The 2026 UCI Road World Championships kicks off on Sunday, September 20, with the elite individual time trials, making way for the younger categories to compete in their wake.
On Monday, September 21, the under-23 women's time trial will begin on the Avenue du Parc, one of central Montréal’s major streets, and return for a scenic and demanding finish at the Jeanne Mance Park, where a new winner will be crowned.
UCI Road World Championships 2026 - Under-23 Women's Time Trial (Image credit: UCI Road World Championships 2026)
While the 39.9km elite time trials crossed the St. Lawrence River to visit the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, home of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, a shortened version of 20.2km for under-23 women sees them racing south along the river (but not crossing over) before backtracking on the same route and then returning to Old Montreal and heading to the uphill finish.
UCI Road World Championships 2026 - Under-23 Women's Time Trial (Image credit: UCI Road World Championships 2026)
After winning the under-23 title in Kigali last year, Zoe Bäckstedt (Great Britain) had opted to compete in the elite women's time trial instead. Her absence leaves the race for the under-23 title wide open for the taking, and Cyclingnews highlights a handful of the powerful contenders who will take the starting ramp on Monday.
Viktória Chladoňová (Slovakia)
Viktória Chladoňová (Image credit: Getty Images)
Viktória Chladoňová, 19, delivered a standout performance last year at the Worlds in Kigali, securing silver medals in both the under-23 women's time trial and road race. A standout junior rider the year before, she had already signed a contract to race on the WorldTour with Visma-Lease a Bike through 2027.
She finished fifth overall and won the youth title at the Setmana Valenciana, in what was her first race of the season with the team, and went on to post several top-10 finishes, including third place overall in the young rider classification at the Giro d'Italia.
She is the reigning Slovakian time trial and road race champion in the elite category and will undoubtedly represent her nation in an attempt to secure the under-23 world title in both the time trial and the road race.
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Australia field three contenders for the under-23 women's time trial, led by national champion Felicity Wilson-Haffenden. Now 21, she is a former junior world champion who finished fourth in the under-23 time trial and formed part of the Australian team that won the world title in the Team Relay last year in Kigali.
Wilson-Haffenden competes on the WorldTour with Lidl-Trek, with her contract expiring at the end of this year. She had strong time trials this year at the Baloise Ladies Tour, where she was fourth in the prologue and second in the stage 3 time trial, finishing third in the overall classification. More recently, she was second to reigning time trial World Champion, Marlen Reusser, in the Chrono Gatineau.
Australia will also field under-23 time trial national champion Sophia Sammons and elite road race champion Mackenzie Coupland in Montreal.
Megan Arens (Netherlands)
Megan Arens (Image credit: Getty Images)
Megan Arens, 19, secured the rainbow jersey in the junior women's time trial in Kigali last year, and will carry that unforgettable success into the under-23 time trial in Montreal.
Racing for the AG Insurance-Soudal Team through 2029, Arens regularly competes on the WorldTour. This year, she placed third in the youth classification at the Itzulia Women and Tour de Suisse and won the Limburg Cycling Chrono Trofee Well.
She will be competing in a very different type of time trial in Montreal, as compared to the hilly Kigali route, this one is flatter and riders will capitalise on full time trial aero equipment.
Paula Ostiz (Spain)
Paula Ostiz (Image credit: Getty Images)
At just 19, Paula Ostiz has built a growing list of accolades that would impress anyone, even in the elite ranks. She joined Movistar as a trainee in August last year and is contracted with the WorldTour outfit through 2028.
She also had a standout season in 2025, with victories at Ronde van Vlaanderen Junior and the Watersley Ladies Challenge, along with junior title wins at the National Championships (road race), World Championships (road race), and European Championships (road race and time trial).
She not only won the junior women's road race world title in Kigali last year, but also secured the silver medal in the time trial behind Arens. This year in Montreal, she heads into the under-23 women's time trial and road race as one of the outright favourites.
Ava and Isabella Holmgren, Sidney Swierenga (Canada)
Ava Holmgren (Image credit: Getty Images)
Canada field three riders for the under-23 women's time trial: the Holmgren sisters, Ava and Isabella, and Sidney Swierenga. Ava and Isabelle Holmgren compete for Lidl-Trek, both with strong WorldTour experience, while Swierenga races for Liv AlUla Jayco.
Ava Holmgren will lead the team on a flatter course with technical sections that will suit her skills. She recently finished sixth at the Chrono Gatineau and third at Tour de Gatineau. Isabella will also be a top contender for the under-23 women's road race title, having finished seventh overall and winning the young rider classification at the Giro and eighth at the Tour de France Femmes.
Swierenga also had a strong season with multiple top-10 finishes: seventh overall at Vuelta a Extremadura Femenina, third overall at Volta Ciclista Catalunya, and fifth overall at Volta ao Portugal and a victory at Giro della Toscana.
Luca Vierstraete (Belgium)
Luca Vierstraete (Image credit: Getty Images)
Luca Vierstraete, 20, arrives at the World Championships representing Belgium as the under-23 time trial national champion. A rising specialist in the discipline, she has had a strong season against the clock, winning the Chrono Challenge Borlo, the stage 1 time trial at the Tour de Feminin, and the Chrono Challenge Lendelede, and placing second in the time trial at the Bretagne Ladies Tour. She also won the bronze medal in the discipline at last year's European Road Championships.
Oda Aune Gissinger (Norway)
Oda Aune Gissinger (Image credit: Getty Images)
Oda Aune Gissinger, 19, dominated much of the junior and Nations Cup racing scene last year with 19 victories in 2025, including the bronze medal in the junior women's time trial at the World Championships and the European Championships.
No longer among the junior ranks, she has moved to team Hitec Products-Fluid Control, where she competes on the international calendar, taking third overall at the BIWASE Tour of Vietnam and BIWASE Cup, and eighth overall at the Tour de Feminin and Volta a Portugal.
At the Norwegian National Championships, she finished fourth in the elite women's time trial and ninth in the elite women's road race. She will represent Norway at the World Championships in both the under-23 time trial and road race, along with the Mixed Relay.
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Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.
She manages global budgets, racing & events, production scheduling, and contributor commissions, collaborating across content sections and teams in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to ensure audience and subscription growth across the brand.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
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