WORLDS WEEK! THE RIDERS HEADING TO MIGHTY MONTRÉAL

After last year’s historic milestone of the first UCI Road World Championships on African soil, 11 CANYON//SRAM riders from eight nations will this year race in Montréal, Canada, from September 20-27.

The event returns to North American roads for the first time since 2015, with Montréal no stranger to playing host. The largest city in the French-infused province of Quebec was also the first non-European city to stage the championships, back in 1974. Now, more than 50 years later, there’s something rather fitting about riders making the trans-atlantic journey once again, especially with a couple more “first-ever” milestones to be found in the course details.

Even when end-of-season weariness begins to creep in, the discipline’s flagship event has a special way of stirring riders into life. The ultimate prestige of world championship success, and those iconic rainbow bands, ensure that many dare to believe.

Five CANYON//SRAM riders will race in the elite ranks: Monaliza Araya Chneslasie (Eritrea), Zoe Bäckstedt (Great Britain), Antonia Niedermaier (Germany), Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark).

Kasia will line up as a prime contender for the elite women’s road race next Saturday (September 26). A bronze medallist in 2021, her most recent Worlds saw her finish top 10 after a fickle and savagely hilly outing in Rwanda. The credentials are there, and so too is the confidence heading to Canada from the USA.

“I feel very good, actually. I’ve spent the last two weeks in Boulder [Colorado]. It’s always my happy place and I like coming back here to refresh, leave everything behind in Europe, and almost feel like I’m starting something new. That’s definitely what you need after an already long and hard season. But, physically and mentally I feel good, so I’m definitely looking forward to both the World and European Championships. Hopefully, I can do even better than my previous best and wrap up this year with something special.”

After 13 Worlds road races, Kasia has a finely tuned sense of how to arrive to the championships after a season already dotted with major targets.

“I definitely wish that we had more racing after Worlds, just because we do this final big block of preparation for practically one day, one shot, and one opportunity. Not everything always goes according to plan, and it would be nice to use the form elsewhere as well.

I think I’ve been quite lucky this year; I could prioritise certain races, focus on that specific preparation, and have time to spend with my family and husband. It still feels like training, but also like I’m independent and free, which then allows me to be super focused and dial in for the races I really care about.

But then, definitely after the Tour [de France Femmes avec Zwift], I had a little moment of not de-motivation, but more like something big was finished and that I didn’t necessarily want to jump into another training phase. So, that’s why I decided to come to Boulder, because I needed fresh stimuli – new places and just things that are different from what I’ve been repeating in Europe. I think it really helps when you know what’s best for you, so you can easily find that motivational train and jump back on it again.”

Meanwhile, Zoe, last year’s U23 Time Trial World Champion, has spent 2026 adding a succession of remarkable results and physical racing feats across all manner of terrain to an already formidable palmares.

The Welsh phenom will celebrate her 22nd birthday in Canada, having skipped her final year of U23 eligibility to line up as one to watch in both the elite women’s time trial (TT) and road race (RR) – her first Worlds RR since she romped to double junior victories in 2021 and 2022.

“First Elite Worlds, yes! I’m super excited! I’m really glad to be stepping up, and I think it’s a good decision for both my future and development,” she enthused. “Of course, I would have loved the chance to go for another rainbow jersey in the U23 category, but elite seems like the best and most logical decision.

The TT is the main goal but I would love to do a good ride in the RR too, if not for myself then for another rider. I’m one of the leaders for the team but a lot of things can happen between now and then, so we might have to adapt in the week or on the road.”

Zoe is under no illusions about the challenge ahead, starting already this Sunday (September 20):

“The courses here are going to make it a hard week. The TT is LONG – further than I’ve ever raced in the elite ranks, so let’s see how that goes. The same for the road race; it’s quite a punchy circuit but again, the length of race will make it interesting, and maybe more exciting!”

New frontiers aside, she’s confident that she’s put in the necessary work since her last competitive outing on home soil one month ago.

“Tour of Britain was quite a hard race. I didn’t feel amazing on the bike but I think I still had some pretty good days. Since then, I’ve had more time to recover, and some good weeks to build back up and nail my intervals before Worlds!

The other CANYON//SRAM rider in the elite TT will be the ever-classy Antonia, who faces a busy week with the mixed relay (MR) also on her programme (Wednesday, September 23).

“For me personally, it would be a successful week if I can get the best out of myself and achieve a good result, while also trying to enjoy it,” Antonia said.

I know that the TT course in Montréal is not really suited to me; it’s really long and quite technical with a lot of corners. But, I’ll try my best for both the TT and then the mixed relay, which is always a nice discipline.

The road race is on a super hard and long course, but we have a strong team and we’ll try everything to win this race. That probably won’t be with me because it seems more of a classics style course, and we all know that I’m not the punchiest rider in the peloton!”

After claiming the U23 TT rainbow jersey in 2023 and 2024, plus U23 RR and MR medals in 2024, and a pair of sixth-place finishes on her elite debut in Rwanda, Antonia is already a highly decorated and well-versed Worlds campaigner.

