Road Cycling World Championships 2026 Canada: The biggest sporting event in Montreal since the Olympic Games

According to the UCI, the World Cycling Championships are the biggest sporting event in Montreal since the 1976 Olympic Games. 13 competitions are on the programme this year - in the individual time trial, the road race and the mixed relay in the team time trial. There are three male and three female starting categories: 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.

Timetable for the 2026 Road 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 U23 individual time trial: 09:00-10:35 (10:55)
• Men U23 individual time trial: 12:00-14:40 (15:00)

Tuesday, 22 September 2026

• Team time trial mixed 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 race training - Mont Royal Circuit only: 10:00-12:00
• UCI Congress: 09:00-18:00

Thursday, 24 September 2026

• Women 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 U23 Road Race - Start: Montréal (Parc Jeanne-Mance): 09:00-13:20 (13:50)
• Women's Junior Road Race - Start: Montreal (Parc Jeanne-Mance): 14:15-16:35 (16:55)

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)

The elite road race: 273.7 km for men | 180.4 km for women

The road races in the elite categories at the 2026 World Championships start in Brossard, south of Montréal, and run through the Montérégie region. After crossing the Samuel De Champlain Bridge, the riders will complete several laps of the Mount Royal Circuit. The men tackle 273.7 km with 3803 metres of elevation gain in twelve laps, the women 180.4 km with 2570 metres of elevation gain in eight laps. The finish line is on the Avenue du Parc.

The course starts in Brossard on the south bank of the St Lawrence River. The men pass through seven other municipalities in the Montérégie: Carignan, Chambly, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Richelieu, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu. The women pass Brossard, Carignan, Chambly and Richelieu. The route passes through orchards and villages that celebrate their annual apple festivals in September.

The peloton crosses the Samuel De Champlain Bridge, which is being used for the first time for a sporting event, to reach 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. The bridge crossing offers views of the St Lawrence River and the Montréal skyline.

Final laps with gradients of over 11 per cent

The circuit contains three difficulties: the Voie Camillien-Houde, the Chemin de la Polytechnique with sections over 11 per cent gradient and the false flat along the Avenue du Parc. The men complete twelve laps, the women eight. The majority of the circuit has been used since 2010 for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, which is part of the UCI WorldTour. All 13 world championship races finish on the Avenue du Parc.

The elite individual time trials

In the individual time trials, the elite riders in the men's and women's categories cover the same lap around Montréal: 39.2 kilometres with a total of 220 metres of elevation gain. The route runs through the historic city centre and then follows the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Participants will also use newly created cycle paths, which will remain as a lasting legacy of the event. The route then continues via the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, known as the venue for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, through the Parc Jean-Drapeau. This traditional park was created for Expo 67 and comprises two particularly attractive islands in the middle of the St Lawrence River. The route finally leads back to the city centre via the Pont de la Concorde.

Individual time trial for everyone

Amateur cyclists can try out the World Championship course virtually. The 13.4-kilometre Mont Royal circuit with 269 metres of elevation gain is available on the free online training platform MyWhoosh.