2025 World Road Cycling Championships

World Road Cycling Championships podium history | 2024 edition

Road Race: Elite Men Road Race | Elite Women Road Race

Time Trial: Team Time Trial mixed Relay | Elite Women Time Trial | Elite Men Time Trial

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Sunday, September 28: Elite Men World Championship Road Race, 267.5 km

Course map & profile | Photos

Tadej Pogacar is Champion of the World for the second year in a row.

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Weather at the city of Kigali at 2:40 PM, local time: 28C (83F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the southeast at 14 km/hr (9 mph). There is a 7% chance of rain.

The race: Sam Oomen (Netherlands) did not start. Early on Julian Alaphilippe (France), Will Barta (USA) & Marc Soler (Spain) abandoned. From then on lots more riders dropped out.

Here's the story:

Tadej Pogačar won the 2025 UCI Road World Championships with a long-range solo attack, defending his title in a show of force on the punishing course in Kigali, Rwanda. After dropping all his rivals with over 60 kilometers still to ride, he built an unassailable lead and crossed the finish line alone for his second consecutive rainbow jersey.

The long race gets started.

Race highlights
The decisive break: Pogačar made his first major move on the grueling Mont Kigali climb with about 104 kilometers remaining, an effort that fractured the peloton. Only Mexican rider Isaac del Toro and Spain's Juan Ayuso could initially follow.
Going solo: Pogačar dropped his last remaining companion, Isaac del Toro, with 66 kilometers left in the 267.5 km race. From that point on, the Slovenian rode alone, turning the final hour of the race into a solo time trial against the chasers.
An uncatchable lead: Despite the efforts of a strong chasing group, Pogačar's lead never diminished and he finished the race with over a minute's advantage. In the final kilometers, he had the luxury of celebrating his victory before crossing the line.

Well into the race the peloton passes though the city of Nyabugogo

Belgium's misfortunes: Pogačar's main rival, Remco Evenepoel, suffered several mechanical problems during the race, forcing him to chase back and frustrating his attempts to close the gap. Evenepoel still managed a powerful solo push in the final 20 kilometers to secure the silver medal.

The podium: The final podium was completed by Ireland's Ben Healy, who attacked his fellow chaser Mattias Skjelmose to ride solo for the bronze medal.

Complete results:

Photos

165 riders entered, 1 did not start, 134 did not finish, 30 classified finishers. Smallest finishing field since 1995.

267.5 kilometers raced at an average speed of 42.089 km/hr

1	Tadej Pogačar	Slovenia	6hr 21min 20sec
2	Remco Evenepoel	Belgium	@ 1min 28sec
3	Ben Healy	Ireland	2:16
4	Mattias Skjelmose	Denmark	2:53
5	Toms Skujiņš	Latvia	6:41
6	Giulio Ciccone	Italy	6:47
7	Isaac del Toro	Mexico	s.t.
8	Juan Ayuso	Spain	s.t.
9	Afonso Eulálio	Portugal	7:06
10	Thomas Pidcock	Great Britain	9:05
11	Primož Roglič	Slovenia	s.t.
12	Mikkel Frølich Honoré	Denmark	9:07
13	Paul Seixas	France	s.t.
14	Harold Tejada	Colombia	s.t.
15	Pavel Sivakov	France	9:47
16	Jai Hindley	Australia	10:01
17	Andrea Bagioli	Italy	10:06
18	Marc Hirschi	Switzerland	s.t.
19	Michael Storer	Australia	10:12
20	Carlos Canal	Spain	s.t.
21	Bauke Mollema	Netherlands	s.t.
22	Gianmarco Garofoli	Italy	10:16
23	Kevin Vermaerke	United States	s.t.
24	Artem Nych	Individual Neutral Athletes	s.t.
25	Andreas Leknessund	Norway	10:18
26	Cian Uijtdebroeks	Belgium	s.t.
27	Embret Svestad-Bårdseng	Norway	10:48
28	Valentin Paret-Peintre	France	10:59
29	Jan Christen	Switzerland	11:55
30	Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier	Eritrea	12:04

 

Elite men's road race map & profile:

Men's road race map

Men's road race profile

Elite Men's Road Race Championship photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

He's gone. The other riders won't see Tadej Pogacar until the end of the race.

Remco Evenepoel & Ben Healy lead a group chasing the fleeing Pogacar.

Thomas Pidcock, Jai Hindley & Matthias Skjelmose Jensen lead a small group.

Isaac del Toro riding to seventh. That should be Primoz Roglic on his wheel.

Juan Ayuso riding to eighth.

Primoz Roglic

Tadej Pogacar wins the race after a masterful display of power. He was alone and off the front for 66 kilometers.

Remco Evenepoel was second.

Irishman Ben Healy finishes third.

Tadej Pogacar just after finishing the race.

The podium, from left: Remco Evenepoel (2nd), Tadej Pogacar (1st) & Ben Healy (3rd)

Tadej Pogacar in the Rainbow Jersey for another year.

