Premier Tech has been named as a Main Partner of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, with the hope that a successful Championships can boost cycling in Canada and lead to the creation of a women's WorldTour race that sits alongside the men's Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal.
Premier Tech is based in Québec, and after ending its links with the troubled Israel team, it has become a title sponsor for Mathieu van der Poel's Alpecin-Premier Tech team and the women's Fenix-Premier Tech team, which includes Puck Pieterse and Charlotte Kool.
Their support of the St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 women's ProTeam has ensured the arrival of Alison Jackson, Simone Boilard and Clara Émond for 2026.
Premier Tech will be a Main Partner and be the presenting partner of the World Championship volunteer force, which will mobilise nearly 2,000 volunteers, and the UCI Gala.
"We have been driven by a passion for cycling for more than 30 years. It was only natural that such a historic event as the UCI Road World Championships Montréal 2026 would take place with the support of Premier Tech," Jean Bélanger, President and CEO of Premier Tech, said.
"By becoming a Main Partner of the event, we are once again affirming our desire to inspire the next generation, strengthen cycling culture in Québec, and build bridges to help athletes from here and around the world shine."
The Montréal World Championships have been described as the biggest sporting event in the city since the 1976 Olympic Games. The World Championships were last held in Montréal in 1974 when Geneviève Gambillon and Eddy Merckx won the world titles.
Sébastien Arsenault, the president of the local organising committee explained that sponsors like Premier Tech are vital given a 60-70% cap on government and state funding.
Arsenault revealed that the World Championships have a budget of CA$30 million (US$18.5 million) and is "right on target" regarding planning and budgeting. Other sponsors should be announced in the weeks to come, during the countdown to the World Championships that will be held between September 20-27.
Premier Tech kicked off 2026 with Van der Poel's success in cyclo-cross and an eighth world title. Canada's Magdeleine Vallieres is the current women's world champion and is leading a new generation of women who are following in the footsteps of Paris-Roubaix winner Alison Jackson.
Creating a women's Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Montréal could be a legacy of the World Championships and further boost women's cycling in Canada. The women's race could take place as early as 2027, and mark the return of world-class women's racing to Montréal. The city hosted the former women's World Cup from 1998 to 2009.
"We hope to complete what we started 15 years ago with the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Montréal," Arsenault admitted.
"It's nonsense to have the quality of women we have in Canadian cycling but not allow them to compete in Québec and Montréal. Having companies like Premier Tech and maybe more could be a blessing to help us offer the women a race in the years to come, as early as possible."
