Last updated: September 16, 2026
Isaac del Toro won Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on September 13 and put himself at the front of the World Championships conversation. The Canadian race ran over the streets and climbs that will shape the elite men’s road race two weeks later.
Del Toro took the closest thing to a dress rehearsal
Del Toro attacked Paul Seixas with 300 meters left on the uphill run to the line and held him off. He did it after 214 km on a climbing-heavy course, not from a fresh bunch. The World Championships will be longer, but Montréal showed that Del Toro can finish on this terrain when the race is already hard.
Seixas stayed in the fight
Seixas followed Del Toro into the finish and took second. The Frenchman could not come around him, but he stayed there when the race split and still had the speed to challenge. For a 20-year-old, that is a serious result on a course that will test far more experienced riders at Worlds.
Belgium has strength in numbers
Evenepoel won GP Québec before the field reached Montréal. With Van Aert beside him and a deep Belgian team behind them, he has more help than most of the other favorites. Belgium can ride hard early, send riders up the road, or wait for a finish that still includes Van Aert.
A different race on September 27
The World Championships will add distance and national-team tactics to the same terrain. That makes the race harder to control, especially once the smaller delegations run out of riders. Del Toro has form. Belgium has numbers. Seixas has shown he belongs in the fight. Pidcock remains a threat on the climbs.
Looking ahead to Worlds
Montréal favors riders who can climb again and again, then still find an acceleration at the finish. Del Toro made the strongest statement in the warm-up race. On September 27, he will have to do it again against a fresher, deeper, and more tactical field.