Inside ATPI’s Accommodation and Logistics Planning for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal

The UCI Road World Championships are closing in on Montréal, and behind the scenes, the operational plan is entering its most demanding phase. Before a single cyclist reaches the start line, federations, hotels, transportation partners, and event stakeholders all need to be working from the same playbook.

As the Official Travel and Accommodation Partner of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, ATPI is coordinating accommodation and wider operational requirements for international cycling federations. This involves bringing together hotels, transportation partners, suppliers, and event stakeholders to meet the specialized needs of elite cycling teams.

Securing accommodation is only one part of this responsibility. ATPI continues to manage room allocations, rooming-list changes, attrition, athlete nutrition, bike storage, transportation, and last-minute federation requests.

Among those leading this effort is Sophie Therrien, Project Manager at ATPI Canada, who has spent months coordinating the federation program for the Championships. Her role places her at the center of nearly every aspect of the federations’ experience, from initial planning and hotel contracts to the smallest last-minute requests.

“Our main priority is making sure that every operational detail is in place before the first federations arrive,” Sophie says. “That means coordinating closely with the Local Organizing Committee, hotels, transportation partners, and other suppliers, while continuing to support federations as their requirements evolve.”

Coordinating cycling federations, hotels, and event partners in Montréal

Welcoming international cycling federations means keeping several stakeholders moving in sync, each with different priorities. Federations need an environment built around performance. Hotels need to understand requests that fall well outside a typical guest stay. Transportation partners need accurate delegation numbers, and organizers need visibility across the whole program.

“Each group we welcome has different requirements, whether related to athlete nutrition, team meeting spaces, bike storage, mechanic areas, or day-to-day services,” says Sophie. “We work closely with hotel teams to ensure they understand these needs and are ready to deliver the level of service expected at a world-class sporting event.”

Managing hotel inventory and federation requirements after contracts are signed

Locking down enough hotel inventory for a major international event is no small feat. But the contracts are just the starting point.

“I think what would surprise most people is that signing the contracts is actually the easy part,” Sophie explains. “The real work begins afterwards, as we manage room allocations, special requests, and constant adjustments as teams finalize their plans.”

Rooming lists shift as federations confirm athlete selections. Delegation sizes change, arrival dates move, and new requests come in as teams finalize their plans. None of these changes happen in isolation, a shift in delegation size can ripple into meal counts, transportation capacity, meeting space, and how much equipment shows up at a hotel’s door.

Preparing Montréal hotels for elite cycling teams

Hosting a cycling federation is a different job than hosting a typical guest. Teams need secure bike storage, cleaning stations, mechanic workspaces, meeting rooms, vehicle parking, and dedicated space for recovery and physiotherapy, all things a hotel has to plan for well before anyone checks in.

Some requests get very specific: one federation wants its own chef working alongside the hotel’s culinary team; another needs extra towels and up to 20 kilograms of ice a day for its recovery program.

“These may sound like small details, but they can quickly become major operational challenges if they’re not planned in advance,” says Sophie. “You can’t suddenly find 20 kilograms of ice at the last minute when a team’s recovery program depends on it.”

Planning hotel catering and nutrition for elite cyclists

Athlete nutrition rarely looks like standard hotel catering. Menus and meal times often have to move with training, recovery, and competition schedules rather than the hotel’s usual routine.

“For elite athletes, nutrition is a critical part of performance,” Sophie explains. “We work closely with hotels and catering teams to ensure meal offerings meet their needs. Menus are adapted based on competition schedules, as nutritional requirements on a training day can be very different from those on a race day.”

Adapting rooming lists and transportation as team plans change

Federations often know how many athlete spots they’ve secured long before they know which athletes will fill them. As selections come in, rooming lists, delegation sizes, and arrival details keep moving, and operational requirements move with them, from transportation schedules to storage needs to the space required for team meetings.

“Our job is to stay flexible and ensure those changes are managed smoothly so federations can focus on performance rather than logistics,” says Sophie.

ATPI Canada’s Montréal-based team also brings something visiting federations do not have on their own: knowledge of the city itself, shaping transportation plans and everyday recommendations that fit each group’s schedule and needs.

“Our role is to be a trusted local partner,” says Sophie. “By combining travel expertise, destination knowledge, and on-the-ground support, we help remove as many logistical challenges as possible so athletes and teams can enjoy the journey.”

Final preparations before the 2026 UCI Road World Championships

The closer the Championships get, the more tangible the planning becomes. Hotels are finalizing their properties, federations are locking in their requirements, and every partner is aligning around one thing: the arrival of the athletes.

For Sophie, success won’t be loud. It’ll be quiet.

“The best measure of success is often what people don’t notice,” she says. “If everything runs smoothly, questions are resolved quickly, and athletes can focus entirely on performance, then we’ve achieved our objective. In many ways, our goal is to become invisible, because when logistics feel effortless, it’s a sign that the planning has been done right.”

Soon, the focus shifts to the roads of Montréal and the riders chasing the rainbow jersey. Behind them will be months of coordination built for one purpose: making sure that when the racing begins, logistics are the last thing anyone has to think about.