CyclistUCI World Championships 2026 Womens Elite Road Race: Our form guideThe womens elite road race at the UCI World Championships takes place on Saturday, with 180.4km to decide who will wear the rainbow jersey in 2027. After a steady start, the race takes eight laps of the same 13.4km hilly Montreal circuit as the men, with the Voie Camillien-Houde (1.7km, 7.7%) and Cte de Polytechnique (0.8km, 5.7%) ascents. Last year, Canadas Magdeleine Vallieres claimed a surprise victory in Rwanda ahead of Niamh Fisher-Black (New Zealand) and Mavi Garca (Spain), and shell be at home this year to try to defend her title, with Montreal just two hours away from where she grew up in Sherbrooke.Demi Vollering (Netherlands)A.S.O./Billy CeustersEuropean Road Race Champion Demi Vollering has won a lot throughout her career, but the World Championships rainbow bands elude her. This might just be the season that changes however, coming off another ferociously dominant year with two Grand Tours win and collection of Classics riders spend their whole careers chasing, and this punchy Montreal course suits her.Her closest challenge came in the form of a silver medal in Glasgow in 2023. In 2024, she lost the sprint finish to come fifth, while in 2025 she won the sprint from the group of favourites but they lingered behind six others on the road. Shes unlikely to let a group get away again.Road victories this seasonGC, Tour de France FemmesStage 9, Tour de France FemmesStage 8, Tour de France FemmesStage 5, Tour de France FemmesGC, Giro dItalia WomenStage 8, Giro dItalia WomenStage 5, Giro dItalia WomenLige-Bastogne-LigeLa Flche Wallonne FemmesTour of FlandersOmloop NieuwsbladGC, Setmana Ciclista ValencianaStage 4, Setmana Ciclista ValencianaStage 1, Setmana Ciclista ValencianaLast five results8th: World Championship Elite Women Individual Time-Trial3rd: Vivi Zuricrit1st overall: Tour de France Femmes1st: Stage 9, Tour de France Femmes1st: Stage 8, Tour de France FemmesBest finish in World Championship Elite Road Race2nd: 2023Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mauritius)A.S.O./Billy CeustersKim Le Court-Pienaar has made history pretty much every step of her career so far. In 2025 she became the first African rider to win a Monument at Lige-Bastogne-Lige, the first African rider to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femmes, and then also became the first to win a stage at the race too thanks to her Stage 5 victory.The Mauritian Champion stormed to another victory at the Tour this year despite having a tough season with injury and also had a spirited GC fight, ending the race ninth overall. Just a few weeks later she carried that form into the Tour of Britain, where she picked up a maiden GC win. Le Court-Pienaar has an excellent punch and a strong sprint finish, she should place highly here and has a really good chance at taking another famous victory. Road victories this seasonGC, Tour of Britain WomenStage 3, Tour of Britain WomenStage 6, Tour de France FemmesMauritius National Championships, Road RaceMauritius National Championships, Individual Time-TrialLast five results12th: World Championship Mixed Relay Team Time-TrialDNF: Classic Lorient Agglomration1st overall: Tour of Britain Women26th: Stage 5, Tour of Britain Women3rd: Stage 4, Tour of Britain WomenBest finish in World Championship Elite Road Race8th: 2025Paula Blasi (Spain)A.S.O./Gatan FlammeAn Amstel Gold Race win. A podium at La Flche Wallonne. Victory at La Vuelta Femenina. Fifth at the Tour de France Femmes. Thats just a snapshot of the incredible season Spains 23-year-old Paula Blasi has had so far. Barely more than a year into her pro career, Blasi been phenomenal to witness and could really do something on a hilly, attritional parcours at the World Championships.In 2025, Blasi scored third place in the U23 road race, so this will be her elite level debut and shes on co-leadership duties alongside UAE Team LImad teammate Mavi Garca, who finished third in last years race. This pairing could do something special.Road victories this seasonGC, Volta Ciclista a FemeninaStage 2, Volta Ciclista a FemeninaCIC-Tour Fminin des PyrnesDurango Durango Emakumeen SariaLa Vuelta FemeninaAmstel Gold RaceLast five results6th: World Championship Mixed Relay Team Time-Trial18th: World Championship Elite Women Individual Time-Trial2nd: Pointe du Raz Ladies Classic27th: Tout commence en Finistre Ladies Classic5th overall: Tour de France FemmesBest finish in World Championship Elite Road RaceN/ALotte Kopecky (Belgium)A.S.O./Gatan FlammeTwo-time World Champion Lotte Kopecky is utterly dominant at her best, crushing Classics and thriving in punishing conditions. However she hasnt been at her best in the last two seasons, with her win rate showing just that, decreasing from 16 in 2024 (including the rainbow jersey) to just three as things stand in 2026.Counting her out would be a dangerous move though. In 2023, she won the road race in a 5.6km solo attack, and in 2024 she won the small group sprint after a brilliant fighting performance and incredible support from Justine Ghekiere.Road victories this seasonStage 4, La Vuelta FemeninaMilan-San RemoDanilith Nokere KoerseLast five results6th: World Championship Elite Women Individual Time-Trial8th: Hingene-Bornem36th: Molenbeek-Wersbeek67th: Stage 2, Tour of Britain Women24th: Stage 1, Tour