The 2026 UCI Road World Championships take place in Montréal from 20-27 September, with 13 rainbow jerseys decided across eight days of racing.
The championships begin on Sunday 20 September with the elite women’s individual time trial, followed by the elite men’s race against the clock later the same day. Junior and under-23 time trials, the mixed relay and four age-group road races fill the middle of the programme before the elite road races close the week.
For UK viewers, TNT Sports and HBO Max will show every event live, making them the simplest options for following the entire championships from the first time trial to the men’s road race on the final Sunday.
The elite women’s road race starts at 14:00 BST on Saturday 26 September, with the elite men’s road race starting at 14:00 BST on Sunday 27 September.
2026 World Championships TV schedule and UK start times
Montréal is five hours behind the UK while British Summer Time remains in effect.
| Date | Event | Race start | TNT Sports / HBO Max coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 20 Sept | Elite women’s individual time trial | 14:00 BST | 13:50 |
| Sun 20 Sept | Elite men’s individual time trial | 17:45 | 17:35 |
| Mon 21 Sept | Women’s U23 individual time trial | 14:00 | 13:50 |
| Mon 21 Sept | Men’s U23 individual time trial | 17:00 | 16:50 |
| Tue 22 Sept | Mixed relay team time trial | 13:30 | 13:20 |
| Tue 22 Sept | Men’s junior individual time trial | 17:15 | 17:05 |
| Tue 22 Sept | Women’s junior individual time trial | 20:15 | 20:05 |
| Wed 23 Sept | Road race training day | – | – |
| Thu 24 Sept | Women’s U23 road race | 14:00 | 13:50 |
| Thu 24 Sept | Men’s junior road race | 18:30 | 18:20 |
| Fri 25 Sept | Men’s U23 road race | 14:00 | 13:50 |
| Fri 25 Sept | Women’s junior road race | 19:15 | 19:05 |
| Sat 26 Sept | Elite women’s road race | 14:00 | 13:50 |
| Sun 27 Sept | Elite men’s road race | 14:00 | 13:50 |
The official Montréal programme has the elite women’s time trial starting at 09:00 local time on the opening Sunday and the men’s event at 12:45. Both elite road races also begin at 09:00 local time on the final weekend.
TNT Sports is available through BT, EE, Sky and Virgin Media, while the full championship can also be streamed through HBO Max.
Watch the UCI Road World Championships on TNT Sports and HBO Max
How to watch the World Championships in the UK
TNT Sports and HBO Max are the main UK options if you want to watch every race.
Coverage begins around ten minutes before the scheduled start of each event and includes the junior and under-23 competitions as well as the four elite championships.
That means the opening weekend is straightforward. The elite women’s time trial begins at 14:00 BST on Sunday 20 September, with the men’s time trial following at 17:45.
The elite road races take over the following weekend, both beginning at 14:00.
The women’s race is expected to finish at approximately 19:10 BST on Saturday. The much longer men’s championship should continue until around 20:40 on Sunday.
Women’s individual time trial opens the World Championships
The first rainbow jersey of Montréal 2026 will be decided by the elite women.
Racing begins at 14:00 BST on Sunday 20 September, with TNT Sports and HBO Max on air from 13:50.
The women face 39.2km and 220 metres of climbing, using exactly the same course as the elite men later that afternoon.
Rather than heading onto the Mount Royal climbs that dominate the road races, the time trial runs through Montréal and towards the St Lawrence River, incorporating part of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve before returning towards Parc Jeanne-Mance.
The first rider is scheduled to start at 09:00 local time, with the women’s competition expected to finish at around 11:20, or 16:20 BST.
The elite men’s time trial follows at 17:45 BST.
It is a relatively flat championship by recent Worlds standards, putting a greater emphasis on sustained aerodynamic power than climbing. The late rise back towards the finish does provide one final pacing test after almost 40km at high speed.
Photo Credit: GettyMonday: under-23 time trials
Monday 21 September belongs to the under-23 riders.
The women’s race begins at 14:00 BST, with TNT Sports and HBO Max coverage from 13:50. Their course covers 20.3km with 145 metres of elevation.
The men’s U23 time trial starts at 17:00 BST and uses a longer 31.3km route containing 197 metres of climbing. Coverage begins at 16:50.
These are standalone under-23 titles rather than classifications extracted from the elite events, continuing the championship structure introduced in recent seasons.
Tuesday: mixed relay and junior time trials
Tuesday has three separate rainbow jerseys available.
The mixed relay team time trial begins at 13:30 BST, with coverage from 13:20.
National teams field three men and three women, with the men’s trio completing the opening part before the women’s riders take over. The combined course measures 40.6km with 290 metres of climbing.
The men’s junior individual time trial follows at 17:15 BST, before the women’s junior race starts at 20:15 BST.
