UCI ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: MONTRÉAL BEGINS COUNTDOWN TO 2026
Montréal, September 9, 2023 – The organizing committee (OC) for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships took advantage of the presence of the élite teams in the international pro peloton, here competing in the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal (GPCQM), two events on the UCI WorldTour calendar, to symbolically kick off this prestigious event during which cycling will rule on the Avenue du Parc site in three years’ time. The celebration was attended by representatives of the public-sector partners—the City of Montréal, the governments of Québec and Canada, and Tourisme Montréal—along with athletes, media and global cycling stakeholders. The UCI Road World Championships have been held in non-European countries on only ten occasions since they began in 1921. And it was in 1974, on the Mount Royal circuit in Montréal, that they were presented outside the Old Continent for the first time, with Belgium’s Eddy Merckx and France’s Geneviève Gambillon topping the podium. Fifty-two years later, the event will return, on September 20 to 27, 2026, just one week after the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal (GPCQM), bringing the sport’s global community together for two 100%-cycling weeks in Québec, Canada.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2026
LEGACY CIRCUITS.
The OC today unveiled one of the 2026 circuits, which will be used as the finale of the Elite road races and for the entire Junior and Under-23 road races. Avenue du Parc will therefore be the finish line for all events of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships (road races and time trials). Some 1,000 men and women athletes from around 75 countries will ride on a circuit inspired by that of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, itself based on that mapped out for the 1974 UCI Worlds. It’s a route that has already taken on legendary status, and it will make history yet again! Moreover, since the event will be a focal point of the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the Montréal Summer Olympics, the routes will be laid out so as to share the city’s Olympic heritage with people watching all over the world.
AN EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE.
Montréal has been named Canada’s top host city for sports events three times since 2018. The city is accustomed to creating memorable moments, and Montrealers always answer the call! The 2026 UCI Road World Championships will be no exception. The OC and the municipal administration will enliven the city for eight straight days, as hundreds of thousands of fans from here and all over the world discover Montréal through an exceptional sports event that will be open to the public free of charge.
A MEANINGFUL HERITAGE, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
Hosting the UCI Road World Championships is also a validation of
Montréal’s status as a cycling destination and a leader in developing the activity in all its forms. Besides delivering a high performance event, the OC, jointly with the City of Montréal, intends to generate positive, tangible impacts among the city’s cycling community. To that end, a special committee will be issuing recommendations on how to leave a meaningful heritage once the flagship UCI event is over. In addition, Montréal was recently awarded the UCI Bike City Label, a designation that rewards cities and regions that, in addition to hosting major events on the UCI International Calendar, also invest in the development and promotion of cycling in their communities, and in related infrastructure and programs.
MONTRÉAL INTERNATIONAL.
The UCI Road World Championships, one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, are an outstanding opportunity for Canada in terms of economic, social and tourism benefits as well as international reach and reputation. In addition to the competitions, with an expected international television audience of some 250 million in nearly 150 countries, Montréal will also host the annual UCI Congress, the organization’s supreme body, with more than 400 representatives from all continents. Between now and the unveiling of the full program of the UCI 2026 UCI Road World Championships, visit the UCI website and stay up to date by following us on our various platforms: Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.