World Championships Montréal men's elite road race 2026 preview, profile, favourites & predictions - Evenepoel, Van Aert, Del Toro, Seixas, Pidcock and van der Poel lead wide-open battle for the rainbow jersey

On the 27th of September, the Montréal World Championships will come to a close with the men's elite road race, featuring the likes of Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout Van Aert, Tom Pidcock, Isaac del Toro, and Paul Seixas as favorites. We preview the race and analyze the profile below.

The race was first held in 1927 with Italian legend Alfredo Binda taking the first-ever rainbow jersey—the first of three. Rik van Steenbergen, Fausto Coppi, Rik van Looy, Tom Simpson, Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens, Francesco Moser... The historical palmarès of the Worlds is unmatched by almost any other race.

The current record stands at three victories, a feat achieved by five separate riders: Alfredo Binda, Rik van Steenbergen, Eddy Merckx, Óscar Freire, and Peter Sagan. In the 1980s we've seen the likes of Bernard Hinault, Greg Lemond, and Stephen Roche win the title.

In the 1990s Lance Armstrong and Johan Museeuw were amongst those who marked a new generation... In the 21st century, sprinters such as Mario Cipolilini, Thor Hushovd, and Mark Cavendish have all won world titles.

In the classics specialists field, countless stars: Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini, Philippe Gilbert, Mads Pedersen, Julian Alaphilippe, and Mathieu van der Poel, just to name a few.

But even amongst the climbers there have been very notable names to win the race, such as Cadel Evans, Alejandro Valverde, and more recently Tadej Pogacar, the winner of the 2024 and 2025 world championships.

Belgium - The most discussed team at the start line. But that is bad for them, as all eyes will be on the Belgians, and other teams will look to use the excuse of 'Evenepoel and Van Aert's favouritism' to pressure them into working. In 2021 they had disastrous tactics, and they will have learnt the lesson: Montréal is also not a course to pace on. Wout Van Aert and Remco Evenepoel both need to be on the attack and try to win this race solo or from a small group, and neither are on the winning end when it comes to attacking on the main climb. The Belgians have plenty classics specialists and they will have to play their cards inbetween climbs, trying to explode the race in the faster sections.

France - France have tons of quality, but one clear leader: Paul Seixas. They are more likely to put men in front to control the race, with several of Seixas' teammates (current, past and future) backing him up. A strong team with plenty climbers, and one that should work towards Seixas making the difference on the big climb at some point in the race. The 20-year old proved at the GP de Montréal that he can win this race, but that is not overly likely in a sprint of any kind.

Isaac del Toro - Isaac del Toro is the rider who won it almost two weeks ago. Without the pressure on his shoulders as is the case with Belgium, the Mexican rider is almost being given a psychological win without doing anything. He was the strongest at the key test, yet somehow it still feels like he is in some way under the radar. Mexico don't have a team to back him up during the critical moments of the race however, and Del Toro will have to be in the big moves himself or benefit from alliances around him, making him somewhat vulnerable. In a sprint, he can win against virtually any rider in the race.

Great Britain - A very strong team, and somewhat underated. Tom Pidcock didn't match the big names at the GP de Montréal, but he might be able to do so at the Worlds. His form is good, his endurance is good, and he might not be covered by all riders in the race. His climbing ability is good overall whilst the explosive efforts fit him like a glove - and so would a sprint. But the British have Oscar Onley from the Vuelta who is also a very big wildcard due to his explosive nature; Adam Yates who is a former winner on this course; and several classics specialists in the mix.

Italy - A team without one specific leader, but an absolute danger. Perhaps the most dangerous of any team, and the dark horses of the worlds. Giulio Cicccone was second in Québec and seventh in Montréal; Davide Piganzoli won the Tour de Luxembourg in impressive fashion; Giulio Pellizzari has been winning and showing great form in the Italian classics; Lorenzo Finn is the reigning under-23 world champion and is coming in with W/Kg records; Christian Scaroni is a premier puncheur who handles these circuits very well... It's a winning team without the 'big name'. But that means they may attack at any point in the race with several of their riders and cause complete chaos. They won't be as marked as the 'big favourites', but that gives them the ability to be the team with the most men able to make the difference with early attacks.

