Startlist World Championships 2026 Elite Women's Road Race - Riders: Demi Vollering, Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Longo Borghini, Kasia Niewiadoma, Marlen Reusser and more
CyclingThursday, 17 September 2026 at 13:30
The elite women's road race at the 2026 World Championships takes place in Montreal on Saturday, 26 September, with another high-class field heading to Mount Royal in pursuit of the rainbow jersey.
The riders face 180.4 kilometres and 2,570 metres of climbing, including eight laps of the Montreal finishing circuit used around Mount Royal.
Demi Vollering, Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Longo Borghini, Kasia Niewiadoma and Marlen Reusser are among the biggest names on the startlist, while home hopes will centre on defending world champion Magdeleine Vallieres after her surprise victory in Kigali last year. Vallieres attacked clear on the final climb to beat Niamh Fisher-Black and Mavi Garcia for Canada's first elite women's road race world title.
Below, you can find the startlist for the 2026 World Championships elite women's road race.
Vollering leads Dutch challenge as Kopecky returns for Belgium
The Netherlands bring another powerful squad headed by Vollering, with Puck Pieterse and Riejanne Markus also included alongside Lieke Nooijen, Karlijn Swinkels, Femke de Vries and Amber Kraak.
Belgium will once again look to Kopecky, the 2023 and 2024 world champion, with Shari Bossuyt, Lotte Claes, Julie Van de Velde, Margot Vanpachtenbeke and Sandrine Tas completing their selection.
Italy also arrive with considerable strength through Longo Borghini, Silvia Persico and Erica Magnaldi, while Poland are led by Niewiadoma alongside Dominika Wlodarczyk and Marta Lach.
Switzerland can call on Reusser, Noemi Ruegg and Linda Zanetti, and France bring a deep climbing group including Cedrine Kerbaol, Maeva Squiban, Evita Muzic and Juliette Berthet.
Magdeleine Vallieres took a surprise World Championship win in Kigali last year
Vallieres will race on home roads for Canada alongside Alison Jackson, Maggie Coles-Lyster, Olivia Baril, Sarah Van Dam, Nadia Gontova and Adele Normand.
There is plenty of quality elsewhere too, with Niamh Fisher-Black and Ella Wyllie representing New Zealand, Kim Le Court lining up for Mauritius, Mavi Garcia heading Spain's selection and Kristen Faulkner included for the United States.
Great Britain bring Zoe Backstedt, Pfeiffer Georgi and Anna Henderson, while Germany have Liane Lippert, Ricarda Bauernfeind and Antonia Niedermaier in a field containing many of the strongest climbers and one-day racers in the women's peloton.
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Startlist Women's Elite Road Race - Montreal World Championships
| Algeria | |
| Nesrine Houili | |
| Australia | |
| Amanda Spratt | |
| Georgia Baker | |
| Sarah Gigante | |
| Lauretta Hanson | |
| Austria | |
| Katharina Sadnik | |
| Carina Schrempf | |
| Christina Schweinberger | |
| Belgium | |
| Shari Bossuyt | |
| Lotte Claes | |
| Lotte Kopecky | |
| Julie Van de Velde | |
| Margot Vanpachtenbeke | |
| Sandrine Tas | |
| Brazil | |
| Ana Vitoria Magalhaes | |
| Bulgaria | |
| Gergana Stoyanova | |
| Canada | |
| Adele Normand | |
| Alison Jackson | |
| Magdeleine Vallieres | |
| Maggie Coles-Lyster | |
| Nadia Gontova | |
| Olivia Baril | |
| Sarah Van Dam | |
| China | |
| Zhaoqi Feng | |
| Xin Tang | |
| Shimeng Zhu | |
| Chile | |
| Catalina Anais Soto | |
| Colombia | |
| Paula Patino | |
| Diana Penuela | |
| Laura Daniela Rojas | |