“I think I’ve become quite used to doing all the disciplines, and find it easier now, as that’s what I’ve done the last two years. The mixed relay is always a nice little treat – it’s super fun to do and I always really enjoy it.”

Back to a rider with singular focus, Danish dynamite Cecilie has shown strong form of late, and will be one to watch whenever the racing gets snappy in Canada.

“I’m just really looking forward to it! Representing Denmark is always such a huge honour, and I’m super proud to wear the national jersey at Worlds. I can’t wait to get to Montréal and give it everything I’ve got.”

She continued: “Once we get onto that circuit in Montréal, it’s just going to be ‘firework’ racing. With over 2500m of climbing packed into eight laps, there’s nowhere to hide. It definitely favours the punchy climbers, and riders who can handle those repeated, explosive accelerations. It’s going to be a super hard race!”

Shifting focus to the U23 ranks, an exciting six-rider CANYON//SRAM group will be in action, in just the second year of U23 events being held entirely separately from elite.

Wilma Aintila (Finland), Justyna Czapla (Germany) and Tsige Kahsay Kiros (Ethiopia) will compete in both Monday’s U23 TT (September 21) and next Thursday’s U23 RR (September 24), while Emily Dixon (Australia), Joëlle Messemer (Germany) and Awen Roberts (Great Britain) will line up for the RR only.

Just 22 but already a seasoned pro, Justyna has aspirations to build on last year’s seventh-place U23 TT and replicate her 2022 junior silver medal.

“I see Worlds in my final U23 year as another special opportunity to show what I’m capable of. I definitely have goals for both the TT and RR, and of course, it would be a dream to finish on the podium. At the same time, I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. No matter what, I won’t have any regrets if I give everything I have, so I want to do that while also enjoying the races. I’m going in fully focused and determined to achieve the best possible results.”

A few years younger but no less driven, 19-year-old Emily has enjoyed a truly breakout season, properly cementing herself as Zwift Academy’s latest success story and earning a place in the fiercely competitive Australian U23 squad. She’s rapt to have made the cut:

“I’m so excited and keen for my first time representing Australia as a non-junior. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these past few weeks of training to best prepare myself both mentally and physically. Now, I think I’m ready for it!

Team selection was a huge target for me, and thinking back to Worlds as an U19, I remember wishing that one day I could be like some of the Aussie elites that were also there. It feels super special to be pulling the colours back on, and in the position that I was dreaming of only two years ago.”

A rider who thrives when the road goes up, Emily already sees plenty to work with in Montréal’s demanding profile.

“I really like the race route – it’s going to be pretty tough and attritional! I think that strong climbers and those with big aerobic engines will reduce the field quite quickly. Our team is strong, and I believe that with many cards to play, we can really make an impact in the race. I’m hoping to be there when it counts so I can support the team as needed, and hopefully there’ll be Aussie colours on the podium!”

THE COURSE

Zoe, Antonia and the stacked elite women’s TT field will get this year’s championships underway on the same 39km course as the men – the longest time trial ever faced by women at the event. With only 220m of elevation, the profile places emphasis on raw power and aerodynamics, but its varied route also requires technical skill, alertness and precise pacing. From bike paths and exposed sections along the St Lawrence River, to a blitz around Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and a final 400m climb at 5% to the line, there are many places for both strengths and weaknesses to be revealed.

The U23 riders will negotiate a comparatively simple, out-and-back 20km course, retaining many of the tricky turns, riverside sections and final-climb elements – the same route Antonia will ride in Wednesday’s mixed relay.

For the U23s, the jam-packed nature will instead be felt in the RR, with the younger riders on show first for 134km and 10 laps of the relentlessly twisty and spiky Mount Royal circuit. Interestingly, with over 2700m in elevation, their race crams in more climbing than their elite counterparts, despite covering less ground. The elite women will warm up with a pan-flat opening third south of Montréal before joining the same inner-city circuit used for the other races, bringing their total to a meaty 180km – the longest Worlds RR by some margin.

Regardless, 269m of elevation per lap – the biggest climb being 1.6km at 7.7% – will demand strength, endurance, acceleration and a lot of bike-racing nous. The same leg-and-lung-burning finishing straight as in the TT will extract every last ounce of energy at the end of an inevitably gruelling battle, prompting more of a high-power, slow-motion dash for a coveted rainbow jersey.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Elite Women Time Trial | Sun, Sept 20 | 39.2km | 216m elevation | Start 9:00 EDT – fastest finish 11:20 EDT.

U23 Women TT | Mon, Sept 21  | 20.3km | 158m | 9:30 – 10:40 EDT.

Mixed Relay TTT | Wed, Sept 23  | 40.6km | 290m | 8:30 – 11:15 EDT.

U23 Women Road Race | Thu, Sept 24  | 134.3km | 2710m | 9:00 – 12:45 EDT.

Elite Women RR | Sat, Sept 26  | 180.2km | 2584m | 9:00 – 14:10 EDT.

Live coverage of most events will be available on TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO Max, FloBikes, STAN, the UCI YouTube channel, and many regional broadcasters. Stay updated online with #Montreal2026, and follow CANYON//SRAM social channels for all the latest team news.