Sébastien Arsenault is both a witness to and a key player in the organisation of major cycling events in Canada. President of the organising committee for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships, he also organises the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal every year – two UCI WorldTour events created by his father, Serge. Last week, these races crowned champions of the calibre of Remco Evenepoel (BEL) and Isaac del Toro (MEX). Sébastien Arsenault and the Canadian roads are now gearing up to host the battles for the rainbow jersey.
How do you make the transition from organising UCI WorldTour events to the UCI Road World Championships?
Sébastien Arsenault: I think continuity is the right word. I have memories of the first races my father organised in 1988, with Steve Bauer’s victory at the Grand Prix des Amériques. When I look back on everything that went well, and everything that didn’t go quite so well, I see the continuation of a chapter being written, one step at a time. I have been dreaming of the UCI World Championships since 2013, 2014, when the Grands Prix cyclistes de Québec and de Montréal began to enjoy a some success. There was the respect of the riders, the presence of spectators, and the satisfaction of our private and public partners. These UCI World Championships are the culmination of all those years of hard work and passion, and above all, the collaboration that made it possible. Events of this scale aren’t organised alone. I can picture hundreds, thousands, of faces of people who supported us. It remains an immense privilege.
What do you want to show fans around the world?
Sébastien Arsenault: At the start, in 2010 or 2011, I’d read some comments: “What’s this all about? What’s the point of going off to race in America, in Canada?” But when people don’t know what something’s about, they can be a bit off the mark. The success of the Grands Prix cyclistes de Québec and de Montréal is set to be multiplied tenfold. Cycling often comes to our region for just two days, two six-hour races, and then we wait a whole year. With the UCI World Championships, we’ll be offering what I call the Olympics of road cycling: the joy, the fun, the passion, the pace and the energy of the Grand Prix, but spread over eight days of competition. Given the warm and generous nature of the Canadian, Québécois and Montréal public, I am convinced that this will be one of the greatest celebrations cycling has seen in a long time.
What will be the main organisational challenges?
Sébastien Arsenault: Organising a one-day race for Elite WorldTour riders is one thing. Planning the security for the junior riders that are arriving from all over the world is quite another. What makes the World Championships unique is the way the peloton comes together, a bit like at the Olympic Games. There will be around 1,000 athletes and 5,000 support staff. The World Championships aren’t just Elite road races: their complexity is multiplied by ten, fifteen, or twenty. We also manage television coverage, transport, accesses, hotels and visas. It’s all interconnected. Even resurfacing the roads falls under the sporting side of things: they are our stadium, our urban velodrome. The roads don’t belong to us; they’re on loan to us. We must treat them with respect and, above all, ensure the riders’ safety.
What does Mont Royal mean to this course?
Sébastien Arsenault: When the idea for the World Championships was first mentioned, I was discussing it with former professional cyclists, notably Bernard Hinault. Compared to the legendary mountain passes of the Tour de France, the Giro and the Vuelta, I wondered whether our route would pale in comparison. He cut me off immediately: “No, not at all! With the circuit races you’ve developed – which are difficult and absolutely relentless – the climb up Camillien-Houde becomes a bit like your Poggio, your Alpe d’Huez.” A cycling race is a test of endurance and strategy but, above all, a test of attrition. I quickly understood that with Camillien-Houde, I had found the main character of my film: it will be there and it won’t let us down.
Among the other main characters is Canadian Magdeleine Vallières, who is defending the UCI World Championship title she won last year…
Sébastien Arsenault: She is a source of great pride for us and a golden opportunity. She is a young woman of great humility and generosity. She seized her chance in Kigali and saw it through to the end. Seeing her in the rainbow jersey in the days leading up to the World Championships will be an immense privilege. The women’s peloton has grown enormously in strength in recent years. I follow practically all of the women’s races. They put on a show that, quite frankly, has me glued to my seat: I savour every second right through to the finish. Knowing that we have a world champion who is part of that peloton is a privilege.
Which other Canadian cyclists could step into the spotlight during UCI World Championships week?
Sébastien Arsenault: We also have Alison Jackson, our Roubaix winner, who is a force of nature and a charming, unique personality. Alongside her are Olivia Baril, as well as Isabella and Ava Holmgren in the U23 category, who are going from strength to strength; we’ve perhaps never been so well represented in women’s cycling on the world stage. Fans are also looking forward to seeing riders such as Hugo Houle, Derek Gee and Michael Woods. These are highly experienced riders who have achieved immense feats and captured the public’s imagination. They’ve come through the national team, which we was among the first to be invited to UCI WorldTour events. In 2010, when Thomas Voeckler won in Québec, he gave Derek a pair of gloves. That became a huge source of motivation for him to become a great champion. Today, it is these athletes’ turn to give back. Their achievements, their humility and the risks they take are also what make this sport so wonderful.