Wednesday contains no championship race, giving teams a training and reconnaissance day before the programme moves entirely onto the road.
Thursday and Friday: road racing begins
The first mass-start World Championship is held on Thursday 24 September.
The women’s U23 road race starts at 14:00 BST, with TNT Sports and HBO Max on air ten minutes beforehand. It covers 134km with 2,690 metres of climbing.
The men’s junior road race uses the same distance and climbing total later that afternoon, starting at 18:30 BST.
Friday begins with the men’s under-23 championship at 14:00 BST. At 174.2km and almost 3,500 metres of climbing, it should provide the clearest competitive indication yet of how demanding the repeated Mount Royal laps become under national-team racing.
The women’s junior road race then begins at 19:15 BST.
By Friday evening, attention turns to the two elite championships.
Photo Credit: GettyHow to watch the elite women’s road race
The elite women’s road race takes place on Saturday 26 September, starting at 14:00 BST.
TNT Sports and HBO Max coverage begins at 13:50.
The race covers 180.4km and 2,570 metres of climbing, beginning at Quartier DIX30 in Brossard before crossing into Montréal and finishing with eight laps around Mount Royal.
The expected finish is approximately 19:10 BST, although the exact time will depend on race speed.
Our full Women’s World Championships 2026 road race route guide looks in detail at why the closing 107km around Mount Royal should dominate the race.
More than 2,150 metres of the total climbing comes after the riders reach the 13.4km finishing circuit. Camillien-Houde provides the main sustained climb, the Côte de la Polytechnique adds steeper gradients and Avenue du Parc rises towards the finishing line.
Anyone joining the broadcast late should therefore be cautious. With eight circuits and several strong nations capable of attacking from distance, the decisive move could come considerably earlier than the final 20km.
How to watch the elite men’s road race
The men’s road race closes the World Championships on Sunday 27 September.
The race starts at 14:00 BST, with TNT Sports and HBO Max coverage from 13:50.
At 273.7km and 3,803 metres of climbing, it is comfortably the longest event of the week. The men race 112.4km before reaching Montréal and then complete 12 laps around Mount Royal.
The expected finish is around 20:40 BST.
Anyone who watched GP Montréal on 13 September will already know the decisive terrain. The WorldTour race used the same redesigned 13.4km Mount Royal circuit, albeit for 16 laps rather than the 12 used at Worlds.
Our GP Montréal route guide breaks down Camillien-Houde, Polytechnique, Pagnuelo and the rising Avenue du Parc finish.
GP Montréal 2026 route guide: World Championships circuit packs in 4,304 metres of climbing
Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas eventually escaped together on the final lap of GP Montréal before the Mexican beat Seixas on Avenue du Parc.
Isaac del Toro wins GP Montréal 2026 ahead of Paul Seixas in World Championships dress rehearsal
The World Championships adds almost 60km to the total distance and completely changes the tactical environment by replacing trade teams with national squads.
Key elite World Championships times for UK viewers
If you only want the four elite championships, these are the times to remember.
| Event | Date | UK start | Main UK coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s individual time trial | Sun 20 Sept | 14:00 | TNT Sports, HBO Max |
| Men’s individual time trial | Sun 20 Sept | 17:45 | TNT Sports, HBO Max |
| Women’s road race | Sat 26 Sept | 14:00 | TNT Sports, HBO Max |
| Men’s road race | Sun 27 Sept | 14:00 | TNT Sports, HBO Max |
The road races require a much larger viewing window than the identical start times suggest.
The women should race for a little over five hours.
The men’s event is expected to last around six hours and 40 minutes, taking the final race of the championships into Sunday evening in the UK.
How to watch the World Championships in the USA
FloBikes has live US coverage of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships.
The service is carrying all 13 championship events from 20-27 September, with replays available after each race.
Watch the 2026 UCI Road World Championships on FloBikes
Montréal uses Eastern Daylight Time, so viewers on the US East Coast can use the local race times without conversion.
FloBikes’ confirmed broadcast windows for the four elite events are:
| Event | US broadcast time |
|---|---|
| Women’s elite ITT | 08:50-11:55 ET |
| Men’s elite ITT | 12:20-15:45 ET |
| Women’s elite road race | 08:50-14:40 ET |
| Men’s elite road race | 08:50-16:10 ET |
The women’s time trial itself starts at 09:00 ET, while the men’s time trial starts at 12:45.
Both elite road races begin at 09:00 ET.
FloBikes can be watched through a browser or through the FloSports app on supported phones, tablets and streaming devices.
How to watch in Canada
Canadian viewers have several options for following their home World Championships.
CBC Gem provides a free streaming route to CBC’s coverage, while FloBikes is also available for subscribers in Canada.
