Montreal 2026 UCI Road World Championships to bring major traffic disruptions
Posted August 13, 2026 10:54 am.
Last Updated August 13, 2026 5:41 pm.
Montreal is about to become the centre of the cycling world, with more than 1,000 athletes from around the globe set to take over the city from Sept. 20 to 27 for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships.
The eight-day event will feature 13 races across Montreal and the South Shore, making it the biggest sporting event in the city since the 1976 Olympic Games. More than 1,000 athletes from more than 80 countries are expected to compete.
But while the championships will offer spectators a chance to watch some of the world’s best cyclists for free, drivers and transit users should prepare for significant disruptions.
“It’s an experience, not something destructive. It’s an experience for all the citizens to be able to enjoy the races,” said Joseph Limare, general manager of the Montreal 2026 UCI Road World Championships.
The championships will mark the return of the event to Montreal 52 years after the city hosted the 1974 edition, which was the first time the UCI Road World Championships were held outside Europe.
It will be the third time Canada has hosted the championships, following Montreal in 1974 and Hamilton in 2003.
Traffic and parking to be impacted during the event
The 13 races will take place on streets across Montreal and the South Shore, with impacts affecting seven Montreal boroughs and one related municipality: Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Plateau-Mont-Royal, Le Sud-Ouest, Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Outremont, Verdun, Ville-Marie and Westmount.
The elite women’s and men’s road races will start at Quartier DIX30 in Brossard before crossing the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge and heading into Montreal. All 13 events will finish on Avenue du Parc.
The main event site will be located at the foot of Mount Royal on Avenue du Parc, between Avenue des Pins and Avenue du Mont-Royal. The site will host the start and finish areas and the Bonjour Montréal Fan Village.
The area will be closed to vehicular traffic from Sept. 5 to Oct. 4 to allow for the installation and dismantling of the site.
Jim Beis, responsible for security and prevention on Montreal’s executive committee, said the scale of the event means some inconvenience is unavoidable.
“This being more major and affecting different communities along the way, certainly we’ll have impact. And so folks need to understand that it doesn’t come without some type of inconveniences and we tell people we welcome them to come to the site,” Beis said.
During race week, road closures will move with the cyclists. Barriers will be installed along the routes starting at about 7 a.m., and streets are expected to reopen in the early evening after events, with the exception of the main event site.
That means routes and closures will change from day to day, and drivers are being encouraged to plan ahead and check the championship’s dynamic maps before heading out.
The Bonaventure Expressway will also be affected during the event, while the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge will be part of the elite road race routes on Sept. 26 and 27.
Public transit will also see changes. Five STM bus routes are expected to be particularly affected between Sept. 4 and Oct. 4: the 80 Du Parc, 97 Avenue du Mont-Royal, 129 Côte-Sainte-Catherine, 365 Du Parc and 480 Express Du Parc.
On the South Shore, RTL services will also be affected, with additional measures planned for race weekend.
More than 2,000 free parking spaces will be available at Chevrier, with free RTL shuttle services to Quartier DIX30 during the Sept. 26 and 27 races.
In the Montérégie, road closures will be localized and temporary, generally lasting about 1.5 to two hours as they follow the progression of the races.
Officials are encouraging residents to plan their entire trip before leaving home, including how they will get into Montreal, and to check the championship’s dynamic maps for real-time information.
“If they don’t have to go out that day or that portion of the day that the race is going through their neighborhoods, we would ask them to at least come out of their homes, come and enjoy and be a part of the celebrations of how Montreal does it,” Beis said.
A major moment for Montreal’s cycling history
Limare said the championships are also an opportunity to highlight Montreal’s long history with cycling.
“Cycling in Montreal is something, it’s the history of Montreal. The first World Championships were held in the 18th century in Montreal. It was not UCI at that time,” he said.
Montreal previously hosted the UCI Road World Championships in 1974, when the event became the first edition held outside Europe. The 2026 championships will again put Mount Royal and the city’s streets at the centre of international cycling.
“Montreal is also at the level, the UCI bike city level there’s only 20 cities in the world with this level,” Limare said.
The final Mount Royal circuit will feature the Camillien-Houde climb, the Polytechnique climb and an uphill finish on Avenue du Parc.
$13 million in federal support
The event is being organized by the Montreal 2026 local organizing committee in collaboration with the UCI and Cycling Canada, with support from the City of Montreal, the governments of Quebec and Canada, Tourisme Montreal and Tourisme Montérégie.
The federal government has committed $13 million to support the championships, including $9.8 million through Sport Canada’s Hosting Program and $3.2 million from Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
And for spectators, there is no admission charge. All 13 races can be watched for free, while the Bonjour Montréal Fan Village at Parc Jeanne-Mance will also be free and open to everyone.
