In 1974, in Montreal, Eddy Merckx defeated Raymond Poulidor and became world champion for the third time. Fifty-two years later, in the same French-speaking Canadian city, Tadej Pogacar would have liked to go in turn in search of his third rainbow jersey, but the devastating crash at the Vuelta ruined his plans. Between Eddy's certainties and Tadej's regrets, the city has managed to become passionate about cycling thanks to the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal, a WorldTour classic with a high-ranking palmares, which for the past 16 years has colored the first days of September and on whose foundations the 2026 Worlds will take place, scheduled from September 20 to 27. The GP de Montreal - won by Isaac Del Toro ahead of Paul Seixas - was a succulent appetizer of what will happen next week, since the circuit is the same one that will award the various rainbow jerseys. It is clear, however, that at least for this year, most efforts will be directed at the Worlds, which in the city they do not hesitate to define as "the most important event since the 1976 Olympics."

«It's a process that started about ten years ago, at first it was a dream and we said to ourselves "first let's organize 10 editions of the GP de Montreal, only then will we be ready for a Worlds. And here we are - said Joseph Limare, who heads the organizing committee -. We've started the final rush towards this event that promises to be enormous, because after a Worlds like this what could be bigger? An Olympics, or perhaps a World Cup (which Canada hosted in this 2026, but not in Montreal). We want to create a great celebration in line with what we already do with the GP de Montreal. We will guarantee maximum spectacle on the course but also off it, making the most of the hospitality of the people of Quebec for teams, athletes, tourists or anyone else».

THE ROUTE. Only the professional men's and women's road races (September 27 and 26) will start outside the island of Montreal, touching eight municipalities of Monteregie: Brossard, Carignan, Chambly, Richelieu, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

All other events will take place entirely within the now famous Parc du Mont-Royal circuit that characterizes the GP de Montreal, 13.4 km long and to be repeated a certain number of times depending on the category. The elite, of course, will also compete there, with 12 laps for the men (273.7 km total distance) and 8 for the women (180.4 km).

Parc du Mont-Royal is nothing more than a 200-hectare green area set on the city's mountain, Mont Royal itself, where the University also stands. The most insidious part of the circuit comes right after the start banner, the Côte Camillien-Houde (1.8 km at 8%) which leads to the highest point of the city. Once in the University area, about halfway around the loop, there is the Côte de Polytechnique (780 meters at 6%, with 200 meters at 11%), but the difficulties are not yet over, because in view of the finish there is first Avenue de Mont-Royal (600 meters at 7%) and then the final straight not to be underestimated, Avenue du Parc (560 meters at 4%).

The time trials, on the other hand, will smile on specialists, because the elevation gain will be minimal, although there will be no shortage of technical sections. Elite men and women will face the same route, 39.2 km long and designed around the entire city of Montreal. The course will pass through some of the most representative places, starting with Vieux-Montreal, then skirting the Saint-Laurent River also taking advantage of new bike paths built for the occasion and destined to remain as part of its legacy. Riders will then transit on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, home of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, and cross Parc Jean Drapeau, born on the occasion of Expo 67 and formed by two suggestive islands in the heart of the Saint-Laurent. Finally, after crossing the Pont de la Concorde, the route will return to the heart of the city.

THE FAVORITES. As befits a Worlds, practically all the best will be there. Although the best, in the end, will not be: Tadej Pogacar did not hide his ambitions to aim for a third consecutive rainbow jersey on a route he knows perfectly, having won the GP de Montreal in 2022 and 2024, and having given it to his teammate Brandon McNulty in 2025. With the Slovenian out of the game, room for the "usual superstars": Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert, passing through Mathieu Van der Poel, Isaac Del Toro and Paul Seixas. The route is selective, because while it's true that there are fewer laps of the Parc du Mont-Royal circuit compared to the GP de Montreal (12 versus 18), it's also true that this time the total kilometers will be over 273.

Italy, for its part, will be an outsider, theoretically led by Giulio Ciccone and Giulio Pellizzari, with Christian Scaroni, fourth at last year's Europeans, as a second option. Lorenzo Mark Finn will also be at the start of the elite race, who, after dominating the U23 calendar far and wide, will begin to understand firsthand what it means to challenge the elite of world cycling.

Medal hopes are decidedly more concrete in the time trial, where Filippo Ganna will find a route suited to his characteristics and will renew the challenge to Remco Evenepoel. Lately the Belgian has shown he always has something more, but this year they have never faced each other on a flat course, where the locomotive from Verbania hopes to have managed to take a step forward.

Among the women too, of course, there will be a clash of giants. Demi Vollering dreams of closing her magical year by adding the rainbow jersey, which she still lacks, to the pink and yellow ones. To challenge her will be Elisa Longo Borghini and Kasia Niewiadoma, just like at the Tour de France, but also Paula Blasi, Marlen Reusser (a strong favorite for the time trial) and many others.

THE PROGRAM

SUNDAY, September 20

3:00 PM (Italian time, 9:00 AM in Canada): Women's Elite Time Trial - 39.2 km
6:45 PM: Men's Elite Time Trial - 39.2 km

MONDAY, September 21
9:00 AM: Women's U23 Time Trial - 20.3 km
6:00 PM: Men's U23 Time Trial - 31.3 km

TUESDAY, September 22
2:30 PM: Mixed Relay - 40.6 km
6:15 PM: Men's Junior Time Trial - 20.3 km
9:15 PM: Women's Junior Time Trial - 10.7 km

THURSDAY, September 24
3:00 PM: Women's U23 Road Race - 134 km
7:30 PM: Men's Junior Road Race - 134 km

FRIDAY, September 25
3:00 PM: Men's U23 Road Race - 174.2 km
8:15 PM: Women's Junior Road Race - 80.4 km

SATURDAY, September 26
9:00 AM: Women's Elite Road Race - 180.4 km

SUNDAY, September 27
9:00 AM: Men's Elite Road Race - 273.7 km