Isaac del Toro beats Seixas at the GP Montréal and Evenepoel falls short two weeks before the World Championships

Isaac del Toro has won the GP of Montreal 2026 after resolving a sprint duel with Paul Seixas. The Mexican and the young Frenchman were the strongest on the demanding Canadian circuit, while Remco Evenepoel finished fifth, 35 seconds behind, two days after his victory in Quebec.

Del Toro and Seixas stake their claim in the World Championship trial in Montreal

This year's GP of Montreal had special significance. Beyond being one of the two major Canadian classics of the WorldTour, the race took place 2 weeks before the World Championship and on the same course. The riders completed 16 laps of a 13.4-kilometer circuit to reach 214.4 km and about 4,300 meters of elevation gain.

A true test of endurance with the Côte Camillien-Houde as the main ascent, in addition to the Côte de Polytechnique, Pagnuelo, and a finish also uphill. A very different route from the GP of Quebec that offered a particularly interesting reference to gauge some of the main candidates for the rainbow jersey.

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Remco Evenepoel arrived bolstered after winning the GP of Quebec two days earlier, but this time the Belgian found rivals capable of surpassing him on the climbs.

The race began to break apart definitively in the final laps. Ben Healy attacked and managed to open a gap, while behind, the favorites began to be selected. Evenepoel went through one of his most complicated moments when Brandon McNulty accelerated and got dropped from the group that included Del Toro, Seixas, Pidcock, and other contenders.

The Belgian reacted strongly. First, he reduced the gap practically solo and managed to return to the group of favorites, but the effort would soon take its toll.

With 11 kilometers to go, the decisive move arrived. Paul Seixas accelerated on one of the climbs, and Evenepoel could not respond. Isaac del Toro managed to catch up with the Frenchman, and both rode together into the final lap.

Seixas tried to make the race even tougher in the final kilometers, but he could not shake off the Mexican. Del Toro held his accelerations and reached the final straight in a favorable position due to his greater top speed.

A duel we will see a thousand times.
And this time: she wins the match against Seixas.

Isaac del Toro takes the first face-off in Montreal before the World Championship after a brave confrontation against Paul Seixas#GPCQM #LaCasadelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/FixuGIOu4X

— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) September 13, 2026

The Mexican did not miss. He launched the sprint and clearly surpassed Seixas to achieve victory in Montreal. Brandon McNulty completed the podium 27 seconds behind, Quinn Simmons finished fourth 30 seconds back, and Evenepoel rounded out the Top 5 at 35 seconds.

Top 10 GP of Montreal 2026

1. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) — 5:13:16
2. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) — +00"
3. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) — +27"
4. Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) — +30"
5. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) — +35"
6. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) — +36"
7. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) — +36"
8. Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) — +36"
9. Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) — +39"
10. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché) — +39"

Evenepoel confirmed in Quebec that he arrives in Canada in great form, but Montreal has shown that on a much more demanding circuit, Del Toro and, especially, a Paul Seixas capable of selecting the favorites uphill, must also be among the names to watch.

The GP of Montreal has thus served as a general rehearsal for the World Championship. The peloton will be different, and the selections will replace the commercial teams, but the references left by the race are clear. Del Toro and Seixas come out strengthened, and Evenepoel now knows firsthand where the decisive points of the next World Championship may be.