Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal 2026 preview: route, startlist, and favorites

Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal 2026 arrives one week after its Quebec City sister race, and the format remains one of the most distinctive in the WorldTour: a repeated urban circuit with enough climbing per lap to erode sprinters and enough laps to reward consistency over a single explosive effort.

The Cote Camillien-Houde is the defining feature, but the cumulative effect of every climb on the circuit is what breaks the race open. Past winners include Tadej Pogacar (2024), Adam Yates (2023), and Brandon McNulty (2025), all riders who could absorb repeated accelerations and then finish from a select group.

McNulty returns as the defending champion, but the depth of the field means Montreal often delivers its own verdict regardless of pre-race favorites. The rider who manages the circuit’s attrition best across the full race, not just the final lap, typically wins.