Where do the riders prepare for the World Championships?

For much of the 31 years since the Vuelta a España moved its location from late autumn to its current position in late August and September, the Spanish stage race has always been considered the best possible preparation for the UCI Road World Championships .

In recent years, however, things have changed, and today riders have several options to reach the top in preparation for the World Championships. While many continue to choose Spain, others prefer the two Canadian WorldTour road classics, the GP of Quebec and the GP of Montreal, to hone their skills.

There are also other training options that teams, riders, and coaches can explore to find the best possible form. These include European WorldTour races like the Renewi Tour and the Bretagne Classic-Ouest France road race, or, later in the calendar, the Deutschland Tour, the Tour of Britain Men, and some road races.

Of course, not everyone has the freedom to choose their ideal path to the World Championships. The further down the hierarchy you go, the more cycling resembles any other job: some riders are paid by their trade teams to ride wherever they're asked, especially if their role at the World Championships will be that of a domestique.

With this year's World Championships taking place in Montreal, Canada, the two Canadian WorldTour classics seem like the perfect platform for putting the finishing touches on preparation for the World Championships. Not only are you already there, in the same time zone and climate, but the two weeks separating these races from the World Championships allow you to rest, train, and study the routes.

The Vuelta, of course, represents a completely different challenge, with 21 days of actual racing. This year's edition is particularly tough: 3,308.8 km of route with over 58,000 meters of elevation gain, a completely different proposition. For those who benefit from a high volume of racing, it could be ideal, and there's still plenty of time to fly across the Atlantic, recover, and prepare.

How did past winners prepare?

Excluding the anomalous Covid seasons (2020 and 2021) and 2023, when the World Championships were held in August, recent years have seen a clear shift away from the Vuelta as a springboard to the world title, although there have been some interesting combinations.

In 2011, Mark Cavendish started the Vuelta but didn't complete the fourth stage. He then competed in the Tour of Britain before winning the rainbow jersey. Three-time world champion Peter Sagan seemed to enjoy what is now known as the Renewi Tour, which he rode before two of his World Championship victories.

Sagan traveled to Canada on one occasion, but when he won his first world title in 2015 he did so after riding for eight days in Spain, where he also won a stage.

Perhaps the most unconventional approach among recent road world champions is that of Mads Pedersen , who rode the Deutschland Tour and a series of road races before his 2019 World Championships run. The Dane, however, has said he feels this year's title is out of reach for him.

The same goes for the individual time trial, where only six champions in recent years have raced the Vuelta before the World Championships. The last was Rohan Dennis in 2018.

So let's see who's doing what this year, analyzing how the favorites are approaching the road World Championships.

Who's running where?

Slovenia

Tadej Pogačar is currently in Spain with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, attempting to complete a hat-trick of Grand Tours, and is the clear favorite for the world title. For fantasy cycling fans, keeping an eye on him is almost a given: if he wins, it would be his third consecutive rainbow jersey, even though his previous two victories came after successful trips to Canada.

No one would bet against him, but this year's Vuelta is particularly tough, and even his team has admitted how difficult it will be to win, especially after his dominant victory at the Tour de France. Primož Roglič , Pogačar's loyal domestique in both Zurich and Kigali, is also racing the Vuelta.

Netherlands

2023 World Champion Mathieu van der Poel returns this year after missing the 2025 World Championships, which featured over 5,000 meters of climbing. He recently completed the Tour de France, including a thrilling victory in Paris, and then returned to mountain biking at the UCI World Cup in Les Gets, finishing second in the XCO and eleventh in the short-track cross-country race.

Aside from the MTB World Championships, he has no other races scheduled before the Road World Championships: he will probably prepare with a training camp, a factor to monitor for those who bet on him from a fantasy cycling perspective.

Mexico

Mexico isn't a country we're used to citing as a favorite for the World Championships, but with the freedom to race against—rather than for—his teammate Pogačar, Isaac Del Toro will certainly be a threat to be reckoned with. Last year marked his debut in the Elite category, finishing seventh, after a preparation that began with a victory at the Vuelta a Burgos and continued with seven European road races, four of which he won.

This year he competed in the Deutschland Tour, winning the prologue, and although the schedule isn't finalized yet, it's believed he'll race the two Canadian WorldTour classics before the World Championships. A name to definitely keep in mind for fantasy cycling teams.

