The women's road World Championship is the sport's biggest one-day title, won for the rainbow jersey and a year of wearing it. In 2026 it is decided in Montréal on the demanding Mont Royal circuit, where the elite women race eight laps and around 180 kilometres over the Côte Camillien-Houde and a second sharp climb each lap. The repeated climbing makes it a race for the strongest puncheurs and climbers, the kind of course where the best rider can win alone. Jeannie Longo holds the all-time record with five titles, and Marianne Vos has taken three in the modern era. Riders race for their countries here, so alliances shift and the strongest nation often controls the day. It is the one race every rider wants on their record.