The 2026 UCI Road World Championship men's elite road race covers 273 kilometres from Brossard to Montreal on a hilly circuit profile that repeatedly punishes riders over the climbs on the Côte de la Montagne before delivering a flat — but fast and selective — finishing straight in the city. The repeated nature of the circuits means only the best hills specialists and punchy one-day racers will survive to contest the final, while pure sprinters and pure climbers alike find the balance tricky. Context from the sister race, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, run on the same roads days earlier, provides an invaluable form guide.
★★★★
Top Favorite
Remco Evenepoel stands alone at the top of the market. He has won four times in similar-profile races recently — including the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec on these same Canadian roads — and his hills ability is the highest in this startlist. There is no stronger combination of recent form, course fit and peak-week timing.
Red Bull - BORA
Red Bull - BORA
Remco Evenepoel is the undisputed favourite here, having won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec stage earlier in this Canadian campaign and also claiming victories at the Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa and stage 16 ITT of the Tour de France in similar-profile races recently. His hills capability ranks highest in the field and he has converted form into wins with remarkable consistency, posting six top-3 finishes in similar races.
★★★
Strong Contenders
Mathieu van der Poel and Isaac del Toro are the two most realistic winners if Evenepoel can be beaten. Van der Poel brings three recent wins on hilly terrain and the raw power to attack at any point on the circuit. Del Toro's win in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal — on this exact parcours — is the single most course-specific result in the entire field, making him an extremely credible challenger.
UAE Emirates
UAE Emirates
Isaac del Toro won stage 1 of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal — the sister race to this event on the same roads — which is about as strong a form signal as possible for this specific course. He also won stage 2 of the Tour de France and placed in the top 5 multiple times in similar-profile races, underscoring genuine class for this terrain.
Alpecin-Premier Tech
Alpecin-Premier Tech
Mathieu van der Poel arrives with genuine winning pedigree on hilly finishes, having taken victories at stage 5 and stage 1 of the Tour de Luxembourg and stage 9 of the Tour de France recently. His hills ability is among the very best in the field and his punchy, aggressive style suits the Montreal finale perfectly.
★★
Dark Horses
Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock and Giulio Ciccone form a second tier of genuine contenders. Van Aert's four victories in similar races recently underline his exceptional current form, Pidcock's consistency across seven top-10s suggests he will be there at the finish, and Ciccone's three podium finishes in comparable races make him the sort of steady threat who can emerge from a fractured group.
Lidl-Trek
Lidl-Trek
Giulio Ciccone has three top-3 finishes and six top-10s in similar hilly races recently, demonstrating that his form translates reliably into results without necessarily taking outright wins. His climbing and hills qualities are among the strongest in this field and he is capable of riding away from a select group on a punchy finish.
Pinarello-Q36.5
Pinarello-Q36.5
Tom Pidcock won stage 1 of the GP Industria & Artigianato recently and has accumulated three top-3s and seven top-10s in similar-profile races, showing consistent high-level form. His hills profile is elite, and a World Championships audience should bring the best out of a rider who performs when the stage is biggest.
Visma - Lease a Bike
Visma - Lease a Bike
Wout van Aert has been in exceptional form in hilly races, winning stage 15 and stage 13 of the Vuelta a España as well as stage 3 and stage 1 of the Tour of Denmark — four victories recently in similar profiles. His all-round strength means he can threaten both in a select group or from a late attack, and he has the sprint to finish off from a reduced bunch.
★
Ones to Watch
The four outsiders each have a specific reason to feature. Giulio Pellizzari's two wins in recent similar races show he is in career-best form and may be underestimated. Christian Scaroni's extraordinary top-10 consistency without wins suggests he will place well again. Oscar Onley won in Burgos on comparable terrain and should shine without trade-team constraints. Mads Pedersen, a powerful finisher, can deploy his sprint after surviving the climbs and is dangerous in a reduced group.
XDS Astana
XDS Astana
Christian Scaroni has been remarkably consistent without taking a win, amassing five top-3s, eight top-5s and nine top-10s in similar-profile races recently — the most consistent record without a victory in this entire field. That kind of repeated near-miss form suggests he can place highly here if the race suits a steadier rider over a pure attacker.
Red Bull - BORA
Red Bull - BORA
Giulio Pellizzari has won both stage 1 of the Giro della Toscana and stage 4 of the Deutschland Tour recently, signalling excellent current form on hilly terrain. He is a legitimate dark-horse threat if the race fragments, and his climbing ability is genuine even if his profile keeps him below the top names.
Lidl-Trek
Lidl-Trek
Mads Pedersen won stage 4 of the Tour de France in similar conditions recently and has two top-3s and five top-10s in comparable races, showing he can follow the punchy pace over the Montreal climbs and use his powerful sprint to close out a reduced group finish. If the race comes down to a select bunch sprint he is among the most dangerous finishers.
INEOS Grenadiers
INEOS Grenadiers
Oscar Onley won stage 2 of the Vuelta a Burgos recently on terrain similar to this circuit, and his climbing quality is very well suited to the Montreal hills. At a World Championships where teams are national rather than trade, his individual quality can shine without the burden of team obligations tying him to a specific leader.
Verdict
Remco Evenepoel enters as the clear top favourite having already won the Québec race and backed it up with multiple victories in similar conditions in recent weeks, while Mathieu van der Poel and Isaac del Toro — who won the Montréal race outright — represent the most credible threats to his dominance.