Pidcock and Backstedt lead British charge as Pogacar misses Montreal Worlds
Tom Pidcock and Zoe Backstedt will lead Britain into wide-open World Championship road races in Montreal this weekend, with Tadej Pogacar missing after his Vuelta crash.
Pogacar is absent after suffering crash injuries during the Vuelta a Espana in August, BBC reported. That leaves both rainbow jerseys up for grabs. The women's road race is on Saturday, the men's on Sunday.
The courses are both built around circuits in the Canadian city. The women's race is 180.4km long and includes eight laps of Montreal. The men's race is much longer at 273.2km and takes in 12 circuits.
Pidcock will race for Great Britain on Sunday. He is an Olympic mountain bike gold medallist and a Tour de France stage winner, and British Cycling confirmed he headlines the squad alongside Backstedt.
He is the kind of rider built for a one-day race. Everyone starts together, there are no time gaps carried forward, and the first wheel across the line wins. Climbs, corners and positioning in the peloton — the main pack of riders — decide it.
Backstedt goes into Saturday's women's race in form. The 21-year-old finished second in the elite women's time trial earlier in the week, where riders race alone against the clock.
She is part of a deep British group. There are currently 49 British riders across the men's and women's WorldTours, the top tier of professional road racing, more than ever before.
The breakout name is Matthew Brennan. The 21-year-old won five stages of the Vuelta for Visma Lease a Bike, a record for a Grand Tour debutant. The Vuelta a Espana is one of cycling's three Grand Tours, three-week stage races alongside the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia.
Britain has history in this event. British riders have won the elite road races seven times in total. Lizzie Deignan won the women's road race in 2015 and Mark Cavendish won the men's race in 2011.
What makes this stand out is the gap at the top of the men's race. Pogacar suffered a neck fracture in that Vuelta crash and will not race again this season. His absence removes the strongest one-day rider in the world and opens the race to attackers and late moves.
The 2026 UCI Road World Championships run in Montreal from 20 to 27 September, only the second time Canada has hosted the event.
