that of the annual Montreal Grand Prix, we’ll find out who will succeed Tadej Pogačar. IDL Pro Cycling foes into detail, from the start in Brossard to the final uphill meters in Montreal. Strap yourself in!
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One thing is certain: we’re getting a new rainbow jersey. Tadej Pogačar had always been the top favourite on this course, but he won’t be there in Canada after his serious crash in the Vuelta a España. The two riders who preceded him on the World Championships podium—Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel—will be there. But can they overcome the huge amount of talent who will be chasing their first rainbow jersey? Let's find out...
Recent Winners of the Men's World Cycling Championships
2025 Tadej Pogacar
2024 Tadej Pogacar
2023 Mathieu van der Poel
2022 Remco Evenepoel
2021 Julian Alaphilippe
2020 Julian Alaphilippe
2019 Mads Pedersen
2018 Alejandro Valverde
2017 Peter Sagan
2016 Peter Sagan
2024 Tadej Pogacar
2023 Mathieu van der Poel
2022 Remco Evenepoel
2021 Julian Alaphilippe
2020 Julian Alaphilippe
2019 Mads Pedersen
2018 Alejandro Valverde
2017 Peter Sagan
2016 Peter Sagan
2026 Men's Time Trial World Championships: route, weather, and times
The elite men's road race is the longest race of the entire week. At the end of the long day, the riders will have covered 273.3 kilometers, about 160 of which will be on the treacherous city circuit in Montreal.
We won’t be starting in the city itself, but just outside it. East of Montreal, on the other side of the mighty St. Lawrence River, the riders will set off at 9:00 a.m. sharp in Brossard. On Sunday, September 27, this Quebec city of 80,000 residents will be graced by the presence of 200 cyclists and their entourage.
We can safely describe the opening phase of the race as flat, since it’s primarily intended to give the Montérégie region some airtime. On wide, open roads, the peloton passes through the region’s characteristic fields and orchards, but does it really encourage riders to make a move early on? Not really—unless the northeast wind that’s present adds a bit of excitement.
However, in a 273-kilometer race with a diverse peloton, that’s not a given, so we’ll have to focus more on the local circuit in Montreal. We’ll reach the eastern Canadian city via the Samuel de Champlain Bridge, then join the circuit south of Mont Royal Park.
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Read more below the photo!
Will the men's world championship road race be decided on the circuit?
With the second half of the local lap already completed, the riders are getting ready—160 kilometers from the finish—for the first of a total of twelve laps: that’s four fewer than at the Montreal GP.
All right, so we’re familiar with that 13.4-kilometer circuit from the annual Montreal Grand Prix. Aside from one small detail—the U-turn just before the finish line has been widened slightly—it’s an exact replica, so we know what to expect in terms of the track: in particular, the Camillien-Houde section in Mont Royal Park will be the deciding factor, though we shouldn’t underestimate the rest of the course.
Immediately after the finish area, riders turn left onto Avenue de Parc to begin the climb through the trees on the Côte de Camillien-Houde. The statistics for this climb show a 1.6-kilometer ascent with an average gradient of 7.5 percent, with the final 400 meters climbing at a 9.1 percent gradient.
Next, we descend before tackling the next climb along the stretch leading to Chemin de la Polytechnique: this climb is 800 meters long, with a gradient of just under 6 percent. A little further along the course, after a few turns where riders can quickly disappear from view, the incline at Avenue Pagnuelo also awaits: 500 meters at a 7.5 percent gradient.
Just as quickly, the riders will then be at the finish line. Anyone who watched the time trials in the first part of the World Championships will have noticed that this course is anything but flat. The final 550 meters do indeed get even steeper—at about 4 percent. All told, we’re looking at 3,800 meters of elevation gain, the bulk of which is in the second part.
Weather report
In the days leading up to the World Championships, the riders seem to be getting lucky with the weather, but on Sunday, with temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius, there’s also a chance of rain. In addition, the wind from the northeast will pick up considerably, which could make the race even more tense in the opening stages.
Important times
Start: 9:00 a.m local time (2:00 p.m. GMT)
Finish: 3:40 p.m. (8:40 p.m. GMT)
Favourites for the 2026 Men's World Cycling Championships
Even without Tadej Pogačar, we can still conclude: what a field! Precisely because the Slovenian isn’t here, we might be in for a somewhat more open World Championship. A World Championship in which both climbers and (with a bigger question mark) punchers will be in the spotlight from the start.
We’ll start with the Belgian team, led by Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. They’re world time trial champions and Vuelta points jersey winners, as well as winners of the GP Quebec and Paris-Roubaix. While one has the chance to complete the unique World Championship double, the other can cap off his career after the Hell of the North.
As for support, things are looking great, as evidenced by a team that includes Tiesj Benoot, Thibau Nys, and Maxim Van Gils, among others. On paper, the course is one that suits Evenepoel’s strengths just a bit better, but on the other hand, that could also present opportunities for Van Aert. We’ve already seen where that could lead in Wollongong (2022 World Championships) and Paris (2024 Olympics).
Remco Evenepoel has already become the world time trial champion.
Two weeks ago, the Montreal GP served as the final dress rehearsal, where Evenepoel had to concede defeat to winner Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas on the Camillien-Houde. Both riders remained in North America, and after a strong performance in the World Championship time trial, they’re now aiming for the rainbow jersey on Sunday.