| Comoros | |
| Ramadhan Najma | |
| Cyprus | |
| Antri Christoforou | |
| Denmark | |
| Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig | |
| Solbjork Minke Anderson | |
| Eritrea | |
| Monalisa Araya | |
| Estonia | |
| Ann-Christine Allik | |
| Janika Loiv | |
| Aidi Gerde Tuisk | |
| Finland | |
| Ursula Linden | |
| France | |
| Juliette Berthet | |
| Cedrine Kerbaol | |
| Marie Le Net | |
| Celia Gery | |
| Lea Curinier | |
| Maeva Squiban | |
| Evita Muzic | |
| Germany | |
| Franziska Koch | |
| Ricarda Bauernfeind | |
| Liane Lippert | |
| Antonia Niedermaier | |
| Linda Riedmann | |
| Great Britain | |
| Zoe Backstedt | |
| Lauren Dickson | |
| Pfeiffer Georgi | |
| Anna Henderson | |
| Flora Perkins | |
| Josie Nelson | |
| Greece | |
| Varvara Fasoi | |
| Argiro Milaki | |
| Guatemala | |
| Jasmin Gabriela Soto | |
| Hungary | |
| Petra Zsanko | |
| Indonesia | |
| Firotika Magh Marenda | |
| Israel | |
| Rotem Gafinovitz | |
| Italy | |
| Elisa Longo Borghini | |
| Francesca Barale | |
| Sara Casasola | |
| Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini | |
| Erica Magnaldi | |
| Silvia Persico | |
| Monica Trinca Colonel | |
| Japan | |
| Karin Abe | |
| Kazakhstan | |
| Faina Potapova | |
| Kenya | |
| Nancy Debe | |
| Monica Jelimo Kiplagat | |
| Kendra Masiga | |
| Luxembourg | |
| Nina Berton | |
| Mauritius | |
| Lucie de Marigny-Lagesse | |
| Kim Le Court-Pienaar | |
| Mexico | |
| Romina Hinojosa | |
| Sara Roel | |
| Andrea Ramirez | |
| Lizbeth Yareli Salazar | |
| Namibia | |
| Vera Looser | |
| Netherlands | |
| Demi Vollering | |
| Riejanne Markus | |
| Lieke Nooijen | |
| Puck Pieterse | |
| Karlijn Swinkels | |
| Femke de Vries | |
| Amber Kraak | |
| New Zealand | |
| Bronwyn MacGregor | |
| Ella Wyllie | |
| Henrietta Christie | |
| Niamh Fisher-Black | |
| Norway | |
| Katrine Aalerud | |
| Mie Bjørndal Ottestad | |
| Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset | |
| Tiril Jorgensen | |
| Marte Berg Edseth | |
| Panama | |
| Wendy Ducreux | |
| Paraguay | |
| Agua Marina Espinola | |
| Philippines | |
| Mary Joyce Monton | |
| Poland | |
| Dominika Wlodarczyk | |
| Kasia Niewiadoma | |
| Marta Lach | |
| Marta Jaskulska | |
| Kaja Rysz | |
| Portugal | |
| Daniela Campos | |
| Raquel Queiros | |
| Beatriz Roxo | |
| Rwanda | |
| Diane Ingabire | |
| Xaveline Nirere | |
| Claudette Nyirarukundo | |
| Saudi Arabia | |
| Mashael Alhazmi | |
| Slovakia | |
| Tereza Kurnicka | |
| Slovenia | |
| Nika Bobnar | |
| South Africa | |
| Lisa Bone | |
| Tiffany Keep | |
| Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio | |
| Hayley Preen | |
| Spain | |
| Paula Blasi | |
| Sara Martin | |
| Mireia Benito | |
| Usoa Ostolaza | |
| Mavi Garcia | |
| Sandra Alonso | |
| Sweden | |
| Caroline Andersson | |
| Julia Borgstrom | |
| Switzerland | |
| Ginia Caluori | |
| Steffi Haberlin | |
| Noemi Ruegg | |
| Linda Zanetti | |
| Jasmin Liechti | |
| Marlen Reusser | |
| Thailand | |
| Pittayapron Seatun | |
| Trinidad & Tobago | |
| Teniel Campbell | |
| Ukraine | |
| Valeriya Kononenko | |
| Olha Kulynych | |
| United States | |
| Grace Arlandson | |
| Kate Courtney | |
| Kristen Faulkner | |
| Alexis Magner | |
| Natalie Quinn | |
| Lauren Stephens | |
| Uzbekistan | |
| Madina Kakhkhorova | |
| Venezuela | |
| Lilibeth Chacon | |
| Zimbabwe | |
| Skye Davidson | |
| Rongina Ngandu | |
| Individual Neutral Athlete | |
| Kristina Novikova |
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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