The Men's Individual Road Race of the 1974 UCI Road World Championships cycling event took place on August 25 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The route consisted of twenty-one laps around a circuit that contained two climbs within it, totaling to a length of . Belgian Eddy Merckx won the race, while French riders Raymond Poulidor and Mariano Martínez finished second and third, respectively. This was Merckx's third victory in the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships, equaling the record. In addition, he also completed the Triple Crown of Cycling, which consists of winning two Grand Tour races and the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships in a calendar year.
The day of racing was highlighted by two large solo efforts on the part of the French riders Francis Campaner and Bernard Thévenet. Campaner attacked during the race's second lap and rode solo until being joined in the tenth lap by Gerard Vianen. The two were caught in the twelfth circuit and shortly after their capture, Thévenet attacked on his own and rode on his own through most of the final lap. Merckx initiated a chase group during the seventeenth lap that managed to catch and pass Thévenet with seven kilometers remaining. The group then splintered into two groups of two, with Merckx and Poulidor riding into the finish together. Merckx took victory in the two-man sprint.
Race route
The route for the race consisted of 21 laps that totaled for of racing, with each lap being in length. Each circuit featured two climbs within it, including a cross of Mount Royal. The route for the race navigated through the Université de Montréal campus. Several sports writers deemed the route to be difficult. The race began at 9 AM local time.
Participants and race favorites
The race began with 70 riders from fifteen different countries, of which eighteen managed to finish the race. Reigning champion, Felice Gimondi, started the race despite sustaining injuries from a fall in the Bernocchi Cup the week beforehand. The Belgian team featured the riders Eddy Merckx, Herman Van Springel, Freddy Maertens, Patrick Sercu, and Roger De Vlaeminck, which cycling author William Fotheringham believed to be one of the best Belgian teams to race at the World Championships. Gianni Pignata of La Stampa believed that the race would likely be won by an Italian or a Belgian rider, but stated that Dutchman Gerrie Knetemann and Spaniard Luis Ocaña were dark-horse candidates for the victory. In particular, young Italian Francesco Moser was expected to provide race favorite Merckx with "stiff competition." De Telegraaf writer Charles Taylor believed that José Manuel Fuente would be the best Spanish candidate for victory since Ocaña had recently recovered from sickness and injuries from crashes in different races. Taylor stated that there was no serious Dutch contender that could challenge the favorite, Merckx.
Race summary
The whole starting peloton stayed intact for the first lap which took only 18' 36" to complete. The first attack came from French rider Francis Campaner. He managed to earn a 37" advantage as he finished the second circuit and he increased that lead to 1' 19" at the conclusion of the third lap. Behind, the chasing group was led by Francesco Moser, Eddy Merckx, and Felice Gimondi. After the fourth lap, Campaner had gained thirty more seconds on the peloton. The gap between Campaner and the main field reached its maximum after the fifth lap — at 2' 21" — and was reduced to 1' 36" with the finishing of the sixth circuit.
The seventh lap saw a speed drop by the leading rider and the chasing peloton, allowing Campaner's advantage to increase back to 2' 21". The next two laps saw the gap fluctuate a little as the margin stayed around the two-minute mark. During the eleventh lap, Dutch rider Gerard Vianen attacked and managed to get within fifteen seconds of Campaner as the tenth lap ended, with the peloton 1' 27" behind. Vianen joined Campaner during the eleventh circuit as Merckx attacked from behind, along with Gerrie Knetemann. During the twelfth circuit, Vianen and Campaner were caught. Shortly after the re-absorption of the duo back into the peloton, Bernard Thévenet attacked and established a 40" advantage. Campaner retired from the race in the kilometers following being caught, while Vianen retired during the thirteenth lap.