I’m tired and my brain isn’t working properly, but I wanted to get some thoughts down. North America has been let down over the last decade. Montreal just proved why professional cycling needs to take this continent more seriously.
If the Philly Classic was the sleeping giant stirring, Montreal was it swinging its legs out of bed and heading downstairs to make coffee. Of course, a World Champs is always going to draw big crowds and be special, but that’s not to say only a World Champs can have this impact.
I need to sleep, drink more coffee, and come back to this. But I’m bullish, and I want to be part of building what comes next over here. At the very least, this past week proved that GP Quebec and Montreal need WWT races too.
Anyway, here are my takeaways from World Champs.
Montreal, take a bow. That was special.
I’m struggling for words. There were hundreds of thousands of people at the roadside. The racing was electric. I’ve seen one or two things close to that in Europe, but even I didn’t think North America had that in it. It was bonkers.
For those of you who didn’t go, I am sorry. It was worth every dollar. It was worth the travel. It was worth the countless miles we all walked. The collective tiredness on Monday.
Road racing fandom in North America is alive and kicking.
Montreal put on one hell of a show.
Build it and they will come.
Worlds are a reminder of so much, but most of all that professional cycling is at its best when the world’s top riders are racing against each other in cool places.
The best riders attract the biggest crowds. Like moths to a flame, people flocked to Montreal. I know of at least five separate groups who rode up from New York. Others flew in from the West Coast or drove for hours just to be part of it.
The ingredients are clear: big names, accessible circuits, a cool city.
Circuit racing rocks.
It’s no surprise a well-designed circuit creates exciting tactics and the perfect day out for fans. The 13km lap meant that those at the roadside got to see the race three times an hour.
With the men missing the GOAT, it was all to play for. The Americans played their cards at the perfect time, and Brandon McNulty delivered their first men’s road title in 33 years.
The women’s race was edge-of-the-seat stuff. Demi went long. Too long. There was a brief moment it seemed that ELB was going to do it, but in the end, it was 1st vs. 2nd at the Tour de France Femmes sprinting for the line. Demi took the Rainbow.
Fans and fans and fans.
After Saturday’s women’s race, I was shaking my head at how mad it had been. I didn’t think it’d be possible that even more people could come out the next day. I was wrong.
We stationed ourselves next to a big screen on Mount Royal, and there was a music festival-style atmosphere as everyone crammed to watch. The climb itself was multiple layers deep, with fans from bottom to top.
Polytechnique was apparently a mega vibe, and the neighbourhood climbs too. In truth, everywhere was special. As the race finished, everyone swarmed to the finish straight to witness the winner come home.
Bike racing fans were everywhere.
Business and pleasure.
The week was more than the bike races. The activations, rides and parties deserve a mention. So many brands turned up, and the emphasis at almost every pop-up was fun, not product. That’s rare.
So much was going on that it was impossible to make it to everything. The week also doubled up as an industry connection week. Brands, dealers, bike shops and athletes were all in one city doing business.
A world-class race isn’t just a weekend of racing. It’s a trade show, a tourism boost and a marketing platform rolled into one.
Races hold the power.
Events are powerful in the sports world.
We spend a lot of time thinking about teams and athletes, but events are the foundation for everything.
Look at the last month. The Philly Classic’s return, Soldier Hollow in Utah, and now the Montreal World Champs. Everything stems from events. If there are big races, with big names, that people want to travel to, then everything else will follow.
Teams will form, sponsor money will come, and the next generation will become inspired. It was cool to be a cycling fan this past week, and when that happens, the sport grows.
So, what’s next?
First, we should look back with a smile. That week will go down in cycling history.
Then we need to build. The January month of racing in Australia is a great case study for North America.
Montreal worked because people could get there, move around, and see the race again and again and again. Get the best racing the best, any event in North America will be hard to attract talent because of the travel, but having the best riders in the world is crucial. And the better the riders, the more fans.
Make it an event. The big screens, the festival atmosphere, the neighbourhood climbs, the brand activations. Each and every component is important for a successful race.
And finally, build it to last. The impossible task - the funding. Building events that outlive a single commercial sponsorship is the biggest obstacle. That’s something I’m going to write further about later.
A valuable lesson to learn.
I wrote this after the Philly Classic, and I stand by it:
North American cycling fans were let down. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been told that American road racing is dead. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been told that people don’t care about road racing.
The races died. The publications stopped covering the US scene. They told me nobody cared. That their data showed trends were going to gravel, and gravel only.
They were wrong. The data is wrong. The industry let itself down.
The fanbase in North America was always there.
The industry mistook the collapse of the biggest American road races for the collapse of American interest in road racing.
This isn’t just an ‘I told you so’ (okay, maybe it is). This is a proof of concept that the World Tour should look to expand further in North America. It’s a market that holds so much growth opportunity.
The last time World Champs came to North America was for Richmond in 2015; a lot has changed since then, and little for the better.
It’s not easy to figure out, but it is there to build. This past week showed what’s possible.
While you’re here…
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Great Joe. I'm so bummed I missed this.
“It was worth every dollar. It was worth the travel. It was worth the countless miles we all walked. The collective tiredness on Monday.”
This is spot on. I stood at the barriers on Camillien-Houde for both elite races and attended some of the pop up events and rides over the weekend. This was easily the best live sporting event I’ve ever been to.
One thing that struck me though was my friend’s comment on our way back to our hotel after the women’s race. He seemed antsy to get back and just said, “now I want to ride my bike.” Seeing races live inspires in a way TV doesn’t. Events like these in North America will get more people here on bikes more often, period. Hopefully the brands can come to the same conclusion and get behind more races over here.