Watch CBC online through CBC Gem
Watch the 2026 World Championships on FloBikes
The four elite start times in Montréal are:
| Event | Montréal time |
|---|---|
| Women’s individual time trial | 09:00, Sun 20 Sept |
| Men’s individual time trial | 12:45, Sun 20 Sept |
| Women’s road race | 09:00, Sat 26 Sept |
| Men’s road race | 09:00, Sun 27 Sept |
For spectators attending rather than watching at home, the time trials finish around Parc Jeanne-Mance, while the elite road races start from Quartier DIX30 in Brossard before eventually reaching the Mount Royal circuit.
Photo Credit: GettyHow to watch in Australia
Australian coverage is through Stan Sport, with the entire UCI Road World Championships available live and on demand.
Watch the UCI Road World Championships on Stan Sport
The time difference makes the championship a much later watch.
The women’s elite time trial begins at 23:00 AEST on Sunday 20 September, with Stan Sport’s coverage starting ten minutes earlier.
The men’s time trial starts at 02:45 AEST on Monday morning.
Both elite road races begin at 23:00 AEST, with the women’s championship on Saturday night and the men’s championship beginning late on Sunday and running into Monday morning.
Stan Sport also has all of the under-23, junior and mixed relay events listed live.
How to watch in Spain
Spanish viewers can follow cycling through RTVE and Teledeporte, with streams available through RTVE Play.
The most useful page for race week is the dedicated cycling section, where live events, replays and highlights are collected together.
There is also a direct Teledeporte player for viewers who know the race is being shown on the television channel.
Watch Teledeporte live on RTVE Play
That is particularly useful on mobile. Rather than navigating through the wider RTVE website on race day, viewers can go directly into the Teledeporte stream when the broadcast begins.
How to watch in Italy
Italian viewers can use RAI and its RaiPlay service.
Cycling coverage is collected in the dedicated RaiPlay cycling section, which carries major international races alongside highlights and on-demand programming.
When coverage is scheduled on Rai Sport, the channel can also be watched directly through its live player.
Watch Rai Sport live on RaiPlay
The live player is the simplest option once a World Championships broadcast is underway, while the cycling hub is useful for finding replays and related programmes.
How to watch in France
France Télévisions provides France’s free-to-air coverage, with online viewing available through France.tv.
Watch France Télévisions online at France.tv
Individual races may be placed on France 2, France 3 or a dedicated digital stream depending on the day’s schedule, so the France.tv homepage is the most reliable starting point during championship week.
The French team should attract considerable attention in Montréal after Paul Seixas finished second at GP Montréal on the World Championships circuit only two weeks before the men’s road race.
How to watch in Belgium
Belgian viewers have strong free-to-air options in both Dutch and French.
Flemish coverage is available through Sporza and VRT, with live streaming through VRT MAX.
Watch VRT and Sporza coverage on VRT MAX
French-speaking viewers can use RTBF Auvio, which provides RTBF’s live television and online sports streams.
Watch RTBF online through Auvio
Belgium arrive at Montréal with one of the most interesting teams in either elite race. Remco Evenepoel has already won GP Québec, while Wout van Aert heads to Canada after taking two stages, the green jersey and the overall combativity award at the Vuelta a España.
European World Championships coverage
Eurosport and HBO Max provide coverage across much of continental Europe, but national broadcasters remain particularly useful where they offer free streams.
For race week, the main direct player options include:
| Country | Broadcaster | Online player |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | RTVE / Teledeporte | RTVE Play |
| Italy | RAI / Rai Sport | RaiPlay |
| France | France Télévisions | France.tv |
| Belgium | Sporza / VRT | VRT MAX |
| Belgium | RTBF | RTBF Auvio |
| UK | TNT Sports | HBO Max |
| USA | FloBikes | FloBikes |
| Canada | CBC | CBC Gem |
| Australia | Stan Sport | Stan |
Broadcast rights and geoblocking remain territory-specific, so the relevant service is normally the one licensed for the country in which you are physically watching.
What time should you tune in for the road races?
For UK viewers, 13:50 BST is the simplest answer for both elite road races.
That gets you into the TNT Sports and HBO Max broadcast before the 14:00 start.
Anyone unable to watch five or seven hours of cycling has a harder decision.
The women reach the eight-lap Mount Royal finale after the opening 72.7km, leaving more than 100km still to race once they enter the circuit. The strongest nations may begin using their numbers long before the final lap.
The men’s race is even less predictable.
The riders complete 112.4km before arriving at Mount Royal and then face 12 laps of the same circuit used at GP Montréal. The recent WorldTour race showed that Camillien-Houde, Polytechnique and the roads between them can begin breaking groups apart well before the final ascent.
Watching only the closing 20km is therefore risky.
For both elite races, the decisive move may already be gone by then.
