Montreal 2026 reached a fever pitch on Sunday with the elite men’s race where was crowned the new world champion. While everyone was watching riders like Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout Van Aert and Isaac del Toro, del Toro’s trade teammate Brandon McNulty attacked with 33 km remaining a soloed into the rainbow jersey. McNulty, who won Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal last season, is the first American winner since Lance Armstrong in 1993. Guillaume Boivin honoured his home city by getting in the day’s breakaway.

Before he climbed off the bike, Boivin celebrated with the crowd. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Due to a Vuelta a España crash that ended his season, Tadej Pogačar was not back to defend his title. Remco Evenepoel and Ben Healy were on the Kigali podium with him last September.

Without Derek Gee aboard, the Canadian contingent was Michael Leonard, Nickolas Zukowsky, birthday boy Hugo Houle, Guillaume Boivin, Pier-André Côté and Michael Woods in his final race.

Leonard (left) and Woods on Sunday. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Like the Elite Women, the men started in Brossard on the more rural east bank of the St. Lawrence River. After 90 km the chaps would cross to the west bank to take on the circuit. They would have 12 laps, each containing the Voie Camillien-Houde and Polytechnique climbs. The day’s total was a whopping 273 km.

It was cool and windy enough at the start for arm warmers and vests. Boivin was part of an early breakaway. By the time the Boivin bunch crossed the St. Lawrence, its gap was 8:15.

Boivin removes a layer in the first 20 km.

The Dutch and the Belgians were prominent at the front of the field. France and Switzerland took it up when the peloton got to the loud first circuit. The escape’s advantage really began to tumble. Houle suffered a puncture.

Boivin in the break with Irishman Jamie Meehan and Serb Mihajlo Stolić. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Early in Lap 3 Boivin and half the fugitives were dropped. The Canadian linked up with the front again but once more slipped out the back. At the midway point of the race, their buffer was 3:00. The breakaway was absorbed on Lap 5. The attacks started and the peloton grew smaller.

Just inside 100 km remaining Mathieu van der Poel ominously appeared at the front. On Voie Camillien-Houde another move dashed away. Van der Poel, Santiago Buitrago, Healy, Oscar Onley and Giulio Pellizzari were in the move. Wout Van Aert, McNulty and Primož Roglič joined in. What a group!

Wout Van Aert bridges over to his great rival van der Poel. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Just after France brought them back, Van Aert and van der Poel pounced again, Onley able to cling on. Roglič, Quinn Simmons and Anton Charmig made the junction. With 6 laps to race, the sextet’s lead was 41 seconds.

Paul Seixas, Isaac del Toro, Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso, Healy, McNulty and a several others bridged over. Van der Poel got rid of Van Aert and Roglič, but Simmons and Onley grabbed his wheel. The gap between van der Poel and Van Aert was 14 seconds at the line. Roglič powered up Voie Camillien-Houde to make a leading quartet.

Roglic about to bridge over to van der Poel. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Van Aert’s group received reinforcements from del Toro, Seixas and Tom Pidcock. Del Toro’s pace briefly popped Van Aert off the back. With four laps to go there were four groups within 1:10.

The Dutchman’s pace sent the Brit out the back. A little behind them, Van Aert waited for Evenepoel, who immediately tried to break up the big chase that included del Toro and Seixas.

Going into the third from last lap, the leading trio was 18 seconds ahead of Healy and 32 seconds ahead of Evenepoel and company. Van Aert could no longer hang with Group 3. At the business end of the race, the Irishman merged with the Dutchman, American and Slovenian. Not long after, del Toro, Seixas, Pidcock and a few others brought back van der Poel et al. Evenepoel wasn’t accounted for.

UAE-Emirates would keep the rainbow jersey. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

With del Toro on the throttle, Roglič, Simmons and Healy fell away. McNulty made a surge and opened up a big gap. Again, Roglič returned to van der Poel. But McNulty was trucking and in short order had a 30-second lead. By the end of the lap it was a minute. The chasers were faltering.

Pidcock’s efforts chipped away at the American’s lead. Evenepoel came back to the chase on the penultimate lap. Just before the line Evenepoel attacked, Pidcock locked onto the Belgian. McNulty had 51 seconds when he heard the bell.

Suddenly on the bell lap, the chasers were right behind McNulty. Then they got cagey, letting Evenepoel return.

The UAE-Emirates American wouldn’t be denied an amazing victory. Michael Matthews claimed the silver and van der Poel took bronze.

Next year, the World Championships are in the Haute-Savoie region of France.

Montreal 2026 Elite Men’s Road Race
Gold) Brandon McNulty (USA)
Silver) Michael Matthews (Australia)
Bronze) Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands)
32. Michael Leonard (Canada)
35. Michael Woods (Canada)
45. Nickolas Zukowsky