During this international break weekend, football allowed other disciplines to shine. In Montreal, the world cycling championships offered two splendid races for the women on Saturday, then for the men on Sunday. In Pontevedra, Spain, Cassandre Beaugrand regained her crown as queen of triathlon, while the rugby Blues signed an exploit against Canada, which the volleyball Blues were unfortunately unable to imitate against Poland, in the Euro final. Here's what to remember from a busy weekend on the sports planet.
Cycling: Brandon McNulty winner of a World Cup dynamited by the Blues
Double title holder, Tadej Pogacar was not at the start of the world cycling championships on Sunday in Montreal. But the rainbow jersey will still remain for one more season with the UAE Team Emirates team. And for good reason: his teammate Brandon McNulty triumphed in the streets of the Canadian city, after a breathtaking solo raid on the slopes of Mount Royal. At 27, he became the third American crowned world champion, after Greg LeMond (1984, 1989) and Lance Armstrong (1993).
On the French side, Paul Seixas has long believed he could become the youngest world champion in history. But, at 20 years and three days old, the Lyonnais still has a lot to learn. While the French team had toughened the race early, as planned, to prepare the ground for it, the fourth in the last Tour de France collapsed at the start of the last five kilometers, crippled with cramps. Fifteenth on the line, the Frenchman has however made an appointment with the future, assuming his status for 265 of the 273 kilometers of this anthology World Cup.
Cycling: Demi Vollering completes her season with a world title
Tour de France, Giro, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour of Flanders, Flèche wallonne and now the world title in the road race. Demi Vollering has been untouchable this season. Never yet crowned career world champion, the 29-year-old Dutch cyclist corrected this anomaly on Saturday.
She attacked 38 kilometers from the finish in one of the difficulties of the course, made the difference before being caught by her rivals Elisa Longo Borghini, Juliette Berthet and Kazia Niewiadoma. Without panicking, she once again set a strong pace to make her opponents crack. Then she sprinted past the Polish Niewiadoma, whom she had already beaten in the general classification of the last Tour de France.
Triathlon: Cassandre Beaugrand once again on top of the world
Uncompromising this summer, Cassandre Beaugrand won a second world triathlon crown on Saturday in Pontevedra (Spain), at the end of a perfect year in which the Paris Olympic champion won the six triathlons in which she participated. Already crowned in 2024, in the wake of her Olympic title, the AS Monaco triathlon licensee had experienced a complicated 2025 season, struggling to recover from her Olympic coronation.
Ancient history, assures Cassandre Beaugrand, who now has 14 victories in the Triathlon World Cup, one unit off the record. : “2026 was the best of all my years and it’s going to be hard to do better next year.” Especially since the Frenchwoman also set three French records in athletics at the start of the summer, over 3,000 m, 5,000 m and 10,000 m. In the men's category, Frenchman Dorian Coninx finished fourth in the general classification at the end of the last stage, Portuguese Vasco Vilaca was crowned world champion.
Volleyball: in silver, the Blues return to the European podium
The story could have been incredible, it remains magnificent. The French volleyball team, even deprived of most of its executives who had chosen to rest this summer, went for an unexpected silver medal at the European Championships. After an almost faultless run (one defeat in eight games), Andrea Giani's men ended up losing in the final against the Polish world number 1 (Poland's 3-1 victory) on Saturday evening.
They therefore come close to snatching a ticket for the 2028 Olympics, but return to the European podium. They have not been on the field of the European Championships since their 2015 title. Above all, several young Blues (Mathis Henno, Simon Magnin, Benjamin Diez...) have burst onto the screen and set a date for the future.
Rugby: prestigious victory for the Blues against the Canadians
A valuable gain in confidence. After a victory at the end of a crazy scenario against the Australians the previous week, the French XV achieved a new feat on Saturday by beating (21-5) the Canadians, reigning world vice-champions and who had tied with England last week. François Ratier's players scored three tries.
The meeting made it possible to introduce new faces, like Marie Ibanez, daughter of the former French international hooker Raphaël. The Blues now have a meeting in New Zealand with the Black Ferns, for three matches between October 18 and 31.
