Ireland’s elite men’s squad lines up today for the final and most prestigious event of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, Canada.
Ben Healy headlines a four-rider team that also includes Darren Rafferty, Jamie Meehan and Ryan Mullen as they tackle a brutal 273.7 km course featuring 3,803 metres of climbing. The race starts at 09:00 local time (14:00 Irish time) from Brossard before finishing on Avenue du Parc after 12 punishing laps of the Mount Royal circuit.
Attritional Circuit
The elite men face a long, relatively flat approach through the Montérégie region before crossing the Samuel De Champlain Bridge into Montréal. From there they complete 12 laps of the 13.4 km Mount Royal circuit, each packing approximately 269 metres of elevation.
Key features include the Voie Camillien-Houde (roughly 1.7 – 2.3 km at 6 – 7.4%), the steeper ramps of Chemin de la Polytechnique (sections above 11%), and a rising finish on Avenue du Parc. It is a race of attrition that rewards punchy, aggressive riders who can recover quickly between repeated short climbs.
Our Irish Team
Ben Healy, EF Education-EasyPost
The clear leader and Ireland’s strongest medal hope. Healy took 7th in Zürich in 2024 and bronze in Kigali last year, our first elite men’s road race medal since Seán Kelly in 1989. After a disrupted early season that included a sacrum fracture, Healy seems to have timed his form perfectly.
He was the most aggressive rider at the recent Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, attacking solo with 25kms to go and ultimately finishing eighth. Power numbers from that race matched those that delivered stage wins at the Giro and Tour and the 2025 Worlds podium. With Tadej Pogačar absent, the door is wide open… and Irish fans can dream big!
hopefully i’ll be at my best level here and I’ll be racing for the win.
– Ben Healy
Darren Rafferty, EF Education-EasyPost
Healy’s teammate at EF and a former national champion. Rafferty brings strong one-day pedigree and the ability to support or go on the attack himself. He has shown consistent form throughout 2026, and most recently in La Vuelta at the service of his teammate Carapaz.
A superb 25th on Stage 18 of the Spanish tour augers well for his future. Has already a wealth of experience for such a young man and will be a vital asset on the selective circuit.
Jamie Meehan, Cofidis
The Donegal rider steps up to elite level after a breakthrough season. Having impressed as a stagiaire and then full professional, Meehan has regularly finished in the top 15 in high-level races and claimed a podium at the Tour de l’Ain. And again coming close last week in the 2026 Okolo Slovenska / Tour de Slovaquie (2.1) finishing 4th on GC. This is a significant opportunity for the 2025 Irish Men’s U23 National Road Race Champion.
Ryan Mullen, NSN Cycling Team
The experienced road captain and multiple-time Irish time-trial champion. Mullen’s role will be critical in the early and middle stages, positioning Healy and helping control the race. His presence adds valuable know-how to a relatively young squad.
Irish Prospects
We field just four riders in a stacked field that includes Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, Isaac del Toro, Paul Seixas and many other top contenders.
A realistic aim is for Healy to feature in the decisive moves and finish inside the top 15 – 20. A top-ten placing would represent an excellent result on this demanding course, while a podium would rank among the finest performances in Irish cycling history! Come on Ireland!
The supporting trio of Rafferty, Meehan and Mullen will look to stay with the race as long as possible, help keep Healy protected, and potentially launch late attacks if the opportunity arises.
With four riders, Ireland doesn’t have enough firepower to influence the race but near-perfect race execution and a solid sprinkling of good fortune could lead to another memorable day for Irish cycling. However, the ‘big’ nations with a distinct advantage simply from a numbers perspective:
- 8 teams with 8 riders
- 1 team with 7 riders
- 8 teams with 6 riders
- 4 teams with 4 riders (including Ireland)
- 3 teams with 3 riders
- 3 teams with 2 riders
- Multiple teams with 1 rider
The Mount Royal circuit has already produced selective racing throughout the championships and the successful teams have conserved energy for the first part of the race. Healy’s recent aggressive display on almost identical roads suggests he is ready to seize the moment.
Wishing Ben, Darren, Jamie and Ryan the very best of luck as they pull on the green jersey for us. Gach rath orthu!
