{"id":904588,"date":"2026-09-21T22:12:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T22:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/904588\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T22:12:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T22:12:14","slug":"cycling-championship-in-montreal-brings-road-closures-mixed-reactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/904588\/","title":{"rendered":"Cycling championship in Montreal brings road closures, mixed reactions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Montreal is officially in the middle of cycling\u2019s biggest week, with riders from around the world racing through the city for the the UCI Road World Championship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are actually from Edmonton, Alberta, but we were on a holiday in Spain and decided that on the way home we need to stop there for a week. So that\u2019s why we\u2019re here just to watch the races,\u201d said Ella Rokosh.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ella and Kevin Rokosh. (Erin Seize, CityNews)<\/p>\n

While the competition is drawing fans from around the world, it\u2019s also reshaping the way Montrealers get around.<\/p>\n

CityNews spoke with restaurant and shop owners on a stretch of Parc Avenue that\u2019s been closed for the past two weeks. They were disappointed with slow business.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were expecting a business boom. The city told us it would happen because of the 20,000 people gathering here. We prepared and bought lots of stuff, but now we are struggling,\u201d said Ahmed Shapnil, a supervisor at March\u00e9 \u00d4 Coin du Parc.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ahmed Shapnil, a supervisor at March\u00e9 \u00d4 Coin du Parc. (Erin Seize, CityNews)<\/p>\n

Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada acknowledged the event \u201chas a significant impact on mobility and on the fact that people also need to get around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mobility plan was finalized in June, and today we have a daily monitoring team that meets morning and evening to make adjustments and respond quickly to issues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a drive that usually takes 15 minutes to get from downtown to Parc and Mont Royal, but on Monday, it took almost an hour because of road closures and police barricades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can sacrifice a bit of road closures for something like this. It\u2019s fun, and the weather is nice. Why not?\u201d said Montrealer Lama Azzam.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lama Azzam. (Erin Seize, CityNews)<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we have inconvenience for 10 days, sure, but I think the cost, the money that comes into the economy, I think it\u2019s gonna have more people than people that\u2019s gonna disappoint,\u201d said Nirmal Desai, a Montrealer.<\/p>\n

An interactive city map<\/a> shows the road closures for this week. Bonaventure Highway was closed Monday until 3:30 p.m., and Tuesday, it will be closed again starting from 6:30 a.m. until 5:45 p.m. Over the weekend, the Champlain Bridge will be closed to daytime traffic for the final events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s just fantastic to be able to see those cyclists and not being able to drive for me; it\u2019s not a problem,\u201d said one Montrealer.<\/p>\n

Another disruption was avoided late Monday afternoon, after an agreement in principle<\/a> was reached between the city and its blue collar workers to avoid a seven-day strike that would have impacted city services amid the race.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tChristina Schweinberger, of Austria, competes in the women’s elite individual time trials (ITT) at the UCI Road World Championships cycling event in Montreal on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Christinne Muschi <\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Montreal as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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