World Championships 2026 Montréal men's and women's elite time trial 2026 preview, profile, favourites & predictions - Will Remco Evenepoel and Marlen Reusser revalidate their titles?
Cycling
On the 20th of September, the World Championships will begin with the men's and women's elite time trial events in Montréal. This will crown two new rainbow jerseys against the clock. We preview both events, analyzing their courses and favorites.
On both men's and women's fields, the event was first held in 1994. American Karen Brems-Kurreck was the first female winner and the first of several American riders to have achieved this feat throughout the event's three-decade-long history. Jeannie Longo notably won four editions early on, whilst Emma Pooley also opened up the tally for Great Britain in 2010.
The modern era has seen Annemiek van Vleuten, Ellen van Dijk, and Chloé Dygert win on two occasions, providing a mix of top riders, each with their own major triumphs. Anna van der Breggen was the rainbow jersey in 2020; Grace Brown won in 2024, and most recently it was Marlen Reusser who won her first title at age 34.
On the men's side, it was Chris Boardman of Great Britain who took the very first title back in 1994, followed by Tour de France champion Miguel Induráin the following year. As the 21st century rolled around, dominant figures took over the discipline. Michael Rogers won it from 2003 to 2005; Fabian Cancellara won four editions from 2006 to 2010; Tony Martin won three times consecutively from 2011 to 2013 and then again in 2016; and Rohan Dennis was also crowned winner in both 2019 and 2020.
This trend has not yet faded, with Filippo Ganna winning in 2020 and 2021. Tobias Foss was a surprise winner in 2022; from 2023 onwards, it has been Remco Evenepoel who has won every single edition.
Remco Evenepoel won the 2025 men's elite time trial World Championships in Kigali
Preview men's time trial World Championships 2026
The route is long, with 39 kilometers in distance, and it is almost fully pan-flat, with the exception of those final 500 meters. They cannot be underestimated; those 500 meters can still make the difference, especially at the end of such a long and hard effort—riders need to save something in the tank for it.
Remco Evenepoel, the three-time reigning world champion, is the lead favorite to take the victory. His record this year has been spotless as expected, and the Belgian simply enters the time trial having little memory of being beaten in one. With the form he's shown last week in Canada already, it is hard to ignore his favoritism.
But in such a fast course, we could see surprises. On paper, it favors those capable of keeping very high speeds for a long time, usually the pure specialists and the heavyweights. Whilst Evenepoel might win, he cannot give that as a certain taking into consideration the presence of Filippo Ganna, who obliterated the Giro d'Italia competition over a similar length earlier this year.
The fight for victory should be there, but the winner of the main time trial of the other Grand Tour, Stefan Küng, is also present—and perhaps in his very best form. A disrupted year means he arrived at the final third of the season fresher and has won the ITT's at both Tour de Pologne and the Vuelta recently. Like Ganna, he also favors the long, flat efforts.
Former rainbow jersey Tobias Foss will be another INEOS rider to take into consideration; whilst UAE have Brandon McNulty, Ivo Oliveira, Mikkel Bjerg, and Isaac del Toro present, Decathlon has Paul Seixas and Daan Hoole.
Briton's Callum Thornley and Ethan Hayter look to bring their momentum for La Vuelta, whilst under-23 world champion Jakob Söderqvist will be a threat to the medals if he rides like he has in the past. Bruno Armirail, Alec Segaert, Iván Romeo, Pablo Castrillo, Andreas Leknessund, Matteo Sobrero, Rune Herregodts, and Nelson Oliveira are also men to watch.
Prediction men's time trial World Championships 2026:
*** Remco Evenepel
** Filippo Ganna, Stefan Küng
* Tobias Foss, Mathias Vacek, Mikkel Bjerg, Daan Hoole, Brandon McNulty, Paul Seixas, Ivo Oliveira, Callum Thornley, Ethan Hayter, Jakob Söderqvist
Pick: Remco Evenepoel
Preview women's time trial World Championships 2026
Marlen Reusser won the title last year in Kigali, but this time around there is a very different challenge. The course is mostly flat, and with 39 kilometers in distance, it is a long one. Reusser may not take advantage of her climbing abilities in Montréal, and will be faced by Zoe Bäckstedt. In a shorter but equally flat course, the two were head and shoulders above the rest at the Tour de Suisse Women time trial earlier this year.