Spain - Enric Mas was flying at the Vuelta a España and has often come out of it with great form. Not an explosive climber, don't expect him to make the difference to the best on Mount Royal. But to split things up or be part of a tactical move, it would not be unrealistic to think of a victory - whilst he has several in-form Movistar teammates with him; and Juan Ayuso as a dark horse.

Mathieu van der Poel - The Dutchman comes as the only big card for his team, but in stellar form after he impressed at the Tour de Luxembourg. The nature of the course favours climbers slightly, but van der Poel is just within range of victory in the absence of Tadej Pogacar which means a very different kind of race will take place. Early attacks are to be expected, as van der Poel will look to take advantage of the race's distance and explosivity, and create ways to survive the major attacks on the big climb.

USA - Incredibly dangerous, the United States almost have an home advantage in Montréal. Brandon McNulty won the GP de Montréal in 2025 and finished third this year; Whilst Quinn Simmons was third and fourth respectively. The latter is extremely strong on rolling races with large distances, but is somehow not covered in the same way as some of his pers of the same level. The United States have very dangerous cards to play, whilst the likes of Matteo Jorgenson and Riley Sheehan also provide a lot of tactical leverage for the early part of the race.

But even outside of the main national teams, there is still so much. Some do have large numbers and can be part of important tactical moves. Above all Denmark who have Mikkel Honoré, Anthon Charmig and Andreas Kron to fight for a top result; Australia who have the likes of Michael Matthews, Jai Hindley and Ben O'Connor...

Colombia have Harold Tejada and Santiago Buitrago; Portugal have Afonso Eulálio and potentially João Almeida; Switzerland have Jan Christen and Mauro Schmid; whilst Germany have Florian Lipowitz and Marco Brenner as teams with multiple leaders.

From the Vuelta it cannot be ignored the presence too of Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall who are less on the explosive side but can be part of the action towards the final. Tobias Johannessen, winner of the final stage of the Vuelta, is also a strong card.

And in the classics specialists side there are also some very big players yet to mention. Ben Healy, back to good form, is a looming threat and was third at last year's edition; Toms Skujins, Mathias Vacek and Jhonatan Narváez are all proven performers at the very top level; whilst others such as Finn Fisher-Black and Guillermo Thomas Silva could be in the mix with their very best legs.

*** Isaac del Toro, Paul Seixas, Remco Evenepoel

** Tom Pidcock, Quinn Simmons, Brandon McNulty, Ben Healy

* Wout Van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Oscar Onley, Giulio Ciccone, Davide Piganzoli, Giulio Pellizzari, Enric Mas, Afonso Eulálio, Primoz Roglic, Tobias Johannessen, Felix Gall, Mathias Vacek, Jhonatan Narváez

Pick: Isaac del Toro

How: Small group sprint.

The race will be 273 kilometers long, starting off in Brossard and featuring 100 kilometers of flat terrain before arriving at the familiar circuit in Montreal.

The race will feature 12 laps of the circuit, unlike the 16 of the Canadian one-day race. However, they arrive at the first lap with 100 kilometers on their legs already, with the endurance factor likely to play a large role towards the end of the race.

The Voie Camillien-Houde (more commonly known as Mount Royal) is 1.6 kilometers long at 7.7% and is the main feature of the circuit. It ends with 11 kilometers to go and is the location where the climbers can make the most difference.

The run-in to the line is rugged, with two small hilltops in the middle. The Côte de Polytechnique, coming after, is summiting with 6 kilometers to go; it is 800 meters long at 4% average gradient but goes up to 10%. And with 3 kilometers will be the Côte Pagnuelo with 500 meters at 7.5%.

The run-up to the line itself is on an uphill drag, 500 meters long at 5%. This means that even if the race comes down to a sprint, it will by no means be a normal one, with the fatigue and the uphill gradients meaning that climbing legs will be key to taking the win.