According to the International Cycling Union (UCI), the World Cycling Championships are the biggest sporting event in Montreal since the 1976 Olympic Games. This year’s programme features 13 events – in the individual time trial, the road race and the mixed relay in the team time trial. There are three men’s and three women’s categories in each event: Men’s U19 (Juniors), Men’s U23 and Men’s Elite (Professionals), as well as Women’s U19 (Juniors), Women’s U23 and Women’s Elite.
An overview of the races at the 2026 Road Cycling World Championships
Sunday, 20 September 2026
- Women’s Elite Individual Time Trial: 09:00–11:25 (11:45)
- Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial: 12:30–15:15 (15:35)
Monday, 21 September 2026
- Women’s U23 Individual Time Trial: 09:00–10:35 (10:55)
- Men’s U23 Individual Time Trial: 12:00–14:40 (15:00)
Tuesday, 22 September 2026
- Mixed Team Time Trial Relay – Start: Montréal (Avenue du Parc): 08:30–11:45 (12:05)
- Men’s Junior Individual Time Trial – Start: Montréal (Avenue du Parc): 12:45–15:10 (15:30)
- Women’s Junior Individual Time Trial – Start: Montréal (Avenue du Parc): 15:30–17:00 (17:20)
Wednesday, 23 September 2026
- Road racing training – Mont Royal Circuit only: 10.00–12.00
- UCI Congress: 09:00–18:00
Thursday, 24 September 2026
- Women’s U23 Road Race – Start: Montréal (Parc Jeanne-Mance): 09:00–12:45 (13:05)
- Men’s Junior Road Race – Start: Montréal (Parc Jeanne-Mance): 13:30–17:00 (17:20)
Friday, 25 September 2026
- Men’s U23 Road Race – Start: Montréal (Parc Jeanne-Mance): 09:00–13:20 (13:50)
- Women’s Junior Road Race – Start: Montreal (Parc Jeanne-Mance): 2.15 pm–4.35 pm (4.55 pm)
Saturday, 26 September 2026
- Women’s Elite Road Race – Start: Brossard (Quartier Dix30): 09:00–14:10 (14:30)
Sunday, 27 September 2026
- Men’s Elite Road Race – Start: Brossard (Quartier Dix30): 09:00–15:40 (16:00)
Elite road races
The elite road races at the 2026 World Championships will start in Brossard, south of Montréal, and wind their way through the Montérégie region. After crossing the Samuel de Champlain Bridge, the riders will complete several laps of the Mount Royal Circuit. The men will cover 273.7 km with 3,803 metres of elevation gain over twelve laps, whilst the women will cover 180.4 km with 2,570 metres of elevation gain over eight laps. The finish line is on Avenue du Parc.
The route begins in Brossard on the south bank of the St Lawrence River. The men cycle through seven further towns in the Montérégie region: Carignan, Chambly, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Richelieu, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu. The women pass through Brossard, Carignan, Chambly and Richelieu. The route takes them through orchards and villages which hold their annual apple festivals in September.
Crossing the Samuel de Champlain Bridge – which is being used for a sporting event for the first time – the peloton reaches the final circuit at Mount Royal. Opened in 1876, the park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in New York. Crossing the bridge offers views of the St Lawrence River and the Montréal skyline.
Final stages with gradients of over 11 per cent
The circuit features three challenging sections: the Voie Camillien-Houde, the Chemin de la Polytechnique – with sections featuring gradients of over 11 per cent – and the deceptively flat stretch along Avenue du Parc. The men complete twelve laps, whilst the women complete eight. Since 2010, the majority of the circuit has been used for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, which forms part of the UCI WorldTour. All 13 World Championship races finish on Avenue du Parc.
The Elite Individual Time Trials
In the individual time trials, the elite riders in both the men’s and women’s categories will complete the same circuit around Montréal: 39.2 kilometres with a total elevation gain of 220 metres. The route passes through the historic old town and then follows the banks of the St Lawrence River. Along the way, participants will also use newly created cycle paths, which are intended to remain as a sustainable legacy of the event. The route then continues via the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – known as the venue for the Formula 1 Grand Prix – and on through Parc Jean-Drapeau. This historic park was created for Expo ’67 and comprises two particularly charming islands in the middle of the St Lawrence River. The route then leads back to the city centre via the Pont de la Concorde.
Individual time trials for everyone
Amateur cyclists can try out the World Championships course virtually. The 13.4-kilometre circuit around Mont Royal, with 269 metres of elevation gain, is available on the free online training platform MyWhoosh.
Andreas Kublik
Editor