How to watch UCI Road World Championships 2026: live stream every race from Montréal from anywhere
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The 2026 UCI Road World Championships take over Montréal, Québec, from September 20th to 27th, 2026, bringing the fight for the rainbow jerseys back to North America for the first time since the 2015 UCI Road World Championships in Richmond. Across 8 days, nearly 1,000 riders from more than 75 countries will contest 13 medal events: 6 road races, 6 individual time trials, and a mixed team relay.
The action starts on Sunday, September 20th, at 9:00AM ET with the elite women's individual time trial, followed by the elite men's time trial at 12:45 PM ET. The week builds to the elite road races on the closing weekend: the women's race on Saturday, September 26th, and the men's on Sunday, September 27th, both at 9:00AM ET.
In Canada and the US, FloBikes holds exclusive full coverage, with CBC Gem streaming for free in Canada. UK viewers can watch on TNT Sports, and Australian fans get every race free on SBS On Demand.
All of these services are geo-restricted to their home countries. If you're traveling abroad during the championships, you can use a VPN to connect to a server back home and watch through your usual subscription.
Where to watch the UCI Road World Championships 2026 by country
Broadcast rights for the Montréal worlds vary by region. Here's where to watch in the biggest markets:
| Country | Broadcaster |
| Canada | FloBikes (exclusive full coverage), CBC Gem (free) |
| United States | FloBikes (exclusive full coverage) |
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports/HBO Max (full event coverage), BBC (selected events, free) |
| Australia | Stan Sport (paid), SBS On Demand (free, partial coverage) |
| France | France Télévisions (France.tv/L’Équipe), Eurosport |
| Germany | ZDF, Eurosport |
| Italy | RAI, Eurosport |
| Spain | RTVE/Teledeporte, Eurosport |
| Netherlands | NOS, Eurosport |
| Latin America | DirecTV |
| Worldwide | UCI YouTube channel/Facebook (geo‑blocked where local rights exist) |
How to watch the UCI Road World Championships 2026 for free
Several public broadcasters stream the championships free of charge, but each one is geo-blocked to its own country:
- CBC Gem (Canada) offers a free streaming tier and covers the recent Canadian WorldTour races live
- France TV (France), ZDF (Germany), RAI (Italy), RTVE (Spain), and NOS (Netherlands) all carry free coverage in their respective countries
- The UCI YouTube channel streams select sessions worldwide, though availability depends on geo-blocking in regions with exclusive rightsholders
If you're outside these countries, a VPN lets you access one of these free official streams legally. CBC Gem is the most reliable pick, since it carries the full event free with English commentary. Connect to a Canadian server, create a free SBS account, and stream every race.
How to watch the UCI Road World Championships from anywhere with a VPN
If you're traveling during race week, your home subscription will likely be geo-blocked. A VPN routes your connection through a server in your home country, so streaming services see you as a local viewer. Here's how to set it up:
- Sign up for a VPN with servers in the country of your broadcaster. We recommend NordVPN for its fast Canadian and European servers
- Download and install the VPN app on your streaming device, whether that's a laptop, smartphone, tablet, or smart TV
- Connect to a server in your broadcaster's country. For example, pick Canada for CBC Gem
- Open your streaming service, log in or create a free account, and start watching
Using a VPN to access your own subscription or a free official broadcaster while traveling is a legitimate use case. Just make sure streaming with a VPN doesn't breach the specific terms of service of your platform.
Why you need a VPN to watch the UCI Road World Championships
Broadcast rights for the championships are sold country by country, so every official stream is geo-blocked to its home market. FloBikes only works in the US and Canada, TNT Sports only in the UK, and free options like CBC Gem only in their respective countries. If you try to tune in from anywhere else, you'll hit an error message or a blank player.
That's a problem if you're traveling during race week. A Canadian abroad loses access to CBC Gem's free coverage, and a British fan on holiday can't log into discovery+. The same applies if your country has no rightsholder at all – the UCI YouTube stream is also geo-blocked in regions with exclusive broadcast deals.
A virtual private network (VPN) solves this by routing your connection through a server in a country of your choice. Connect to a server in Canada, and CBC Gem treats you as a local viewer.
You can learn more in our guide on how to change your location with a VPN.
Best VPNs for streaming the Montréal worlds
Based on our hands-on testing, these are the three VPNs we recommend for streaming the 2026 UCI Road World Championships:
- NordVPN – our top pick for live sports streaming. In our tests, it delivered the fastest speeds of any VPN we reviewed, which matters when you're watching a six-hour road race in HD. It has a large server network covering Australia, Canada, the UK, and every major European market, plus apps for all major devices. Plans start from $3.49/month, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our full NordVPN review for test results.