The Tour de France Femmes was an equally important test for the worlds, with a 21-kilometer-long time trial in which Reusser won but Bäckstedt was beaten by two other riders: the Netherlands' Demi Vollering and Lieke Nooijen. Both riders could be a menace and potential rainbow jersey winners on this course.
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But such a long course might favor some riders, whilst others might simply struggle under the physical and psychological load of a time trial. Feelings on the day will matter intensely.
Elisa Longo Borghini, Lotte Kopecky, Antonia Niedermaier, Katrine Aalerud, Cédrine Kerbaol, Juliette Berthet, Kristen Faulkner, Franziska Koch, Paula Blasi, and Dominika Wlodarczyk are all outsiders for the medals.
Prediction women's time trial World Championships 2026:
*** Marlen Reusser
** Demi Vollering, Zoe Bäckstedt, Lieke Nooijen
* Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Longo Borghini, Juliette Berthet, Kristen Faulkner, Franziska Koch, Paula Blasi
Pick: Marlen Reusser
Profile Montréal World Championships time trial 2026
Montreal - Montreal, 39 kilometers
Both the men's and women's elite time trial events will take place over the same route. This will be 39 kilometers in length, a sizeable effort, mostly flat through the streets in and around the Canadian city of Montréal.
The race begins at the bottom of the Avenue du Parc and heads towards Old Montréal. The first intermediate point, which will provide essential information regarding the potential outcome of the race, will come 10.5 kilometers into the route at the Rue Estacade du Pont Champlain.
The riders will take on a few very exposed kilometers right by the water until they move into the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, on the Île Notre-Dame. The second intermediate point is placed where the riders enter the circuit, 21.5 kilometers in.
After racing through the famous track, they exit it and race back into Montréal. On the Place Jacques-Cartier, 29.5 kilometers in, the riders have their third intermediate point. The last few kilometers will take place in the urban streets of Montréal, heading back into Mount Royal.
The finale will be placed on the Avenue du Parc right by the start, only this time at the top of the avenue. The final 400 meters have a 6% gradient, meaning some seconds might still be won or lost in the dramatic approach to the line.
List of winners of men's and women's time trial World Championships
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 2025 | Remco Evenepoel | Jay Vine | Ilan Van Wilder |
| 2024 | Remco Evenepoel | Filippo Ganna | Edoardo Affini |
| 2023 | Remco Evenepoel | Filippo Ganna | Joshua Tarling |
| 2022 | Tobias Foss | Stefan Küng | Remco Evenepoel |
| 2021 | Filippo Ganna | Wout van Aert | Remco Evenepoel |
| 2020 | Filippo Ganna | Wout van Aert | Stefan Küng |
| 2019 | Rohan Dennis | Remco Evenepoel | Filippo Ganna |
| 2018 | Rohan Dennis | Tom Dumoulin | Victor Campenaerts |
| 2017 | Tom Dumoulin | Primož Roglič | Chris Froome |
| 2016 | Tony Martin | Vasil Kiryienka | Jonathan Castroviejo |
| 2015 | Vasil Kiryienka | Adriano Malori | Jérôme Coppel |
| 2014 | Bradley Wiggins | Tony Martin | Tom Dumoulin |
| 2013 | Tony Martin | Bradley Wiggins | Fabian Cancellara |
