The Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal 2026 has assembled one of the strongest one-day fields of the late season, with Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, Paul Seixas, Tom Pidcock and defending champion Brandon McNulty among the leading names due to start on Sunday 13 September.
Montréal is the harder half of Canada’s WorldTour double-header. The peloton faces 214.4km across 16 laps of the new 13.4km Mount Royal circuit, accumulating approximately 4,304 metres of climbing through repeated ascents of Camillien-Houde, Côte de la Polytechnique and Avenue Pagnuelo.
The GP Montréal 2026 route guide looks in detail at the redesigned circuit, which should produce a much more selective race than Friday’s GP Québec.
There is additional interest this year because many of the same roads will be used when the elite men’s World Championship road race takes place in Montréal on 27 September. Sunday’s race therefore offers a rare opportunity to see many of the rainbow jersey contenders racing the circuit at WorldTour intensity before returning two weeks later.
Evenepoel leads the challenge to UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Remco Evenepoel is one of the biggest names on the start list and leads Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe alongside Maxim Van Gils.
The Montréal circuit looks considerably better suited to Evenepoel than a course where the race is likely to end in a large reduced sprint. More than 4,300 metres of climbing should gradually remove the faster finishers and provide several opportunities for him to attack before the final lap.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG nevertheless arrive with the deepest collection of potential winners.
McNulty returns after winning the 2025 edition, while Del Toro gives UAE another rider capable of becoming the outright leader if the race is made particularly difficult. Jhonatan Narváez, Tim Wellens and Adam Yates add further options, leaving the team with little reason to commit to one protected rider from the beginning.
That depth may become particularly important during the final three laps, when most teams are likely to be reduced to one or two leaders.
Paul Seixas gets a course that suits him
Paul Seixas is another of the headline riders and should find Montréal particularly well matched to his strengths.
The Decathlon CMA CGM rider does not need a long Alpine climb for the accumulated elevation to work in his favour. Sixteen repetitions of Mount Royal should create the kind of attritional race where climbing strength becomes increasingly important as the kilometres accumulate.
Tiesj Benoot gives Decathlon valuable tactical support, while Paul Lapeira provides a faster option if the final group remains larger than expected.
For Seixas, the race also provides a significant test ahead of the World Championships. He will get a complete competitive look at the Mount Royal circuit rather than simply learning it through reconnaissance.
Tom Pidcock brings form into the Canadian weekend
Tom Pidcock leads Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team and arrives in Canada with form already confirmed after winning GP Industria & Artigianato at Larciano.
Montréal gives him several possible routes towards victory. The climbs are short enough for his explosiveness to matter, the technical transitions suit his bike handling and he retains enough finishing speed to become dangerous if a small group reaches the closing kilometres together.
Quinten Hermans adds another strong option to the Q36.5 line-up and should help ensure Pidcock does not have to respond personally to every move during the final laps.
Lidl-Trek have one of the deepest teams in the race
Lidl-Trek can approach Montréal with several different leaders.
Juan Ayuso and Giulio Ciccone give the team two riders capable of handling the full climbing load, while Quinn Simmons returns after finishing third in the 2025 edition.
Simmons’ presence is particularly useful because he does not need to wait for the final Mount Royal ascent. His best opportunity may come by attacking before the obvious favourites, forcing UAE, Red Bull and Decathlon to decide whether to chase while Ayuso and Ciccone remain protected behind.
Derek Gee-West, Matteo Sobrero and Toms Skujiņš make this one of the few squads capable of approaching UAE’s strength in numbers.
Jorgenson, Healy and Matthews offer different ways to win
Matteo Jorgenson heads Team Visma | Lease a Bike and should benefit if the race becomes a long endurance contest. His challenge is avoiding a finish against riders with greater acceleration, giving Visma an incentive to attack rather than simply follow.
Ben Healy gives EF Education-EasyPost almost the opposite tactical problem to Michael Matthews.
Healy wants the final hour to become difficult to control. Gaps, repeated attacks and hesitation between the strongest teams all increase his chances of getting away.
Matthews needs to survive that process.
The Australian won GP Montréal in 2018 and remains one of the best riders in the peloton at retaining a sprint after substantial climbing. His presence gives almost every pure climber another reason to make the final laps as hard as possible.
Michael Woods returns with Team Canada
Michael Woods is the standout name in the Canadian national selection.
The 39-year-old is returning to competition as he builds towards the home World Championships and gets a course well suited to his explosive climbing characteristics. His race condition after time away remains uncertain, but the Mount Royal circuit provides an ideal test.
Canada are still waiting for a home winner of the modern GP Montréal, although Ryder Hesjedal reached the podium twice during the race’s early years.
The history of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal traces the race from its introduction in 2010 through the Pogačar era and the latest changes to the Mount Royal circuit.
Several major names are missing from Montréal
The strength of the start list is notable despite several obvious absences.
Tadej Pogačar is not defending his previous Montréal victories after his 2026 season ended prematurely at the Vuelta a España. His absence also means UAE cannot use the same hierarchy that has dominated recent editions, giving McNulty and Del Toro greater responsibility.
Mathieu van der Poel has chosen a different preparation route ahead of the World Championships and is not racing the Canadian WorldTour events.
Arnaud De Lie is another withdrawal. The former GP Québec winner misses both Canadian races after illness disrupted his programme, removing one of the more dangerous fast finishers from the field.
Those absences change the shape of the race without weakening it substantially. Montréal remains loaded with riders who would normally begin a WorldTour one-day race as protected leaders.
Full GP Montréal 2026 start list
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
