World Championships Montréal men's under-23 road race 2026 preview, profile, favourites & predictions - Alvaréz, Sparfel, Rowe, Wiggins and a stacked Belgian team headline
Cycling
On the 25th of September, the World Championships will host the men's under-23 road race, featuring big riders such as Ben Wiggins, Ashlin Barry, Cameron Rogers and Héctor Alvaréz. Below, you'll find the favourites for the race, the course and the preview.
The riders will find the exact same course as in the GP de Montréal, only with 13 laps instead of 16. Unlike the elite races, the event will indeed begin in Montréal, with the climb to Mount Royal right in the very first meters of the stage.
The riders will take on 13 laps of a circuit that favours climbers but allows classics specialists to fight for the win as well. Its main feature is the ascent to Mount Royal (the Voie Camillien-Houde).
This climb is 1.7 kilometers long at 7.7% officially. But it is only one of the climbs in the circuit which includes the Côte de Polytechnique which maxes out at 9%, a second small hilltop and then also the rise to the finish line which features 500 meters at 5%.
Profile: Montréal - Montréal

Montréal - Montréal, 175 kilometers
Preview 2026 men's under-23 road race world championships
It will be a race that will be hard to control and favours chaos. The Belgians will have a numerical strong point with the presence of Niels Driesen, Matteo Vanhuffel and Matisse van Kerckhove.
The Spaniard are on a roll and following the victory of Benjamin Noval Jr. in the junior's race, Héctor Alvaréz could deliver the win on this one. The Lidl-Trek rider has already put himself on display impressively against World Tour teams and should have the skillset to win here. After his victory at the GP de Wallonie, Aubin Sparfel has also placed himself as a big face to take the rainbow jersey.
The British have Elliot Rowe and Ben Wiggins to try and cause mayhem in the race; the United States have Ashlin Barry whilst Cameron Rogers perhaps better represents Australia.
The likes of Henrique Bravo and Mateo Ramirez could well see South America take a world title although their collectives are not as strong; whilst others such as Matteo Scalco and Jan Huber also have the ability to perform on such a course.
Prediction men's under-23 World Championships road race 2026:
*** Aubin Sparfel, Héctor Alvaréz
** Niels Driesen, Henrique Bravo, Matteo Vanhuffel
* Elliot Rowe, Matteo Ramirez, Matteo Scalco, Jan Huber, Kasper Borremans
Pick: Hector Alvaréz
How: Small groups sprint.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
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.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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