The UEC Road European Championships brought the 2025 editions of the UCI Women Junior Nations’ Cup and the UCI Men Junior Nations’ Cup to a close last week. After winning a rainbow jersey at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali (Rwanda), Paula Ostiz followed up with wins in the individual time trial and road race at the European Championships to seal Spain's victory in the Women Junior category. Meanwhile, the Italians edged out Poland in the Men Junior series thanks to Roberto Capello's silver medal in the UEC European Championships road race.
The Squadra Azzurra and their Polish rivals both amassed 171 points in the series events held around the world in the 18th edition of the UCI Men Junior Nations’ Cup. With seven event wins (compared to Poland’s two), Italy edged ahead to top the overall classification for the first time. Poland secured a podium place for the second time, having also finished second in the series’ inaugural year of 2008. The young German team completed the 2025 podium with 143 points.
In the Women Junior competition, Spain's 191 points gave them a second series victory, following on from their dominant display in 2020. Canada returned their best-ever performance with 151 points to finish second in this 2025 series. After winning the last three editions of the UCI Nations’ Cup, the British team took third.
Women Junior: Ostiz calls the shots for Spain
The Spanish team had an impressive haul at the UCI Road World Championships, largely due to Paula Ostiz's domination of the Women Junior category. Winner of the road race and second in the individual time trial in Kigali (Rwanda), the 18-year-old rising star showed off the talent that has seen her shine throughout the season, scoring 144 points for her country.
In February, Ostiz finished second behind Britain's Erin Boothman in the Clásica de Jaén Nation's Cup Women. She also finished second in the Tour du Gévaudan Occitanie Femmes to Canada's Sidney Swierenga. She then won the Watersley Ladies Challenge for the second year running, a feat uncommonly seen in highly competitive Dutch events. Wherever she has raced, Ostiz has shone, and she has truly excelled at UCI National, Continental and World Championships.
Irati Aranguren was also a major contributor to the brilliant Spanish performance with her second place in the Bizkaikoloreak two-day race behind Italy's Matilde Rossignoli. Also prominent were Alejandra Neira, who notably won the third stage of the Watersley Ladies Challenge, and Lidia Castro de la Serna, who added five points to the Spanish total by finishing second on the first day of the Bizkaikoloreak.
All of these Spanish performances were vital in overhauling the Canadian team, founded on the consistent results of Sidney Swierenga – at the Piccolo Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Valli del Verbano (second), Tour du Gévaudan Occitanie Femmes (first), Watersley Ladies Challenge (eighth), Bizkaikoloreak (eighth) and the UCI Road World Championships (sixth in the individual time trial, fourth in the road race). Her compatriots Elodie Malois and Raphaëlle Houde also distinguished themselves, finishing second and third respectively behind Norway's Oda Aune Gissinger at the Tour de l'Abitibi Féminin.
Men Junior: a historic battle
The Men Junior competition was also highly exciting, with Italy claiming its first UCI Nations’ Cup title at the final event by the smallest of margins. After Jan Michal Jackowiak's bronze medal in the road race the UCI Road World Championships, Poland went into the UEC Road European Championships with a three-point advantage. This was cancelled out by Roberto Capello's second place in the road race. With the two nations equal on points, it was Italy's seven first-place finishes that sealed the overall victory in the 2025 UCI Men Junior Nations’ Cup.
Capello had already claimed victory at the Medzinárodné dni Cyklistiky in July, winning the first stage and general classification. The Italians dazzled at this Slovak event, with Francesco Baruzzi winning the second stage. Baruzzi also won the first stage of the G.P. F.W.R. BARON - Pieve del Grappa - Possagno in June.
Other successes of the Squadra Azzurra include Mattia Agostinacchio who, after taking the rainbow jersey at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in February, won the second stage of the Trophée Centre Morbihan, and Alessio Magagnotti who clinched the second stage of the Course de la Paix Juniors and the first stage of the G.P. F.W.R. BARON - Pieve del Grappa - Possagno before winning two rainbow jerseys at the UCI Junior Track World Championships in August.
Poland's points total received a major boost by Jan Michal Jackowiak’s overall victory at the Course de la Paix Juniors. Furthermore, seven of his compatriots contributed to an impressive collective effort that allowed Marcin Wlodarski to win the Nation's Cup Hungary.
In total, riders from 14 nations won events in the 2025 UCI Junior Nations' Cup.