The top ten contenders for the World Championships - Del Toro, Evenepoel, Seixas, Van Aert, Van Der Poel and more line up in Pogacar's absence
Cycling
The 2026 UCI World Championships are well and truly on the horizon as the cycling world has already descended on Montreal and Canada for a big week of racing. Kicking off with the time trial championships this weekend, it all comes to a climax at the elite men's race on September 27th.
As Tadej Pogacar misses the race following his Vuelta a Espana crash, the two-in-row rainbow jersey winner's absence certainly opens up the race to several contenders. With the past two championships dominated by Pogacar solo attacks, this year's edition is set to be an unpredictable affair.
The Slovenian's absence is sure to change the dynamic of the race, with more emphasis than ever falling upon the top nations such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands among others. However, many riders will now fancy their chances of capitalising and winning a medal.
Just less than two weeks out from the elite men's road race, we're taking an early look at the top ten contenders for the race in no particular order. From Vuelta stars to Canadian classics frontrunners, many riders have already thrown their name in the hat.
Isaac del Toro winning the 2026 GP de Montréal
Isaac del Toro
Bowing at the finish line at Sunday's GP de Montreal, the Mexican rider announced himself as one of the riders to beat at Worlds. With a frighteningly strong kick on the circuit's climb, he closed a gap to Paul Seixas at a key moment.
In the aftermath, he rode confidently and had the resolve to best the Frenchman in the sprint to the line.
Although he won't have the same calibre of team support in the race, del Toro has proved that he can follow the best on Sunday and can't be ignored by the other contenders.
Enric Mas
On the other side of the Atlantic, Enric Mas wrapped up his Vuelta a Espana victory in style as he proved the strongest all-round rider over the course of the three weeks.
Mas leads the Spanish selection alongside Juan Ayuso, and assuming he brings his Vuelta form, he cannot be disregarded as a potential contender.
With Mas desmonstrating the form to be able to hold on over the circuit's main climb, could he ride his red jersey wave all the way to the end of the rainbow?
Remco Evenepoel
Many people's favourite after Pogacar's absence was officially confirmed, Remco Evenepoel has plenty to mull over for two weeks after the weekend.
The Belgian rider looked in top form at Friday's GP de Quebec, but at the Montreal dress rehearsal, he missed the day's decisive move after a tense moment with a Lidl-Trek rider. He did bridge back to the front of affairs, but used up most of his energy in making that move and couldn't finish it off in the final lap.
Evenepoel clearly finds himself in good shape, but now faces a long two weeks to right the wrongs of Sunday. If all goes to plan at the World Championships, he will have a thing or two to say about who wins the race.
Remco Evenepoel at Clasica San Sebastian 2026
Wout van Aert
The Visma rider is enjoying a definitive return to form after a summer to forget, winning two stages at the Vuelta a Espana and helping his team along the way to seven in total.
There's things to be said about the severity of the circuit's climb and whether van Aert will be capable of sticking with the climbers. However, demonstrating a strong level in Spain, he came close to even winning the King of the Mountains jersey.
With Evenepoel his teammate for Belgium, there could be a card to play using their dual leadership. One thing's for certain, we will see a van Aert in-form and with a winning edge in Montreal.
Paul Seixas
The French youngster shook off his Tour de France cobwebs over the weekend, initiating the winning move at the GP de Montreal - even if it didn't result in him taking the top step of the podium.
He'll take confidence in his ability to make a difference on the course, but ultimately was caught by Isaac del Toro on the climb and out-sprinted. He leads the France team all-in for the Decathlon rider.
With a full team of support, he could try to conserve energy and concentrate his efforts towards one large attack. With a difficult climb making it possible to get away, perhaps the future is now for Seixas.
Primoz Roglic
Alongside Mas and van Aert, Roglic is another Vuelta rider who could be considered a rider to watch in Montreal. He leads a Slovenia team shaken up by the absence of Tadej Pogacar.
And it could be the perfect cover for the team as little pressure is expected to come upon them when it comes to controlling the race, giving Roglic something of a free role.
With his training interrupted in August, and his clear progression through the Vuelta on the way to a second place finish, could he come in to form at exactly the right time in Montreal?
Mathieu van der Poel
Mathieu van der Poel
The only rider on this list not to have been in action at either the Vuelta a Espana or the Canadian classics over the weekend, it's easy for some to overlook the 2023 world champion.
And underestimate the Dutch rider at your peril, this course is certainly not outside his limits. With a team built around him and him winding up his preparations at the Tour Luxembourg, we'll get a clear indication of the Alpecin rider's form soon.
While the course itself does favour climbers, van der Poel is undoubtedly a rider to watch in Montreal. With rolling hills and downhill before an uphill sprint to the line, van der Poel would be among the favourites if the race was to come to a reduced sprint in the finale.
Tom Pidcock
One of the main instigators of action at the GP de Montreal, Tom Pidcock is firmly back on the road after his Mountain-bike World Championships victory. He's expected to lead the Great Britain team.
Pidcock is well able to hold his own on long and attritional races and will certainly avail of being one of the less monitored riders in Montreal. With a mean punch and a respectable sprint, he can't be underestimated.
Ben Healy
The Irishman demonstrated some of his best form all season at the GP de Montreal, and it's come at a perfect time as he looks to add to his podium finish at last year's race.
He spent long periods at the front of the race on Sunday and was a hard man to catch. Like Pidcock, he's a rider who loves an attritional race and will be one of the riders hoping to capitalise on a stalemate among the big favourites. An attack at the right time could see him stay away.
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Mads Pedersen
The Dane is the rider who arrives at the World Championships with the most question marks. Following his poor start to the Vuelta, he left the race at the halfway mark citing an illness.
He got back on the bike last week and is expected to travel to Montreal if all goes well, he could lead the Danish challenge at the race. Although the climbing-heavy course doesn't strictly suit him, in top form he could be one to watch as several contenders challenge.
Honorable mentions
There's an array of outsiders who will also fancy their chances in Montreal. From Jai Hindley, Ben O'Connor, Felix Gall and Richard Carapaz, to other contenders such as Giulio Ciccone, youngster Lorenzo Finn, Tobias Johannessen and Christian Scaroni - the challengers are lining up for the rainbow jersey.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026 - Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
- That really nasty crash in 2022 Liege must have played a big part - broken ribs, pneumothorax. You only have to look at his points tallies pre and post.Lozza14-11-2026
- Yeah, good luck getting tv and race organisers like ASO etc to part with their cash!Lozza14-11-2026
- 36 and Ineos have bought a rider on the downward slope. Bring back Dave and Rob who could manage the team. How are Ineos going to win a grand tour with people past their sell by date.paultryan200214-11-2026
- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
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