Magdeleine Vallières Mill could become the first Canadian cyclist to retain a world champion title at home, according to the CBC. Since her victory in Kigali, Rwanda, at the 2025 World Championships, Vallières Mill has worn the rainbow jersey — a symbol of world champion status — throughout the current season. This Saturday, September 26, she will defend her title in Montreal, which is hosting the competition this year. Vallières Mill described the experience of defending her title at home as "not something you experience often, trying to defend... or wearing number one at the World Championships at home," and noted that it "is a bit of pressure." During an interview with La Presse Canadienne, picked up by the sports network RDS, Vallières Mill said she believes she could retain her world title, stating she would "give everything with my teammates from the Canadian team to try to defend it." The CBC recalls that Vallières Mill was only 9 years old when she made her first bike trip. Her father had decided they would leave their hometown of Sherbrooke to visit her mother in the Gaspésie peninsula, a journey of 1,000 kilometers. "We averaged more than 100 kilometers per day. [...] I either hated it or really loved it," Vallières Mill said, laughing. "It turned out that she loved it," the public media reported. Radio-Canada acknowledges that Vallières Mill "will not start with the label of favorite." The broadcaster recalls that her victory in Kigali had defied all predictions, as she "took advantage of a dynamic race to attack about 20 kilometers from the finish line and resist alone until the end to win, at 24 years old, the biggest success of her career." On September 26, Vallières Mill will have to compete against the Dutch winner of the Tour de France Femmes, Demi Vollering, the Belgian Lotte Kopecky, world champion in 2023 and 2024, and the Polish winner of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, Kasia Niewiadoma. La Presse recalls that Vallières Mill finished this summer's Tour de France in 18th place, far behind Demi Vollering. However, she was riding in the leading group in the final stage and helped her French teammate Cédrine Kerbaol, who finished 6th in the overall general classification. "Mags doesn't like to show off as a star," said Kerbaol. "She is discreet, very, very humble." Perseverance is what defined Vallières Mill's Tour de France Femmes "and it will surely define her World Championships in Montreal, whether she successfully defends her jersey or not," concluded La Presse Canadienne.