Home favourite Bella Holmgren, Bunel leads French defence, Australia's stacked squad – World Championships women's under-23 road race contenders

After last year's inaugural standalone event in Kigali, the women's under-23 road race is back for the 2026 Road World Championships, featuring a stacked field that is perhaps even stronger than in 2025 and ready to challenge for victory.

Last year's champion Célia Gery (France) has earned an early step-up to the elite squad for the road race, so we will see a new rider don the rainbow stripes this year, with a whole host of WorldTour stars ready to battle for the title.

Taking place on Thursday afternoon, the race in Canada will feature 10 laps of the main Montreal circuit for a total length of 134km – 15km more than the event in Kigali – and over 2,600m of elevation in total.

As they will be in all the road races, the main features of the lap are the Voie Camilien-Houde climb at the start of the circuit, and then the deceptively tough and dragging final kick to the line, though the flat, city roads in between will be important to control and manage, too.

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With so much elevation gain and two significant climbs per lap, this will obviously be a race that suits strong climbers, but we're expecting a real one-day style race, so Classics acumen and punch will be really important here too. It will be not just pure climbers who go well here, but the kind of names who can excel in races like the Ardennes and the Tour of Flanders.

Team strength will also be a key element, as the stronger, bigger nations will be able to control and influence the race to their favour. France proved that last year, with their committed and united team effort delivering Gery to the win.

Though a new addition to the Worlds schedule, this race is already one of the most important races of the week, and even though the winner likely won't get to wear her rainbow jersey all that often, it's still an incredibly important achievement that can launch the next phase of the winner's career.

Isabella Holmgren leads strong home contingent

Coming off a summer that saw her finish seventh at the Tour de France Femmes, Isabella Holmgren of Canada heads into this race with some flying form to go with the extra boost that racing at home will surely give her. A strong climber, Holmgren is handy in both stage racing and one-day races, exemplified by her top 10s at both Liège-Bastogne-Liège and La Flèche Wallonne this year, and is one of the very top favourites to win on Thursday, particularly after her disappointment in this race last year.

Holmgren's bid for a road rainbow jersey to add to her titles on the mountain bike will surely only be aided by the super strong team Canada are fielding for this race. Her twin sister Ava is obviously a huge asset – racing alongside her twin is "like you have the other half of your brain racing", Bella told Cyclingnews – but Sidney Swierenga, Alexandra Volstad and Kiara Lylyk have all been strong on the road this year and make for a fearsome team.

Despite being a strong time trialist, Isabella Holmgren opted to skip the under-23 TT this year, so it's clear where her focus lies, and her twin Ava is raring to go after taking sixth against the clock: "I know what to expect in the finish, and I feel really good," she told Cyclingnews on Monday.

"I'm carrying a lot of momentum from the last couple of days after the Tour de Gatineau and now here, so I'm ready for a really hard race."

Cat Ferguson returns to chase another rainbow

Double junior world champion Cat Ferguson has been out of action since May with an injured ankle, and rather than rush her return, she has been quietly building up to the World Championships, where she'll be trying to come back with a bang.

Having not raced for months and opting not to ride the TT, it's practically impossible to assess where Ferguson's form may be. Still, the 20-year-old has proven before how she can hit the ground running, especially in hard races, so she could be a surprising contender to go after another Worlds medal.

Imogen Wolff will be her strongest teammate, and perhaps even a dark horse for a good result herself.

Australia field a stacked squad

Qualifying for and filling a full complement of six riders – the only nation to do so – there's no team on the start list that is as stacked as Australia. They'll come into Thursday's road race with newly-crowned U23 TT champion Felicity Wilson-Haffenden in their midst, plus five other supremely strong riders.

Mackenzie Coupland and Talia Appleton are both WorldTour stars who have been punching above their weight this season, the former nabbing the elite national title at the start of the year, while Tully Schweitzer and Sophia Sammons have also impressed on home ground. Emily Dixon is a rapidly rising star in Europe, taking four wins with Canyon-SRAM Generation so far in 2026.

The only question for Australia will be who they put their weight behind. While their collective is strong, there isn't one single rider who stands out as a top-three favourite, so they'll need to effectively harness their group strength to help propel one of their riders to a top result. It can work, but it will require seamless collaboration.

Fleur Moors, one-day star of the future

Fleur Moors will lead the strong Belgian selection for the under-23 road race, with her super strong Spring Classics campaign more than earning her leadership status, even if her summer has been a bit quieter. She skipped the road race in Kigali in favour of the TT, but is doing the opposite this year, clearly seeing the punchier Montreal course as more suited to her abilities, and her tenacious racing style should be rewarded on this course.

With the strength of a five-rider team that includes Febe Jooris and Lore De Schepper, Moors will also be really well supported and should be considered a top favourite, now and in the future.

Could 2025 MVP Marion Bunel take her own chance?

Marion Bunel was already a favourite for this race last year, but instead sacrificed her own chances with a selfless and strong ride for Célia Gery, who won the inaugural under-23 road race in Kigali but could never have done so without Bunel's efforts.

Gery has been selected for the elite team this year, though, which means Bunel will be given the chance to lead the squad in the under-23 race, and will certainly be a favourite if things get tough on the climbs. She had a solid Tour de France and has been working hard since then, plus she definitely knows how to win this race, so she is a very worthy name to try to defend Gery's title for France.

Paula Ostiz aims high in first U23 year

This will be Paula Ostiz's first appearance in the under-23 category after becoming junior world champion in Kigali, and the ambitious 19-year-old will see no reason why she can't chase the same result in the next category up.

After a dominant career as a junior, the Spanish star has had a strong and consistent start to life as a pro with Movistar, albeit without a win, so she'll be relishing the chance to race in a peloton of riders her own age. Though she's more of a Classics rider, her win in Kigali proved that she can handle tougher races too, so if her team can keep her safe on Thursday, she should be able to chase a good result.

Nienke Vinke ready to go one better than TT

Nienke Vinke spent much of Monday's TT in the hot seat only to be ousted by Wilson-Haffenden at the very end, so she'll be hoping to improve on that result in the road race. A climber and Ardennes specialist, the Dutch rider is certainly suited to the course in Montreal, but will be one of the riders hoping for a harder, more selective race if a medal is to go her way.

Riders to watch

Junior TT world champion Megan Arens (Netherlands) has immediately shone in the pro ranks and could be a very good Plan B if it isn't Vinke's day.

Julia Kopecký (Czechia) is a powerful all-rounder who will be free from SD Worx team duties and able to show how she can ride as a leader.

Tabea Huys will be the sole representative for Austria, but has shown enough ability this year to earn a stagiaire contract with Lidl-Trek, and could be an outsider to keep an eye on.

Stina Kagevi (Sweden) can always be counted on to take an opportunity whenever she sees it.

The United States will come into this event with multiple options, including sister Katherine and Alyssa Sarkisov and Unbound Gravel 100 winner Kylee Hanel.

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