of Britain WomenBest finish in World Championship Elite Road Race1st: 2023, 2024Noemi Regg (Switzerland)Unipublic / Cxcling / Antonio BaixauliIts been a tough year for Noemi Regg, who fought back from injury sustained crashing out of the Vuelta while in the red jersey, but she scored multiple top tens over the opening three stages on home roads in Switzerland at the Tour de France Femmes. She loves hillys races and has one of the best kicks in the game. She has a strong team here with TT World Champion Marlen Reusser and could take inspiration from the success of EF Education-EasyPost teammate Magdeleine Vallieres last year.Read more: I found my place at EF: Noemi Regg Q&A Road victories this seasonStage 1, La Vuelta FemeninaGC, Womens Tour Down UnderStage 3, Womens Tour Down UnderLast five results3rd: World Championship Mixed Relay Team Time-Trial17th: Tour de Gatineau9th: Classic Lorient Agglomration10th: Kreiz Breizh Elites Fminin4th: Vivi ZuricritBest finish in World Championship Elite Road Race11th: 2024Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)A.S.O./Billy Ceusters34-year-old Elisa Longo Borghini had a slow start to the season by her standards, missing out on a victory in the big Classics, but she achieved a huge third place at the Tour de France Femmes and still won stages across the UAE Tour, Giro dItalia and Tour de Suisse. One look at her palmars showcases her abilities in one-day races of all kinds over the years, whether it be the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix Femmes or Brabantse Pijl.The multiple Italian national champion has never quite had the edge to secure higher than a bronze medal in the road race, coming third in 2020 and 2024. She did help the team to a gold medal in the mixed relay team time-trial at the World Championships last week though, and had an impressive showing in the individual time-trial to finish fourth. Road victories this seasonWorld Championship Mixed Relay Team Time-TrialItaly National Championships, Road RaceStage 2, Tour de Suisse WomenStage 9, Giro dItalia WomenTrofeo Oro in EuroGC, UAE Tour WomenStage 4, UAE Tour WomenLast five results1st: World Championship Mixed Relay Team Time-Trial4th: World Championship Elite Women Individual Time-Trial8th: Pointe du Raz Ladies Classic12th: Tout commence en Finistre Ladies Classic3rd overall: Tour de France FemmesBest finish in World Championship Elite Road Race3rd: 2020, 2024Marlen Reusser (Switzerland)Dario Belingheri/Getty ImagesMarlen Reusser has one gold medal from these World Championships already, claiming victory in the individual time-trial by some margin. The Swiss rider isnt only fierce against the clock but it certainly helps her with solo attacks. Shes had a strong season leading up to this, going late for final day and overall victory at the Tour de Suisse and having an excellent Tour de France until she crashed on the final stage. Her best result in the road race came in 2023 where she finished fourth, but has been strong in hilly Classics this year, beating Demi Vollering in the sprint to win Dwars door Vlaanderen in April.Road victories this seasonWorld Championship Elite Women Individual Time-TrialChrono Fminin de GatineauStage 4 ITT, Tour de France FemmesGC, Tour de Suisse WomenStage 5, Tour de Suisse WomenStage 4 ITT, Tour de Suisse WomenDwars door VlaanderenLast five results3rd: World Championship Mixed Relay Team Time-Trial1st: World Championship Elite Women Individual Time-Trial1st: Chrono Fminin de Gatineau14th overall: Tour de France Femmes109th: Stage 9, Tour de France FemmesBest finish in World Championship Elite Road Race4th: 2023Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland)A.S.O./Gatan FlammeKasia Niewiadoma-Phinney has had a season to remember, collecting a plethora of podiums in the Classics before coming so close to overall victory at the Tour after a commanding victory on Mont Ventoux. She hasnt raced since the final stage of the Tour, so her form is somewhat of a mystery, but she always tends to show up in big races. Her best Worlds result to date is a bronze medal in 2021.Road victories this seasonStage 7, Tour de France FemmesLast five results3rd: Stage 9, Tour de France Femmes3rd: Stage 8, Tour de France Femmes1st: Stage 7, Tour de France Femmes18th: Stage 6, Tour de France Femmes3rd: Stage 5, Tour de France FemmesBest finish in World Championship Elite Road Race3rd: 2021OthersA.S.O./Billy Ceusters24-year-old Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) has been flying. She won the mountains classification at the Tour de France Femmes after a Classics season in which she finished second at both Lige-Bastogne-Lige and La Flche Wallonne and third at the Tour of Flanders. Franziska Koch (Germany) reigned victorious at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, doubled up in the National Championships and podiumed in the individual time-trial at the World Championships last week, it could be a step too far for her with the hills on offer, however nothing would be a surprise with the form shes shown.Keep an eye on Cdrine Kerbaol (France) too. She scored multiple top ten results across the Tour de France Femmes that resulted in sixth place overall and clocked fifth in the individual time-trial in Montreal.The post UCI World Championships 2026 Womens Elite Road Race: Our form guide appeared first on Cyclist.