Montreal 2026 Cycling Worlds: Pogacar withdrawal opens race

The 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, Canada, face a significant shift in the competitive landscape following the withdrawal of two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar due to injury sustained at the Vuelta.

Remco Evenepoel has emerged as a primary favorite, aiming for a historic double by winning both the time trial on September 20 and the road race on September 27. Evenepoel recently finished fifth at the GP de Montréal, noting that the upcoming championship course will be significantly longer and more demanding.

Other major contenders include Wout van Aert for Belgium, Mathieu van der Poel for the Netherlands, and Enric Mas for Spain. The Italian squad enters as an outsider, led by current Under 23 world champion Lorenzo Mark Finn, alongside Giulio Pellizzari and Giulio Ciccone. Mattia Cattaneo also noted that the battle in the time trial between Evenepoel and teammate Filippo Ganna is expected to be highly competitive.