- Surfshark – cheapest way to stream the championships reliably. It offers unlimited simultaneous connections, so one subscription covers every device in your household. Speeds in our tests were close behind NordVPN, and it unblocked SBS, CBC Gem, and European services consistently. Plans start from around $2.49/month with a 30-day money-back guarantee. See our Surfshark review for details.
- Proton VPN – best free tier. Proton VPN is the only reputable VPN with a genuinely free plan and no data cap, which makes it a solid fallback for occasional streaming. The paid plan adds faster servers, dedicated streaming support, and coverage in 149 countries. Plans start from $3.49/month with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Check our Proton VPN review for the full breakdown.
2026 UCI Road World Championships schedule
All 13 medal events run between September 20th and 27th. Elite events open and close the week, with under-23 and junior races in between. Note that Wednesday, September 23rd, is a rest day with no medal event.
| Date | Event | Start (Montréal EDT) | Expected finish (EDT) |
| Sun, 20th Sept | Elite women’s individual time trial | 09:00 | 11:20 |
| Sun, 20th Sept | Elite men’s individual time trial | 12:45 | 15:15 |
| Mon, 21st Sept | Under-23 women’s individual time trial | 09:00 | 10:40 |
| Mon, 21st Sept | Under-23 men’s individual time trial | 12:00 | 14:25 |
| Tue, 22nd Sept | Mixed relay team time trial | 08:30 | 11:15 |
| Tue, 22nd Sept | Junior men’s individual time trial | 12:15 | 14:25 |
| Tue, 22nd Sept | Junior women’s individual time trial | 15:15 | 16:45 |
| Wed, 23rd Sept | No racing / rest day | — | — |
| Thu, 24th Sept | Under-23 women’s road race | 09:00 | 12:45 |
| Thu, 24th Sept | Junior men’s road race | 13:30 | 17:00 |
| Fri, 25th Sept | Under-23 men’s road race | 09:00 | 13:20 |
| Fri, 25th Sept | Junior women’s road race | 14:15 | 16:35 |
| Sat, 26th Sept | Elite women’s road race | 09:00 | 14:10 |
| Sun, 27th Sept | Elite men’s road race | 09:00 | 15:40 |
The elite men race 273.7km with 3,803 meters of climbing, finishing with 12 laps of a punishing 13.4km circuit around Mount Royal. The elite women cover 180.4km with eight laps of the same circuit.
Riders and storylines to watch
The biggest storyline is who isn't racing. Tadej Pogačar, the two-time defending elite men's road race champion, ended his season after a Vuelta a España crash left him with a concussion, a cervical fracture, and a broken collarbone. His absence blows the men's road race wide open.
Remco Evenepoel headlines the week. The Belgian is chasing a historic fourth consecutive elite men's time trial title on the flat 39.2km course on opening Sunday, then co-leads Belgium's road race squad with Wout van Aert.
In the women’s events, Magdeleine Vallières returns as the defending road race champion on home roads after becoming Canada’s first elite road world champion in Kigali in 2025. Demi Vollering is among the leading contenders after winning the 2026 Giro d’Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes, while Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Longo Borghini are also major names to watch. Marlen Reusser, meanwhile, returns to defend her elite women’s time trial title.
FAQ
Where can I watch the UCI Road World Championships 2026?
In the US and Canada, FloBikes holds exclusive full coverage, with CBC Gem offering a free option in Canada. TNT Sports covers the UK, and SBS On Demand streams in Australia. Check the where-to-watch table above for your country.
What time do the races start?
The championships run from September 20th to 27th, 2026, in Montréal. Most medal events start at 9:00AM ET (2:00PM in the UK, 3:00PM CEST), including both elite road races on the closing weekend. The elite men's time trial opens the event at 12:45PM ET on Sunday, September 20th.
How can I watch from abroad with my home subscription?
Your home streaming service will likely be geo-blocked when you travel. A VPN solves this by routing your connection through a server in your home country. Sign up for a reliable VPN provider like NordVPN, connect to a server at home, and log in to your usual service as usual. This works with paid subscriptions like FloBikes and free broadcasters like CBC Gem alike.
Can I watch the UCI Road World Championships for free?
Yes, CBC Gem streams every race free in Canada, and public broadcasters such as France TV, ZDF, RAI, RTVE, and NOS provide free coverage in their respective countries. Outside these regions, a VPN lets you access these official free streams.
Is Tadej Pogačar racing at the 2026 worlds?
No, Pogačar ended his 2026 season after suffering a concussion, a cervical fracture, and a broken collarbone in a Vuelta a España crash. He will not defend his elite men's road race title in Montréal.
Where can I watch highlights and replays?
FloBikes, TNT Sports, and SBS all offer on-demand replays for subscribers in their regions. The UCI YouTube channel posts highlights and full race replays worldwide, subject to geo-blocking. If you're traveling, you can also access your home broadcaster's on-demand library with a VPN.
