2026 World Championship routes announced

[Red Rick]

Women and Men's elite TT

Men's u 23 ITT

Men's junior, Women's u23 ITT

Women's junior ITT

Mixed relay

Women's junior RR

Men's junior and women's u23 RR

Men's u23 RR

Women's elite RR

Men's elite RR

 

[Red Rick]

Men's junior and women's u23 RR

Men's u23 RR

Women's elite RR

Men's elite RR

 

[Red Rick]

Key points

- TTs are pan flat
- Women u23 and junior TTs are comically short at 22 km and 11 km
- Local circuit is the exact same as the GP Montreal. So unlike most WC where you don't know the circuit, everyone knows this one.

Normally I really dislike when they have a large part of the race off the circuit, but I guess it's for the better on this one. If they just did 20 laps of the Montreal circuit, it would be worse.

Now it's basically GP Montreal + 1.5 hours but with national team dynamics.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Key points

- TTs are pan flat
- Women u23 and junior TTs are comically short at 22 km and 11 km

When the junior women easily survived 18 km with a climb at the end at altitude in Kigali there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to ride 20 km at close to sea level. According to the UCI rules the distance mustn't exceed 15 km, but it has been the case at multiple other championships as well. Instead of looking at the distance they should think about the time duration. If it takes less than 20 minutes to ride it's too short. It must also be easier for the organiser not to have to plan 4 different variations of the TT route.

 

[nightowl]

The TTs look like they have some quite technical sections too. Not 2022 levels but enough to matter

 

[gavia88]

Key points

- TTs are pan flat
- Women u23 and junior TTs are comically short at 22 km and 11 km
- Local circuit is the exact same as the GP Montreal. So unlike most WC where you don't know the circuit, everyone knows this one.

Normally I really dislike when they have a large part of the race off the circuit, but I guess it's for the better on this one. If they just did 20 laps of the Montreal circuit, it would be worse.

Now it's basically GP Montreal + 1.5 hours but with national team dynamics.

Only the finish seems to differ a bit. If I'm not mistaken they do not enter the finish lane with the hairpin they do now, but with a paralel street. But yeah, realy minor difference.

 

[scribers]

Pogi for the double!

I called it first

 

[Potomac]

Key points


- Local circuit is the exact same as the GP Montreal. So unlike most WC where you don't know the circuit, everyone knows this one.

Normally I really dislike when they have a large part of the race off the circuit, but I guess it's for the better on this one. If they just did 20 laps of the Montreal circuit, it would be worse.

Now it's basically GP Montreal + 1.5 hours but with national team dynamics.

That's a total downer. Why did they bother?

 

[Rockestar_33]

Yeah, boring. Remco ITT, Pogi RR again

 

[Berniece]

Distance is higher but a lower amount of circuit rounds. In the right shape, MVDP and WVA can play a role here.

ITT being flat gives an opportunity for Tarling and Ganna

 

[Red Rick]

Distance is higher but a lower amount of circuit rounds. In the right shape, MVDP and WVA can play a role here.

ITT being flat gives an opportunity for Tarling and Ganna

Should be good for Evenepoel as well, though I think he'd prefer more flats between hills rather than false flat downhills.

I also don't think it's too bad for Roglic, as in a way it's similar to the Montjuic or Emilia circuit where it's mainly climbing and descending, and while it's 270km, it's only 3700m desnivel and 12 laps, so on that account it's actually easier than the GP.

Probably one of the most balanced WC routes you could get.

 

[houtdffan]

Distance is higher but a lower amount of circuit rounds. In the right shape, MVDP and WVA can play a role here.

ITT being flat gives an opportunity for Tarling and Ganna

Tarling and Ganna have not beat Remco in an ITT in a long time

 

[Peyroteo94]

Should be good for Evenepoel as well, though I think he'd prefer more flats between hills rather than false flat downhills.

I also don't think it's too bad for Roglic, as in a way it's similar to the Montjuic or Emilia circuit where it's mainly climbing and descending, and while it's 270km, it's only 3700m desnivel and 12 laps, so on that account it's actually easier than the GP.

Probably one of the most balanced WC routes you could get.

To be honest, this screams Pogacar again.
Vertical meters are all in the second part of the race.

 

[Red Rick]

To be honest, this screams Pogacar again.
Vertical meters are all in the second part of the race.

Yes and no.

Ofcourse he's the #1 favorite. But it's also less trivial than it would have been if they had just done 20-22 laps of the usual circuit.

 

[Netserk]

They should have used the old circuit.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Never been a big fan of these long stretches outside the actual circuit, especially not when its pan flat. I'd prefer 272 km on the circuit instead, that would obviously be a totally brutal race, but I don't really care for balance. It should still be plenty hard though, and sometimes these flat run ins in Flanders and Roubaix really are producing some pretty nice racing anyways and it should in theory open up the race for other riders than climbers and specialized real hard Ardennes riders like Healy. Still think its too hard for the best Flandrians like MVDP and Van Aert though.

I really do like the aspect of all the going to Canada and riding Quebec and Montreal and doing the latter 2 weeks before the actual race. That will be fun with all the protagonists in these races, judging their form and getting hyped for the actual race with it its different dynamics.

 

[Red Rick]

They should have used the old circuit.

How did they change the circuit again? I always forget. Was it an extra bump in the 2nd half of the descent?

 

[Netserk]

How did they change the circuit again? I always forget. Was it an extra bump in the 2nd half of the descent?

Opposite direction.

 

[Red Rick]

Opposite direction.

I've looked at old profiles but they all look like they take the same main climb though? I'm a bit confused when they changed the route.

 

[Peyroteo94]

I've looked at old profiles but they all look like they take the same main climb though? I'm a bit confused when they changed the route.

After Covid

 

[tobydawq]

Key points

- TTs are pan flat
- Women u23 and junior TTs are comically short at 22 km and 11 km
- Local circuit is the exact same as the GP Montreal. So unlike most WC where you don't know the circuit, everyone knows this one.

Normally I really dislike when they have a large part of the race off the circuit, but I guess it's for the better on this one. If they just did 20 laps of the Montreal circuit, it would be worse.

Now it's basically GP Montreal + 1.5 hours but with national team dynamics.

I wonder if anyone will use GP Montréal next year as recon...

 

[Red Rick]

I wonder if anyone will use GP Montréal next year as recon...

Seems logical.

I don't know about the timing though, if top riders wanna stay in Canada for 2 weeks?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Sub-40k is very disappointing for the elite men's TT.

~40k is absolutely awesome for the elite women's TT.

 

[tobydawq]

Seems logical.

I don't know about the timing though, if top riders wanna stay in Canada for 2 weeks?

It would seem like the obvious thing to do, especially if you're also going to do the TT. And I think there are worse places to stay for three weeks even if it's quite a long time.

 

[Red Rick]

It would seem like the obvious thing to do, especially if you're also going to do the TT. And I think there are worse places to stay for three weeks even if it's quite a long time.

It feels so dumb to have a circuit race on the WC route 2 weeks before the event.