| 2012 | Tony Martin | Taylor Phinney | Vasil Kiryienka |
| 2011 | Tony Martin | Bradley Wiggins | Fabian Cancellara |
| 2010 | Fabian Cancellara | David Millar | Tony Martin |
| 2009 | Fabian Cancellara | Gustav Erik Larsson | Tony Martin |
| 2008 | Bert Grabsch | Svein Tuft | David Zabriskie |
| 2007 | Fabian Cancellara | László Bodrogi | Stef Clement |
| 2006 | Fabian Cancellara | David Zabriskie | Alexandr Vinokourov |
| 2005 | Michael Rogers | José Iván Gutiérrez | Fabian Cancellara |
| 2004 | Michael Rogers | Michael Rich | Alexandr Vinokourov |
| 2003 | Michael Rogers / David Millar | Uwe Peschel | Michael Rich |
| 2002 | Santiago Botero | Michael Rich | Igor González de Galdeano |
| 2001 | Jan Ullrich | David Millar | Santiago Botero |
| 2000 | Serhiy Honchar | Michael Rich | László Bodrogi |
| 1999 | Jan Ullrich | Michael Andersson | Chris Boardman |
| 1998 | Abraham Olano | Melchor Mauri | Serhiy Honchar |
| 1997 | Laurent Jalabert | Serhiy Honchar | Chris Boardman |
| 1996 | Alex Zülle | Chris Boardman | Tony Rominger |
| 1995 | Miguel Induráin | Abraham Olano | Uwe Peschel |
| 1994 | Chris Boardman | Andrea Chiurato | Jan Ullrich |
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 2025 | Marlen Reusser | Anna van der Breggen | Demi Vollering |
| 2024 | Grace Brown | Demi Vollering | Chloé Dygert |
| 2023 | Chloé Dygert | Grace Brown | Christina Schweinberger |
| 2022 | Ellen van Dijk | Grace Brown | Marlen Reusser |
| 2021 | Ellen van Dijk | Marlen Reusser | Annemiek van Vleuten |
| 2020 | Anna van der Breggen | Marlen Reusser | Ellen van Dijk |
| 2019 | Chloé Dygert | Anna van der Breggen | Annemiek van Vleuten |
| 2018 | Annemiek van Vleuten | Anna van der Breggen | Ellen van Dijk |
| 2017 | Annemiek van Vleuten | Anna van der Breggen | Katrin Garfoot |
| 2016 | Amber Neben | Ellen van Dijk | Katrin Garfoot |
| 2015 | Linda Villumsen | Anna van der Breggen | Lisa Brennauer |
| 2014 | Lisa Brennauer | Hanna Solovey | Evelyn Stevens |
| 2013 | Ellen van Dijk | Linda Villumsen | Carmen Small |
| 2012 | Judith Arndt | Evelyn Stevens | Linda Villumsen |
| 2011 | Judith Arndt | Linda Villumsen | Emma Pooley |
| 2010 | Emma Pooley | Judith Arndt | Linda Villumsen |
| 2009 | Kristin Armstrong | Noemi Cantele | Linda Villumsen |
| 2008 | Amber Neben | Christiane Soeder | Judith Arndt |
| 2007 | Hanka Kupfernagel | Kristin Armstrong | Christiane Soeder |
| 2006 | Kristin Armstrong | Karin Thürig | Christine Thornburn |
| 2005 | Karin Thürig | Joane Somarriba | Kristin Armstrong |
| 2004 | Karin Thürig | Judith Arndt | Zulfiya Zabirova |
| 2003 | Joane Somarriba | Judith Arndt | Zulfiya Zabirova |
| 2002 | Zulfiya Zabirova | Nicole Brändli | Karin Thürig |
| 2001 | Jeannie Longo | Nicole Brändli | Dori Ruano |
| 2000 | Mari Holden | Jeannie Longo | Rasa Polikevičiūtė |
| 1999 | Leontien Zijlard-van Moorsel | Anna Millward | Edita Pučinskaitė |
| 1998 | Leontien Zijlard-van Moorsel | Zulfiya Zabirova | Hanka Kupfernagel |
| 1997 | Jeannie Longo | Zulfiya Zabirova | Judith Arndt |
| 1996 | Jeannie Longo | Catherine Marsal | Alessandra Cappellotto |
| 1995 | Jeannie Longo | Clara Hughes | Kathryn Watt |
| 1994 | Karen Brems-Kurreck | Anne Samplonius | Jeannie Longo |
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
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