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Montreal is about become the epicentre for the world’s best road cyclists.
For eight days, beginning Sept. 20 through the 27th, the city’s historic cobblestone streets in the old port and the iconic Mount Royal will be transformed into hundreds of kilometres of circuit as athletes from around the globe fight to become the next road cycling world champion.
The UCI Road Cycling World Championships are one of the only professional road cycling races outside of the Olympic Games where athletes line up for their nations instead of their professional teams. The event will include more than 1,000 athletes from more than 75 countries. CBC Sports and CBC Gem has full coverage of the event.
The 13 events — in distances from 10 to 274 kilometres — will not only feature the biggest names in road cycling in the elite level but also the next generation of stars in the junior and under-23 races.
Of interest for Canadians will be Quebecoise cyclist Magdeleine Vallieres Mill, who can make history as the first Canadian with a chance to defend a world championship title at home. She won the coveted rainbow jersey after winning the elite women’s road race in last year’s championships in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Road Cycling World Championships returns to Montreal after 50 years. With Canadian talent young and old set to hit the road, here’s what you need to know to get you up to speed.
“It’s such an honour to race at home, I don’t get to do it a lot,” Vallieres Mill said. “Being able to race in front of Quebec, Canada, all my family and friends, I think will be something incredible.
“I hope that young riders can come watch the Worlds and see that it is possible. We’re coming from Canada and we’re going to be competing against the best. I’m hoping they can see that they can get on a bike too.”
It’s the second time that the event has taken place in Montreal, the first being 50 years ago when Belgian legend Eddy Merckx starred, putting the city on the map as a biking centre. Montreal was the first city outside of Europe to host the race.
The return of the event comes at a time when interest in cycling in Montreal has never been higher. Tourism Montreal says the city is expecting more than half a million spectators and a global television audience of upward of 200 million.
“Cycling is a sport and a way of transportation. A high percentage of the population has ridden a bike. Even if you haven’t competed in the sport you can relate to the difficulty of riding 280 kilometres,” said Mathieu Boucher, CEO of Cycling Canada.
Thirteen men’s and women’s events will be held across three categories: individual time trials; mass-start road race; and a team time trial mixed relay.
The individual time trial events for the men’s and women’s elite category will be held on a 40-km course along the banks of the St. Lawrence River, the Gilles Villeneuve Formula 1 Circuit and Parc Jean-Drapeau.
The most anticipated events of the week are the 274-km road races for elite riders that feature multiple circuits that begin in Brossard on Montreal’s south shore and wind their way toward Mount Royal.
“Everything about Montreal is great but one thing that is so special is that the race has circuits so you can see the riders come by over and over again,” said veteran Canadian Mike Woods, a former Tour de France stage winner who is coming out of retirement to compete.
“It’s always a point of pride to wear the maple leaf but this will be extra special,” he said. “On home soil this will be amazing. Even now I’m getting emotional thinking about it. It will be special.”
Cycling Canada is sending a star-studded team to represent the nation in Montreal. The elite men’s road race will be made up of Woods, Derek Gee-West, Pier-André Côté, Hugo Houle, Michael Leonard and Nickolas Zukowsky.
On the women’s side, in addition to Vallieres Mill, Canada will also be represented by Alison Jackson, Maggie Coles-Lyster, Nadia Gontova, Olivia Baril, Sarah Van Dam and Adèle Normand. Cole-Lyster, the reigning road cycling Canadian champion, is coming off a strong result in the Commonwealth Games where she won a bronze medal for Canada in track cycling.
The UCI Road World Championships run from Sept. 20 to 27 and will span 36 kilometres of road network, with the most significant impact being Parc Avenue, between des Pins and Mont-Royal avenues. That stretch will be closed for a month, starting Sept. 4.
A key part of preparing to host the cycling world in Montreal has been continuing to build up the infrastructure around the city. This has included resurfacing 36 kms of roads, modernizing 13 kms of cycling paths connecting the suburbs to the city centre and new permanent bike lanes along the St. Lawrence River.
“Canadians love riding their bikes, whether they are dreaming of one day being in the Tour de France or not,” said Adam van Koeverden, Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport. “Cycling is a natural way people get to work or school or do recreation on the weekend. It is important to have a healthy active lifestyle, it’s important to Canadians.”
Van Koeverden said the federal government has invested more than $13 million to host the world championships, which he says has been met with significant money from Quebec and Montreal.
“We want to have more of these incredible opportunities on home soil. It’s great for our economy, our place in the world and our sports infrastructure that communities use all year round,” van Koeverden said.