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Saturday, September 27: Elite Women's World Championship Road Race, 164.6 km - 11 laps of about 14.9 km

Course map & profile | Race photos

Magdeleine Vallieres is champion of the world! Sirotti photo

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Weather at the race city of Kigali at 2:15 PM, local time: 26C (78F), partly cloudy, with the wind from the northeast at 21 km/hr (13 mph). There is a 24% chance of rain, growing to 46% at 4:00 PM. Lightning is possible.

The race: Here's the report from winner Magdeleine Vallieres' pro team EF Education-Oatly.

The 24-year-old EF Education-Oatly rider from Sherbrooke, Québec attacked out of the breakaway on the final climb of the Kigali circuit and soloed to the finish to win her rainbow stripes.

“It was my dream to win it, and it's true now! It's crazy!” Mags said, through tears of joy after the finish.

Mags rode the perfect tactical race, joining a late race move and keeping its momentum going by pushing on the front, as the pre-race favorites in the peloton looked at each other. Mags knew she was flying after the pre-race altitude camp that she did with our team. Her Canadian teammates, including EF Education-Oatly’s Alison Jackson, backed her and rode for her from the start. Mags knew that if she believed in herself and gave it her all, her rainbow dream could come true.

“The girls believed in me, so I believed in myself and I really committed to going for it. I prepared well. I knew I was on good form, so I just told myself I didn't want to have any regrets,” Mags said.

She kept pushing the pace and urged the break to keep going when their speed faltered. When she got to the bottom of the final climb, all that was left to do was go flat out to the top.

“I knew I probably wouldn't win in a sprint against Niamh, because she's so strong,” Mags said. “We were both really committed to the break, working really hard. I saw that she was fading a little bit, so I told myself I just have to go all in now and try and it worked out in the end. I don't believe it yet, for sure not. It is great to do it here and with the worlds next year in Montréal, it’s perfect. I've been dreaming about this for a while now!”

And here's the race organizer's report:

Magdeleine Vallieres Mill delivered a career-defining masterclass on the punishing streets of Kigali, attacking on the final cobbles of Côte de Kimihurura to become Canada’s first UCI Women’s Elite Road Race World Champion.

She finished in 4:34:48, with an average speed of 35.8 km/h, 23 seconds ahead of New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black, with Spain’s Margarita García Canellas taking bronze at 4:35:15.

With Demi Vollering, Pauline Férrand-Prévot, Elisa Longo Borghini, Kim Le Court de Billot and brand new Time Trial World Champion Marlen Reusser, the peloton knew the strong favourites for this race.

Even more so, because of notable absentees, like defending champion Lotte Kopecky, who opted out after a disrupted season, and Denmark’s Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig who withdrew during the week. Great Britain did not start despite having six allocated places..

Despite these absences, the course and conditions produced constant aggression, an early long-range solo, repeated counters and finally one perfectly judged acceleration that crowned Canada’s first women’s road world champion.

The 164.6 kilometre circuit packed in 11 laps and 3,350 metres of climbing, its twin teeth the Côte de Kigali Golf and the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura. Heat and altitude added to the challenge as 104 riders from 44 nations started, but the first lap already thinned the bunch and left Mauritian favourite Kim Le Court de Billot isolated.

Austria’s Carina Schrempf made the first decisive move before the second ascent of Kigali Golf, quickly gaining more than three minutes. The peloton, guided mainly by Italy and the Netherlands, let her go, but never fully relaxed.

Behind Schrempf, Hungary’s Blanka Vas attacked after Spain’s Usoa Ostolaza moved clear, Belgium’s Julie Van de Velde chased, and the Dutch began rotating pressure through Femke de Vries, Yara Kastelijn and Shirin van Anrooij, with the last launching a solo attack.

Van Anrooij’s solo push lasted deep into the race but was reeled in with around 55km to go. Immediately, Switzerland’s Noemi Rüegg and Spain’s Mireia Benito countered and carved out a half-minute advantage while Australia steadied the pace behind. With three laps left, the race began splintering: Amanda Spratt’s acceleration forced the favourites forward, France committed to the chase, and with only 30km left, defending champion Anna van der Breggen was dropped.

A select group of ten emerged, comprising Magdeleine Vallieres Mill, Niamh Fisher-Black, Mavi García, Riejanne Markus, Antonia Niedermaier and others. From behind, world time trial champion Marlen Reusser surged and linked up with Silvia Malcotti and Elise Chabbey to form a dangerous chase. The peloton was now two minutes adrift, and it was clear the rainbow jersey would come from the front.

With about 20km left, Mavi García attacked on the penultimate ascent of Kigali Golf, drawing Magdeleine Vallieres Mill and Niamh Fisher-Black clear. Niedermaier clawed back while Riejanne Markus dangled just behind. Chabbey jumped from the chasers to try to bridge but hovered at 20 seconds as the leaders hesitated. Sensing vulnerability and knowing she could not beat Fisher-Black in a sprint, Vallieres Mill chose her moment perfectly. With only two kilometres to go, on the final ascent of the cobbled Kimihurura, she attacked hard. The gap opened instantly and Mavi García and Fisher-Black were left chasing shadows. A historic finish for Magdeleine Vallieres

With about 20km left, Mavi García attacked on the penultimate ascent of Kigali Golf, drawing Magdeleine Vallieres Mill and Niamh Fisher-Black clear. Niedermaier clawed back while Riejanne Markus dangled just behind. Chabbey jumped from the chasers to try to bridge but hovered at 20 seconds as the leaders hesitated.

