Men’s World Championships time trial 2026 start order and start times

The official start order has been confirmed for the elite men’s individual time trial at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, with 61 riders from 39 nations set to race on Sunday 20 September. Gil Gomes of Guinea-Bissau is the first rider down the ramp at 13:00 local time, while three-time defending champion Remco Evenepoel starts last at 14:30.

The strongest contenders are concentrated towards the end of the running order. Stefan Küng starts at 14:24 local time, followed by Bruno Armirail, Ethan Hayter, Filippo Ganna and Evenepoel in the final six minutes. Tobias Foss, Paul Seixas, Callum Thornley, Mathias Vacek, Brandon McNulty, Jakob Söderqvist and Daan Hoole are among the other riders starting during the final half-hour.

Riders leave at 90-second intervals throughout the 39.2km course, with intermediate time checks after 10.7km, 21.9km and 29.8km. For analysis of the riders most likely to challenge Evenepoel, see ProCyclingUK’s men’s World Championships time trial 2026 preview.

The earlier full men’s World Championships time trial start list provides the complete field by nation, while this page focuses on the confirmed running order and individual start times.

Men’s World Championships time trial 2026 race details

Date: Sunday 20 September 2026
Start: Avenue du Parc, Montréal
Finish: Parc Jeanne-Mance, Montréal
Distance: 39.2km
Elevation gain: 220 metres
First rider: 13:00 local / 18:00 BST
Final rider: 14:30 local / 19:30 BST
Intermediate checks: 10.7km, 21.9km and 29.8km
Defending champion: Remco Evenepoel

The general World Championships schedule lists the men’s time trial session from 12:45 local time, but the final start sheet confirms that the first rider actually begins at 13:00.

The course is identical to the one used by the elite women earlier on Sunday. It largely avoids Mount Royal, heading instead towards the St Lawrence River and Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve before returning towards Parc Jeanne-Mance.

ProCyclingUK’s 2026 UCI Road World Championships course guide has the full route, while the World Championships TV and live-stream guide covers the viewing options for the UK and internationally.

Full men’s World Championships time trial 2026 start order

The confirmed start sheet contains 61 riders, all separated by 90 seconds. Times below are shown in Montréal local time and BST for UK viewers.

Photo Credit: Getty

What time do the main contenders start?

The start order builds towards a particularly strong final half-hour, with most of the medal contenders appearing after 14:00 local time.

Tobias Foss: 14:03 / 19:03 BST
Paul Seixas: 14:07:30 / 19:07:30 BST
Callum Thornley: 14:09 / 19:09 BST
Mathias Vacek: 14:10:30 / 19:10:30 BST
Brandon McNulty: 14:12 / 19:12 BST
Jakob Söderqvist: 14:18 / 19:18 BST
Daan Hoole: 14:21 / 19:21 BST
Stefan Küng: 14:24 / 19:24 BST
Ethan Hayter: 14:27 / 19:27 BST
Filippo Ganna: 14:28:30 / 19:28:30 BST
Remco Evenepoel: 14:30 / 19:30 BST

The final three riders give the race a straightforward climax. Hayter starts three minutes before Evenepoel, Ganna follows 90 seconds later and the defending champion is the last man onto the course.

That puts Evenepoel in the advantageous position of having intermediate times available from every other rider, including Ganna immediately ahead of him.

Küng starts six minutes before Evenepoel and should therefore provide another important reference. The Swiss rider arrives after winning the 32.1km Vuelta a España time trial in Jerez and is one of the strongest contenders behind the final Ganna-Evenepoel pairing.

Photo Credit: Getty

Great Britain start times

Great Britain have Callum Thornley and Ethan Hayter in the elite men’s time trial.

Thornley starts at 14:09 local time / 19:09 BST, placing him just ahead of Vacek and McNulty in a strong middle section of the final group.

Hayter is the third-last rider to start at 14:27 / 19:27 BST, immediately before Ganna and Evenepoel.

That gives Britain two useful reference points at different stages of the race.

Thornley arrives after finishing only three seconds behind Küng in the Vuelta time trial at Jerez, while Hayter won the British championship over 38.4km, almost exactly the same distance as the Montréal course.

Ganna starts immediately before Evenepoel

The final 90-second gap may attract more attention than any other in the start order.

Ganna begins at 14:28:30 local time before Evenepoel leaves at 14:30.

On paper, that gives the Belgian the informational advantage. His team will know Ganna’s splits at all three intermediate checks before Evenepoel reaches the same points.

The more intriguing possibility would be Evenepoel beginning to see Ganna on the road.

Evenepoel would need to gain 90 seconds for that to happen, an enormous margin against a rider of Ganna’s quality on a course which should particularly suit the Italian. Even without a catch becoming realistic, the visual gap between the two could still become informative if it changes significantly during the race.

Their rivalry is covered in more detail in the men’s World Championships time trial preview.

The final start order confirms 61 riders

Unlike some of the earlier preliminary fields, the official start sheet now provides the definitive running order: 61 riders representing 39 nations.

The first 40 riders take the race from 13:00 through to Cattaneo at 14:00. From that point, the established WorldTour specialists appear almost continuously until Evenepoel closes the start order half an hour later.

With three intermediate timing points, the picture should develop quickly once the later starters reach the course. By the time Ganna and Evenepoel begin their rides, times from Küng, Hayter, Foss, Thornley, Vacek and McNulty will already give a clear indication of what is required to win the rainbow jersey.