Jakob Söderqvist Takes 5th at 2026 UCI Road World Championships Time Trial

Sweden’s Jakob Söderqvist delivered a standout ride in the Elite Men’s Individual Time Trial at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, finishing fifth despite a late crash that ended his challenge for a medal.

The 39.2 km Montréal course combined fast power sections with technical corners, creating a demanding test against the clock. Söderqvist was among the fastest riders throughout the race and remained in contention for the podium deep into the finale.

Söderqvist Rides at Medal Pace

Söderqvist started quickly and established himself among the leading contenders from the opening kilometers.

At the first time check, the Swede was only nine seconds behind eventual winner Remco Evenepoel. He continued to hold a top-three position through the intermediate checks and was five seconds ahead of eventual bronze medalist Paul Seixas at the third split.

According to Swedish national team assistant coach Alexander Wetterhall, Söderqvist's speed through Montréal's technical corners was an important part of his performance. The aggressive approach allowed him to carry more speed out of the turns, but also required him to ride close to the limit.

Late Crash Ends Medal Challenge

With less than three kilometers remaining, Söderqvist lost his front wheel through a corner and crashed.

He quickly got back onto his bike and continued to the finish, but the lost time proved decisive in the battle for the medals. Even after the crash, Söderqvist completed the race in 46:19.31, finishing fifth and only around 13 seconds behind Seixas in third.

After the race, Söderqvist said he was physically okay aside from losing some skin in the crash and acknowledged that he had taken greater risks than usual while chasing the result.

Fifth Among the World's Best

The final podium saw Remco Evenepoel claim his fourth consecutive elite men's time trial world title in 44:53.13. Filippo Ganna finished second at +57.31, while Paul Seixas secured bronze at +1:13.04.

Söderqvist finished just behind Brandon McNulty:

1. Remco Evenepoel 🇧🇪 — 44:53.13
2. Filippo Ganna 🇮🇹 — +57.31
3. Paul Seixas 🇫🇷 — +1:13.04
4. Brandon McNulty 🇺🇸 — +1:25.27
5. Jakob Söderqvist 🇸🇪 — +1:26.18

For Söderqvist, fifth place in the elite world championship time trial comes after winning the U23 world title in the discipline in 2025, underlining his transition into competition at the highest elite level. 

Proud Sweden on the World Stage 🇸🇪

Söderqvist's fifth-place finish gives Sweden a major result at the opening of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships, which run from September 20–27 in Montréal.

For CCN Sport, the performance also puts one of Sweden's leading riders on the world stage while representing the nation at cycling's biggest championship.

A crash may have taken away the opportunity to fight for a medal, but the intermediate times and final fifth place showed just how close Söderqvist was to the podium in his first elite World Championship time trial.

Photo: Sprintcycling Agency

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