Sensing vulnerability and knowing she could not beat Fisher-Black in a sprint, Vallieres Mill chose her moment perfectly. With only two kilometres to go, on the final ascent of the cobbled Kimihurura, she attacked hard. The gap opened instantly and Mavi García and Fisher-Black were left chasing shadows.

Magdeleine Vallieres crested the final climb alone and powered up the punishing last ramp to secure Canada’s first-ever women’s elite world road title. Fisher-Black held on for silver, just ahead of García in bronze. Elise Chabbey arrived fourth at 41 seconds, Markus fifth at 57 seconds, and Demi Vollering led the favourites’ group 1:34 back in seventh.

“The girls believed in me, so I believed in myself,” Vallieres said after the finish. “I prepared well and knew I was on good form. I told myself I didn’t want to have any regrets. I knew I probably wouldn’t win in a sprint against Niamh because she’s so strong. When I saw she was fading, I had to go all in and try something. It worked out in the end.”

The home squad fielded four riders: Nirere Xaveline, Ingabire Diane, Irakoze Neza Violette and Nzayisenga Valentine, but despite brave efforts and strong local support, each dropped out at various stages of the demanding race.

Complete results

Photos

164.6 kilometers raced at an average speed of 35.939 km/hr

1	Magdeleine Vallieres	Canada	4hr 34min 48sec
2	Niamh Fisher-Black	New Zealand	@ 23sec
3	Mavi García	Spain	0:27
4	Elise Chabbey	Switzerland	0:41
5	Riejanne Markus	Netherlands	0:57
6	Antonia Niedermaier	Germany	1:17
7	Demi Vollering	Netherlands	1:34
8	Kimberley Le Court de Billot	Mauritius	s.t.
9	Marlen Reusser	Switzerland	s.t.
10	Kasia Niewiadoma	Poland	s.t.
11	Caroline Andersson	Sweden	s.t.
12	Franziska Koch	Germany	1:36
13	Juliette Labous	France	1:39
14	Katrine Aalerud	Norway	1:44
15	Elisa Longo Borghini	Italy	1:50
16	Pauline Ferrand-Prévot	France	s.t.
17	Chloé Dygert	United States	1:54
18	Barbara Malcotti	Italy	1:58
19	Brodie Chapman	Australia	2:04
20	Noemi Rüegg	Switzerland	2:16
21	Ginia Caluori	Switzerland	2:18
22	Mireia Benito	Spain	2:19
23	Urška Žigart	Slovenia	2:29
24	Ella Wyllie	New Zealand	2:59
25	Yuliia Biriukova	Ukraine	4:16
26	Évita Muzic	France	4:21
27	Shirin van Anrooij	Netherlands	4:42
28	Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset	Norway	5:06
29	Ashleigh Moolman	South Africa	6:26
30	Amanda Spratt	Australia	s.t.
31	Cédrine Kerbaol	France	8:15
32	Jasmin Liechti	Switzerland	8:37
33	Lauretta Hanson	Australia	9:13
34	Pauliena Rooijakkers	Netherlands	10:45
35	Sara Martín	Spain	11:31
36	Marie Le Net	France	s.t.
37	Blanka Vas	Hungary	s.t.
38	Anna van der Breggen	Netherlands	s.t.
39	Yee Leung Wing	Hong Kong	s.t.
40	Marta Lach	Poland	s.t.
41	Julie Van de Velde	Belgium	12:58
42	Monica Trinca Colonel	Italy	s.t.
43	Margot Vanpachtenbeke	Belgium	s.t.
44	Yara Kastelijn	Netherlands	s.t.
45	Jasmin Gabriela Soto	Guatemala	16:00
46	Marieke Meert	Belgium	16:14
47	Femke de Vries	Netherlands	s.t.
48	Carina Schrempf	Austria	s.t.
49	Karolina Perekitko	Poland	16:16
50	Paula Patiño	Colombia	s.t.
51	Olha Kulynych	Ukraine	16:20
52	Ruby Roseman-Gannon	Australia	16:21
53	Olivia Baril	Canada	s.t.

 

Elite women's road race map & profile:

Women's road race map

Women's road race profile.

Women's World Championship Road Race photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

Racing in Kigali

Another shot of the peloton

Zoom!

Three dropped Italian riders.

Magdeleine Vallieres is the new world champion.

New Zealand's Niamh Fisher-Black finsihes second.

Swiss rider Elise Chabbey finishes fourth.

Magdeleine Vallieres just after winning the race.

A moment to recover and rehydrate

The podium, from left: Niamh Fisher-Black (2nd, New Zealand), Magdeleine Vallieres (1st, Canada) & Mavi Garcia (3rd, Spain).

World road champion Magdeleine Vallieres

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