July 22/21 9:35 am - Montreal Bids for 2026 Road Worlds

Posted by Editoress on 07/22/21
 

The organizers of the Montreal and Quebec Road World Cups has put together a bid to host the 2026 Road Worlds in Montreal. This would be the first Road Worlds in Canada since Hamilton in 2003, and would be a return to Montreal 52 years after it previously hosted the Worlds in Montreal (Editor’s Note: the first Worlds I ever saw). The full text of the release is below:

Montréal candidate to host the  2026 UCI Road World Championships
 
Montréal, July 22, 2021 – Montréal is in contention to host the 2026 UCI Road World Championships. Événements GPCQM, promoter of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, is proud to have developed and submitted the bid document to the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), in collaboration with Cycling Canada and the Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes (FQSC).The Championships would be held in September, just a week after the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, the only two UCI WorldTour events in the Americas, with the world’s elite cyclists welcomed to Canada for three weeks of wall-to-wall cycling races.
 
The UCI Road World Championships have been held outside Europe only nine times since they were first presented in 1921. And it was Montréal that hosted the very first non-European edition of the competition, in 1974, with the legendary Eddy Merckx winning on the Mount Royal circuit. This is the UCI’s flagship event, one of the world’s greatest sporting events, with the winner awarded the emblematic rainbow jersey, and represents an exceptional opportunity for Canada in terms of economic, social and tourism benefits as well as international exposure for Montréal. Hosting the UCI Road World Championships would also confirm Montréal as a cycling destination and leader in the development of cycling in all its forms.
 
Prestigious locations such as Park Avenue, Jeanne-Mance Park, Mount Royal, Olympic Park, Jean-Drapeau Park and the Old Port will feature on the circuit that will see cyclists proudly competing in their nations’ colours. In addition to routes along the St. Lawrence River and through the heart of Montréal, the race route could also take in the major cycling venues in the greater metropolitan area.
 
THE UCI ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NUMBERS*

    • Program of competitions spread over 8 days
    • Free event for the public
    • 1,000 athletes, men and women, in Junior, U23 and Elite categories
    • 11 titles to defend: 6 time trials, 5 road races
    • 75 countries represented
    • 5,000 team members, officials, UCI members and guests
    • Hosting of the UCI Congress, the organization’s highest decision-making body, with some 400 representatives from all continents expected to attend
    • More than 800 accredited media representatives
    • Broadcast to some 150 countries
   •  250 million viewers
    • More than half a million spectators, over half of whom will travel from outside the region
   •  Over $170 million in overall economic activity for the province of Québec and over $210 million for Canada**
   •  Over 1,000 jobs supported locally
   •  Tax revenues valued at $54M (Canada overall)


The project would be piloted by Événements GPCQM in close collaboration with the UCI and in partnership with Cycling Canada and the FQSC, with financial and technical support provided by the City of Montréal, the governments of Quebec and Canada, and Tourisme Montréal. The host city for the 2026 Road World Championships will be announced on September 24 at the UCI Congress in Belgium, held in conjunction with this year’s Championships, which run September 19 to 26.

*References:

Bid Guide, UCI Road World Championships: Economic Impact Assessment, Sport Tourism Canada (2021)

**  In 2019, the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal alone generated $38.1 million in economic impact for Canada. There were nearly 75,000 overnight stays related to the event, which featured only two days of racing.