Belgium

Remco Evenepoel will be another strong favorite to win in Montreal, both in the road race and the time trial, disciplines in which he has already triumphed in the past. He has only raced once since the Tour de France, winning the Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa, but this year he has shown that he benefits from concentrated training periods, missing two months of racing between Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour de France. He will complete his preparation for the World Championships with the two Canadian races.

This is a change of pace from previous years: when he won the road title in 2022, he had just raced and won the Vuelta, while his two most recent time trial victories came after less demanding appearances at the Tour of Britain.

Depending on how the race unfolds, Evenepoel's Belgian team could also count on Wout van Aert as a potential winner in Montreal. Van Aert isn't a regular at the World Championships—his last appearance was in Glasgow 2023—but he's chosen the Vuelta as his final warm-up race.

Australia

Another national team with solid options in both sprints and climbs is Australia, with Michael Matthews regularly the country's top finisher. Third place in 2022 is his best result, coming after strong performances in Canadian races. He's won three times in Quebec and rarely missed the Canadian race, so he's expected to race there again this year: an interesting name for those seeking solid finishes in fantasy cycling.

Australia boasts several climbers who could do well. Among them, Jay Vine's season has been hampered by injuries, even though he's currently competing in the Vuelta, while Jai Hindley, Ben O'Connor, and Michael Storer have not yet confirmed their participation in the Canadian pre-World Championship races.

USA

Quinn Simmons is the only rider confirmed for the United States so far, but that might be all they need, having become one of the most consistent and versatile riders in the world in recent years. After winning the Junior World Championships in 2019, ninth place is his best finish in the Elite category, achieved two years ago after racing the Škoda Tour de Luxembourg before the World Championships; this year, he's chosen an unconventional route, racing the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race before heading to the revived Philadelphia Cycling Classic and the two Canadian road races.

It remains to be seen whether Matteo Jorgenson will return to the World Championships. He took a break from racing after the Tour de France and the Donostia-San Sebastián Klasikoa, and has the Lombardia among his end-of-season goals.

Denmark

Denmark has become one of the leading nations in modern cycling, with Mads Pedersen's 2019 World Championship triumph among its major achievements. This year, however, they won't be competing, and neither will Jonas Vingegaard. Denmark could once again turn to Mattias Skjelmose , who finished fourth in Rwanda last year. However, they're currently in the second leg of a Tour-Vuelta double, with the three-week period in Spain concluding just two weeks before the World Championships: a risk factor to be carefully considered from a fantasy cycling perspective.

France

Last year, French prodigy Paul Seixas finished 13th in his first Elite Road World Championships, arriving in Rwanda after winning the Tour de l'Avenir. This year, he'll debut at the Québec and Montréal GPs before tackling the World Championships. If he wins, he would become the youngest Road World Champion in history, at just 20 years and three days old: one of the most intriguing names to watch in fantasy cycling, a potential sensational outsider.

Other possible French squad members include Lenny Martinez, Romain Grégoire and Benoît Cosnefroy, but the trio have not yet confirmed their match schedules.

Italy

An aggressive and fast rider, Giulio Ciccone finished sixth at the World Championships in Rwanda after several stage finishes at the Vuelta a España, but this year he'll tackle the Québec and Montréal GPs before the World Championships. Alberto Bettiol boasts two top-10 finishes in the world championships in recent years and is a regular at Canadian races, where he'll compete again this year. He's not a serial winner, but when he wins, he does so in style: a profile to keep an eye on for any surprises.

Great Britain

The British team will likely be banking on Tom Pidcock for these World Championships. His sixth-place finish in 2021 and tenth place last year are his best results, both coming after racing the Vuelta. He hasn't raced since finishing ninth with an aggressive performance at the Tour de France, but he will race the Québec and Montréal GPs before the World Championships: a name to keep a close eye on for those looking for a top-10 upset.

Spain

Most of our favorites will head to Canada, and even Spaniard Juan Ayuso will follow the same route, missing out on his home Grand Tour. Last year's eighth-place finish is the 23-year-old's best finish in the Elite World Championships, achieved after a disappointing Vuelta. A number of other top Spanish riders, including Enric Mas, Iván Romeo, and Pablo Castrillo, are currently competing in the Vuelta.

Canada

Finally, a special thought goes to Hugo Houle. The Canadian rider was born and raised just north of Montreal, but instead of returning home to compete in his two favorite races, his Alpecin-Premier Tech team needs him at the Vuelta. Derek Gee-West will race the Philadelphia Cycling Classic later this month, while Michael Woods—who is returning from retirement to compete—will not compete in any professional races, relying exclusively on training.