While Del Toro has to figure things out on his own for the Mexicans, Paul Seixas can count on Thomas Voeckler’s tactical ingenuity with Les Bleus. The French national team coach always seems to come up with something, and by leaving out riders such as Romain Grégoire and Lenny Martinez, he appears to have a clear plan for Sunday once again.
A name that might not get as much attention, but someone who, in our opinion, is just as dangerous, is Tom Pidcock. If he wins the world title, the Brit could complete the triple, having already claimed rainbow jerseys in mountain biking and road racing.
Tom Pidcock is a dangerous dark horse.
After the Montreal Grand Prix, two weeks after winning the MTB World Championship, he headed to Boulder, Colorado, for his final preparations. And while not much is said about the British riders, Oscar Onley and Adam Yates are also in his wake: guys who should be able to handle this just fine.
And what about Mathieu van der Poel? The Dutchman is the first to admit that the course is “normally too difficult,” but if anyone can prove one day that he’s actually not normal…
In the Tour of Luxembourg, he proved once again on the final day what he’s capable of even when his legs aren’t feeling right, and at a World Championship, you always have to count a champion like Van der Poel among the favorites.
Bauke Mollema, Mathieu van der Poel, Primož Roglič, and Mads Pedersen will all be competing again this year.
Let’s move on to a few countries that may not have a top favorite in the category we’ve mentioned so far, but that collectively are performing very strongly. Take the Italians, for example: Giulio Pellizzari has been racking up victories this year, Giulio Ciccone finished second in Quebec, Christian Scaroni has been at the top of his game all season, Davide Piganzoli won the Tour of Luxembourg, and top talent Mark Lorenzo Finn is right there with them.
Or the Americans, with the proud North American Quinn Simmons, 2025 GP Montreal winner Brandon McNulty, and Visma | Lease a Bike rider Matteo Jorgenson in the spotlight. The first two already proved two weeks ago that they were in good form, while Jorgenson is focusing primarily on this World Championship and the subsequent Lombardy race this fall.
Spain has two riders whose form is a bit of a question mark. Enric Mas , of course, recently won the Vuelta a España, but to what extent is he taking it easy leading up to the World Championships? Juan Ayuso, on the other hand, had a very strong showing in Rwanda last year, but took a nasty fall in Quebec in the run-up to the World Championships.
Juan Ayuso and Paul Seixas.
On the Danish team, Mattias Skjelmose and Jonas Vingegaard have withdrawn, so all hopes now rest on Mads Pedersen. We’re also highlighting a few proven performers in tough races: Ben Healy (Ireland),Tobias Halland Johannessen (Norway), Toms Skujins (Latvia), Jhonatan Narvaez (Ecuador), and Afonso Eulalio (Portugal) will quickly rise to the top.
If we look even further, we’d also like to include Felix Gall (Austria), Michael Matthews, Jai Hindley, Ben O’Connor (Australia), Santiago Buitrago (Colombia), Florian Lipowitz (Germany), Mauro Schmid, Jan Christen (Switzerland), and the ever-unpredictable Primož Roglič (Slovenia).
IDL Pro Cycling top picks to win the elite men's world championship road race
Top Favorites: Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) and Isaac del Toro (Mexico)
Dark horses: Tom Pidcock (Great Britain), Paul Seixas (France), Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), and Wout van Aert (Belgium)
Long shots: Giulio Pellizzari, Giulio Ciccone (Italy), Quinn Simmons, Brandon McNulty, Matteo Jorgenson (United States), Ben Healy (Ireland), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Norway), Oscar Onley (Great Britain), Jhonatan Narvaez (Ecuador), and Enric Mas (Spain)
Dark horses: Tom Pidcock (Great Britain), Paul Seixas (France), Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), and Wout van Aert (Belgium)
Long shots: Giulio Pellizzari, Giulio Ciccone (Italy), Quinn Simmons, Brandon McNulty, Matteo Jorgenson (United States), Ben Healy (Ireland), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Norway), Oscar Onley (Great Britain), Jhonatan Narvaez (Ecuador), and Enric Mas (Spain)
2026 Men's World Cycling Championships start list
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How to watch the 2026 men's road cycling world championships on TV
| Country | Streaming service | Broadcast from |
| UK | BBC (free) or TNT Sports | 2pm GMT |
| Europe | HBO Max/Europsport | 3pm CET |
| USA | FloBikes | 9am ET |
| Canada | CBC Gem | 9am ET |
| Australia | Stan sports | 11pm Sydney time |
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- Is the Giro the race that happens before the Tour? And does winning the mountains jersey mean Carapaz scored the most points on climbs? Which race was everyone’s favourite?bikebuffj05-11-2026
- How did Mathieu van der Poel miss the list? His classics results surely put him in the conversation.sprocketspiny05-11-2026
- McNulty deserves more credit than his ranking suggests. A world title and all that work as a domestique make for a superb season.tourdeforce905-11-2026
- Seixas winning Lombardia at 20 is astonishing. The “next Pogačar” label feels a bit premature, though—let him build his own story before piling on the comparisons.andrewf05-11-2026
- Pogačar’s palmarès is ridiculous, but Van Aert deserves a special mention for Roubaix. Beating Tadej in the velodrome was one of the moments of the season.cyclechamp4505-11-2026
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026