The U23 category at the UCI Road World Championships was shaken up last year with the new rule that riders already possessing a pro contract were ineligible for the category. With so many going pro well in advance of the 23-years-of-age mark, it led to question marks over the future of the category, but what we’re left with is a better contest between riders still on the cusp of that next step, many of whom will still develop into some of the world’s best riders.
Some riders will be looking for a performance that nets them a first pro contract. Others have already signed WorldTour deals for next year and have been on pathways towards the pros for multiple years.
That goes for Héctor Álvarez (Spain), the Classics prospect who arguably starts as the favourite in Montreal, where a largely flat but pretty twisty 31.3km course awaits.
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Álvarez, still only 19, is one of the most surefire talents in the sport, spending the past two years at Lidl-Trek Future – during which he has competed in no shortage of pro-level races – and is set to step up to the WorldTour squad in 2027.
Two of those pro-level results really stand out for us here – fifth in the recent ZLM Tour TT, but even more so his 8th place in the Volta ao Algarve TT in February, behind a host of massive WorldTour names and ahead of a few more in the form of João Almeida and Dani Martínez.
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Matisse Van Kerckhove (Belgium) is a rider in a similar boat – on Visma-Lease a Bike’s development squad for the past two years and set to step into the WorldTour in 2027. The Belgian has had a brilliant year, with three GC wins, including some notable TT performances. He’s lighter and more of an all-rounder than the powerhouse Álvarez, which is why he was able to place 6th in the mountain TT at the Tour de l’Avenir and 3rd in the rolling TT at the Giro Next Gen. Kerckhove’s fellow Belgian Jasper Schoofs is also one to watch.
Adam Rafferty (Ireland), the 20-year-old younger brother of EF Education-EasyPost pro Darren, is also a versatile talent with a chance here. He actually beat Van Kerckhove to second place at that Giro Next Gen TT (won by the untouchable Lorenzo Finn who’s opting to race with the elites in Montreal), although that result was reversed at last year’s European Championships U23 TT.
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Either way, Rafferty, who is riding for the well-established Hagens Berman Jayco U23 team (though without a confirmed pro contract for 2027) should be in the mix, and to complete the comparisons with Van Kerckhove, he also has a compatriot to watch in the form of Seth Dunwoody.
Mads Landbo (Denmark) is a powerful rider who just won the TT at the Flanders Tomorrow Tour, and was fifth in the elite TT at Danish nationals in June – a whisker away from some very big names like Kasper Asgreen and Mikkel Bjerg. Kristian Egholm might also be in the mix.
Staying in Scandinavia, Kasper Haugland (Norway) is also one to watch, having placed third at his elite national championships, and second behind Landbo at that Flanders Tomorrow Tour TT.
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Nicolas Milesi (Italy) hasn’t been quite as eye-catching as last year – when he was runner-up among the pros at the Tour Poitou Charentes TT – but has the ability to challenge. Meanwhile Arthur Blaise is France’s sole hope, a flat-track specialist who won’t like the amount of corners or the kicker at the end but has the raw horsepower.
Is it time for Cameron Rogers (Australia) to make a statement? There has been plenty of excitement surrounding the powerful Canberra native but he has struggled for consistency in Europe and has bounced around three WorldTour development squads. With the Netcompany-Ineos Racing Academy he has a put together a more solid string of races, including a victory at the U23 Gent-Wevelgem. The Australian U23 TT champ, Will Holmes, who has signed with the Jayco-AlUla WorldTour team for 2027, is also racing in Montréal.
Sticking with the anglo nations that make up most of our readership, Ben Wiggins (Great Britain) flies the flag for the Brits and while he’s improving all the time – with 10th on GC at the Tour of Britain – it seems a stretch to see him among the medals.
Over with the USA, there’s a very interesting trio of riders: Ashlin Barry, Owen Cole, and Kade Kreikemeier. Barry will be the familiar name, already touted as a top talent for some time now, on a long-term plan with Visma-Lease a Bike Development, and still only 18. He was runner-up in the junior TT at Worlds last year and it’ll be interesting to see how he steps up again this year. Kreikemeier and Cole are still racing on US teams but went 1-2 in the U23 TT at USPRO Nationals this year, so it’ll be interesting to see how they stack up against this level of competition.
Jonas Walton (Canada) leads the home hopes. He’s very much an outsider but was sixth in Kigali 12 months ago.
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