Remco Evenepoel wins fourth consecutive world time trial title in Montreal

Fourth consecutive title in Montreal

Remco Evenepoel won the men's elite individual time trial at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal on Sunday, finishing the 39.2-kilometer course in 44:53.13. The 26-year-old Belgian rider was the only competitor in the field to complete the distance under 45 minutes, securing his fourth consecutive world time trial title. Upon crossing the finish line, Evenepoel celebrated by raising four fingers with one hand and holding the other to his left eye to mimic a telescope. Italy's Filippo Ganna, a two-time former world champion in the discipline, took the silver medal after finishing 57.31 seconds behind Evenepoel. French 19-year-old Paul Seixas secured bronze with a gap of 1:13.04. Spanish riders Iván Romeo and Pablo Castrillo completed the event in 15th and 24th places, recording times 2:13.13 and 2:41.61 off the winning mark.

Technical circuit and power demands

The 39.2-kilometer course started on Avenue du Parc and concluded near Jeanne-Mance Park, accumulating 220 meters of elevation change. The layout combined high-speed sections on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Formula 1 track with technical city sectors that required repeated pace adjustments rather than extended straight lines. The route finished with a 400-meter climb averaging a 6.1% gradient directly before the finish line. Evenepoel, who holds both the Olympic and European time trial titles, started as the final rider down the ramp. While Ganna pushed high power on the flat sections, Evenepoel gained time across the technical corners while maintaining an aerodynamic tuck.

Before receiving his gold medal, Evenepoel reflected on the technical demands of the Canadian route.

It is incredible. It was always the goal to win here, a great motivation. I want to thank the team around me. It was a very technical course in the opening part and in the final part. It has been wonderful.

All-time championship standing

The victory places Evenepoel alongside Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara and Germany's Tony Martin with four world time trial titles each. Cancellara and Martin shared nearly all world titles in the event between 2006 and 2016, and the trio now accounts for more than a third of all titles since the UCI introduced the individual time trial in 1994, when Britain's Chris Boardman won the inaugural race. Evenepoel, who won the Vuelta a España in 2022, placed third at the 2024 Tour de France and finished second behind Tadej Pogacar in the 2026 Tour de France. With Pogacar absent from the world championships following a crash at the Vuelta, Evenepoel next competes in the road race in Montreal, aiming to repeat his 2022 world road race championship victory.

Reusser takes women's time trial

In the women's elite individual time trial held earlier on Sunday over the identical 39.2-kilometer Montreal route, Switzerland's Marlen Reusser captured the rainbow jersey with a winning time of 50:24.44. Great Britain's Zoe Bäckstedt finished in second place with a time of 51:04.55 to take the silver medal, 40.11 seconds behind Reusser. Germany's Franziska Koch earned bronze in 51:09.98, trailing the winning mark by 45.54 seconds. Belgian contender Lotte Kopecky finished sixth and Dutch rider Demi Vollering placed eighth, both registering identical times of 52:12.07. Spanish competitors Paula Blasi and Mireia Benito placed 18th in 53:30.36 and 20th in 54:01.93.