As everyone knows, the 2026 elite men’s road race took on a very different feel once we learned the news that defending champ and outright favourite, Tadej Pogačar wasn’t coming. Suddenly, the rainbow jersey was very much up for grabs in Montreal.
Of course, it wasn’t a sure thing; stuff happens in bike racing. But it certainly looked like a course where he would dominate all the way to the finish in Granada. But after the medical update we all sort of knew was coming that his Stage 8 crash at the Vuelta a España meant his season was over.
Not only was he forced to leave the Spanish Grand Tour, wearing red no less and en route to a massive winning margin, no road worlds. No Euros in his home country. No Il Lombardia.
The 2026 elite men’s road worlds
But now, Sunday’s men’s elite road race arrives without one of the greatest, and maybe the greatest, male riders of all time. It’s no longer a race for second, and the list of contenders certainly became that much more interesting.
The race starts in Brossard and covers 273.7 km before finishing in Montreal. After an opening 100-km loop, the riders hit the Montreal circuit, which includes the Côte Camilien-Houde and the punchy Côte de Polytechnique.
Most of the other categories have been doing a similar opening loop. The men’s is much, much longer, of course, so the legs will already be a smidge tenderized before those brutal finishing circuits.
The favourites
Remco Evenepoel arrives as one of the big favourites, without a doubt. The double Olympic champ also has plenty of firepower around him. That includes Wout van Aert, giving Belgium two riders capable of shaping the finale. But there are also questions about the green jersey winner at the Vuelta.
Isaac Del Toro will have a different challenge, and it’s got nothing to do with fitness. The Mexican is one of the fastest-rising names in the field and is a clear contender. The only problem is it does not have the same depth of support of, say, the Netherlands, Belgium or France.
His Mexican teammates will do what they can when it comes to getting him bottles or helping him if there’s a mechanical or crash, but they won’t be able to play super domestiques like we would see on the bigger Euro teams.
Del Toro showed his Montreal form by winning the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal earlier this month. He’s got a great punchy kick — much like his Slovenian teammate, and he could definitely make a big move in the finale.
And there’s former world champ Mathieu van der Poel. He’s downplayed his chances, but then again, these guys also say stuff to the media.
Tom Pidcock, Paul Seixas, Giulio Ciccone, Quinn Simmons and Matteo Jorgenson among the other names to watch. Remember, at the road worlds there are sometimes — not as much in recent years, but you never know — some wildcard that breaks clear and takes surprise victories, too.
And van Aert or van der Poel?
The big question is, is the course too hard for guys like Van Aert and van der Poel? Initially, the thought was it was more of a course for the climbers — that Camilien-Houde, although not a mountain by any means (I mean, OK, it’s called Mont Royal, but you know what I mean), 12 times up it would not be doable for a classics rider. It’s much longer than the steep, short bergs that the Dutch and Belgian aces prefer.
But if the under-23 race, the longest event thus far, can show us anything, Ashlin Barry, who has a similar body type and style as his older teammate van Aert, won the race in a terrific solo. Sure, the espoirs still race 100 km less than the big boys, but remember, van Aert has also done well at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal a few years back, finishing second behind none other than Pogačar himself.
It will all depend on how the other teams handle it — will there be earlier selections? Will teams like France up the tempo to make it as hard as possible for Seixas? And as far as Belgium, if Van Aert is indeed a favourite, how will the tactics work with two leaders?
The Canadians
Canada has a strong team which is now built around Ottawa’s Mike Woods. Osgoode, Ont.’s Derek Gee-West was forced to take his name off the start sheet after a crash at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal left him with busted ribs. Montreal’s veteran racer, Guillaume Boivin, though, gets to race in his home worlds, so that’s great. Pier-André Côté, Hugo Houle, Michael Leonard and Nickolas Zukowsky complete the team. It’s a very, very strong bunch of riders. Woodsy did pretty well in only his third road race back in Montreal, finishing 18th. He still has a whole lot of residual fitness — I mean, he was racing the Tour de France only a year ago, and he hasn’t been sitting on the couch.
Sure, gravel races aren’t quite the same as WorldTour races, and 270 km is a lot of clicks. But still, he said his numbers are good, and he is one of the greatest riders in recent memory on the men’s side. So it will be interesting to see how he does.
How to watch the 2026 elite men’s road race worlds
Lots of questions, all of which will be answered in the late afternoon Sunday. Racing is being broadcast on CBC Gem beginning at 9:00 a.m. EDT. There is also a chance of rain, which could make an already brutal race that much more brutal. Canadian Cycling Magazine is in Montreal (and we brought parapluies and imperméables!) reporting live with lots of content on our site and social media.