The women’s under-23 road race at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships takes place in Montréal on Thursday 24 September, with Isabella Holmgren, Nienke Vinke, Viktória Chladoňová and Marion Bunel among the leading contenders for the rainbow jersey.
For viewers in the UK, the race is live on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max. The race itself starts at 14:00 BST, with live coverage beginning shortly beforehand.
Published schedules differ slightly on whether the programme begins at 13:45 or 13:50 BST, so anyone wanting to see the build-up should tune in by 13:45 BST.
Unlike the elite road races at the weekend, the women’s U23 race is not scheduled for free live coverage on the BBC.
Women’s U23 World Championships road race TV details
| Detail | UK information |
|---|---|
| Date | Thursday 24 September 2026 |
| Race start | 14:00 BST |
| Local start | 09:00 EDT |
| Live coverage | From around 13:45 BST |
| TV channel | TNT Sports 1 |
| Streaming | HBO Max |
| BBC coverage | No live coverage scheduled |
| Distance | 134km |
| Expected finish | Around 17:45 BST |
The race takes place entirely on the Montréal finishing circuit, with the U23 women completing ten laps around Mount Royal.
Our Women’s U23 World Championships contenders preview looks at Holmgren, Vinke, Chladoňová, Bunel, Fleur Moors, Cat Ferguson and the other riders most likely to shape the race.
How to watch the race in the UK
TNT Sports has live rights to every race at the 2026 Road World Championships, including the junior and under-23 events that are not part of the BBC’s more limited coverage.
Thursday’s women’s U23 road race is scheduled for TNT Sports 1, with the broadcast beginning before the 14:00 BST start.
Online viewers can watch through HBO Max, which is now the streaming home for TNT Sports cycling coverage in the UK. Discovery+ is therefore no longer the service to use for the World Championships.
TNT Sports can also be accessed through television packages including BT, EE, Sky and Virgin Media, depending on the subscription already attached to your account.
The wider 2026 UCI Road World Championships TV guide contains the start and broadcast times for every remaining race in Montréal.
Is the women’s U23 road race on BBC iPlayer?
No live BBC coverage is currently scheduled for the women’s U23 road race.
The BBC’s live World Championships coverage is focused on selected elite events. That means BBC iPlayer should not be relied upon for Thursday’s U23 championship.
For UK viewers, TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max are the confirmed options.
The UCI also provides live World Championships coverage through its YouTube channel in countries without conflicting broadcast agreements, but those streams are geo-blocked where local rights holders have exclusivity. The UCI feed should therefore not be treated as a free alternative in the UK.
How to watch the women’s U23 Worlds outside the UK
Coverage varies considerably by country.
Canadian viewers have one of the best arrangements, with CBC Gem streaming all 13 World Championship events free, including the women’s U23 road race on home roads.
In the United States, coverage is available through FloBikes, while Stan Sport carries the championship in Australia.
Across continental Europe, Eurosport and HBO Max provide extensive coverage in many countries, alongside national broadcasters. Availability of individual U23 and junior sessions can differ, so viewers should check the listing for their local broadcaster rather than assuming every free-to-air channel carries every race.
The UCI YouTube stream is another option in territories without a broadcaster, subject to geoblocking.
Can you watch the race while abroad?
Broadcast and streaming rights are based on location, which can create problems if you are travelling during the World Championships.
If you normally watch TNT Sports or another domestic cycling service but are temporarily abroad, a VPN can be useful for securely connecting back to your usual home network location. You should still follow the terms of the streaming service you use.
ProCyclingUK readers looking for a VPN option can use ExpressVPN.
What time should you start watching?
There is a stronger argument for watching this race from the beginning than there is with many championship road races.
The U23 women do not have the long, relatively gentle approach used by the elite fields. Instead, they go straight into ten laps of the 13.4km Mount Royal circuit, producing 134km and around 2,690 metres of climbing.
Camillien-Houde and the Côte de la Polytechnique return on every lap, so fatigue should accumulate quickly. Strong nations such as Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium also have enough depth to begin attacking before the final hour rather than waiting for one last climb.
Anyone wanting the complete tactical picture should therefore be watching from the 14:00 BST start.
For viewers with less time, around 16:15 BST is a sensible point to join. That should leave roughly the final four laps and bring the race into the phase where repeated climbing begins to have a much greater effect.
The essential viewing window is likely to begin around 17:00 BST, covering approximately the final two laps. By then the medal contenders should be much clearer, but leaving it that late carries some risk because a strong group could already have escaped.
The 2026 World Championships course guide explains the Mount Royal circuit, Camillien-Houde, Polytechnique and the uphill Avenue du Parc finish in more detail.
Why the women’s U23 race is worth watching
This is only the second standalone women’s U23 road race in World Championships history.
Célia Gery won the inaugural edition in Kigali in 2025 but has stepped up to the elite French team this year, so Montréal will produce a new champion.
There are also several riders already performing at the highest level of professional racing. Holmgren has finished inside the top 10 of both the Giro d’Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes this season, while Vinke, Bunel and Moors have accumulated major WorldTour results of their own.
Add newly crowned U23 time-trial world champion Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, 2025 road race silver medallist Chladoňová and Britain’s Cat Ferguson, and the age category should not be mistaken for a development race lacking established names.
The women’s U23 World Championships road race starts at 14:00 BST on Thursday 24 September, with live UK coverage on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max from around 13:45 BST.
