2026 UCI Road World Championships
The race for the road rainbow jerseys heads to Montréal
World Championships latest
UCI Road World Championships: Benjamín Noval makes up for 2025 heartbreak with dominant gold in junior men's road race
Second title for Spaniard, Defrance claims silver for France, Wandel gives Sweden bronze
UCI Road World Championships: Viktória Chladoňová beats Isabella Holmgren to win under-23 women's title
Fleur Moors rounds out podium in Montreal
Our Worlds coverage
The UCI Road World Championships week is now upon us, with the event in Montreal, Canada kicking off on Sunday with the elite time trials.
Day 5 delivered dynamic racing for the first road race events, starting with Slovakia's Viktória Chladoňová outsprinting Canada's Isabella Holmgren to win the under-23 women road race title. In the junior men road race, Spain's Benjamín Noval ripped through the peloton to solo to his second rainbow jersey, after his victory in the individual time trial two days ago.
We are covering the events in full, with Laura Weislo, Jackie Tyson and Kirsten Frattini on the ground to cover everything from the junior women to the elite men, and everything in between.
In the run-up to the event, we counted down the days with a series of special features. We reflected on our most memorable World Championships moments, and delved into how Montreal opting against the FIFA World Cup opened the door for a World Championships a decade in the making.
For our subscribers, we have a special interview with Kate Courtney, making her Road Worlds debut this year, and a column from Magdeleine Vallieres, reflecting on her year as world champion.
You can also explore the full routes for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships, and we have contenders and analysis for every single race throughout the week.
Important World Championships news:
- Derek Gee-West withdraws from Sunday's road race, missing 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent Canada' at Road World Championships in Montréal
- 'I don't think that solo changes much' – Modest Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert unconcerned by jet lag as they head late to World Championships in Canada
- Emotions run high as Italians deliver first World Championship gold in mixed relay
UCI Road World Championships schedule
Event |
Preview |
Date |
Start Time (EDT) |
Finish Time (EDT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Elite Women Time Trial |
September 20, 2026 |
9:00 |
11:20 |
|
Elite Men Time Trial |
September 20, 2026 |
12:45 |
15:15 |
|
U23 Women Time Trial |
September 21, 2026 |
9:00 |
10:40 |
|
U23 Men Time Trial |
September 21, 2026 |
12:00 |
14:25 |
|
Mixed Relay TTT |
Row 4 - Cell 1 | September 22, 2026 |
8:30 |
11:15 |
Junior Men Time Trial |
September 22, 2026 |
12:15 |
14:25 |
|
Junior Women Time Trial |
September 22, 2026 |
15:15 |
16:45 |
|
U23 Women Road Race |
September 24, 2026 |
9:00 |
12:45 |
|
Junior Men Road Race |
September 24, 2026 |
13:30 |
17:00 |
|
U23 Men Road Race |
September 25, 2026 |
9:00 |
13:20 |
|
Junior Women Road Race |
September 25, 2026 |
14:15 |
16:35 |
|
Elite Women Road Race |
September 26, 2026 |
9:00 |
14:10 |
|
Elite Men Road Race |
September 27, 2026 |
9:00 |
15:40 |
UCI Road World Championships overview
The 99th edition of the UCI Road World Championships, which was first contested for amateurs in 1921, will head to Canada, for the first time since the 2003 championships in Hamilton.
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This time, Montréal will host the 13 championship races, with road races and time trials for junior, under-23 and elite men and women plus the mixed relay team time trial.
Montréal has a long history of hosting top-level cycling events. The city first hosted the Road World Championships in 1974, then held a women's World Cup running from 1998 to 2009, and the Grand Prix de Montréal WorldTour race from 2010 until today.
The heart of the championships is the hill that gives the city its name, Mont-Royal, with all of the races finishing on the Avenue du Parc. The 39.9km elite time trial courses feature the Saint-Laurent River with visits to the Ile-des-Soeurs and Estacade park, a thin strip of land that parallels the eastern bank. The route also hits the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Formula 1 track on the Île Notre Dame before heading back to the Avenue du Parc.
A shorter route of 20.2km will be used for the women under-23, junior and team relay tests, while the under-23 men take on a 32.1km route that skips the laps of the F1 circuit.
The road races use the hilly streets around Mount Royal Park for juniors and under-23s, while the elite races begin across the river in Brossard with a big loop around Chambly before a return to the local circuits.
Explore the full routes for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships.
UCI Road World Championships facts and figures
First edition: Race for amateurs began in 1921
First UCI Road World Champion: Sweden’s Gunnar Sköld
First edition with professionals: In 1927 the first Championships for professional men took place in Nürburgring, Germany
First women's race at event: In 1958 the women's road race was added to the program
First woman to win a rainbow jersey: Luxembourg’s Elsy Jacobs
Most world titles: French rider Jeannie Longo won five rainbow jerseys in the road race and four more in the individual time trial
Youth categories: Dedicated races and medals were introduced in 1975
Most recent event added to schedule: The team time trial mixed relay was put on the schedule in 2019
U23 Women's titles: 2022 was the first year titles were awarded to U23 women in the time trial and road race, with the winner being the first under-23 rider over the line in the elite women's events
U23 Women stand-alone events: The category has had its own races on the schedule from 2025
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Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
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