UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships: teamwork and tactics making the difference

Final day of competition in Ronse

The fourth and final day of the 2025 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Ronse, Belgium, saw France extend its lead in the medals table, followed by Australia and Italy.

At the start of the day, France was already in the lead of the nations ranking with 18 medals (eight gold), while Italy, the Netherlands and Australia each had six golds. But all was still to play for… ahead of them lay the cycle and tandem road races, before the mixed handbike team relay finale.

MB: Italian teamwork

Italy made its intentions clear with a masterful performance in the MB road race. From the 13 different nations represented at the start, one French, two Italian, two Dutch and two Spanish tandems formed the final group.

Italy’s Federico Andreoli and his pilot Francesco Di Felice had been using the climb to fatigue the group before the teamwork with their Italian colleagues made a decisive difference. Lorenzo Bernard and pilot Paolo Totò attacked early on the ascent on the fifth of six laps, and after the other nations’ riders had reacted to close them down, Andreoli and Di Felice launched a blistering counter-attack.

Four-time UCI World Champions Tristan Bangma and Patrick Bos (NED) gave chase, but the elastic was broken. Bernard and Totò then disrupted any co-ordinated pursuit as their national team-mates pulled out a 28-sec advantage at the bell.

As Andreoli and Di Felice claimed their first UCI World Champions title a hectic finale saw the Spaniards Joan Sansó Riera and pilot Eloy Teruel Rovira take silver, with bronze for France’s Elie De Carvalho and Mickaël Guichard. There were two Italian men on the podium, but four who helped determine the result.

“We are very very happy with our first [UCI] World Championships together,” said Federico Andreoli. “We honour this race with fantastic racing, I think. We used a lot of energy on the uphill. We went with two laps to go and we attacked and we pushed!”

Aussies plot a double win

The women’s cycle racing was roared on by spectators including the “Lion of Flanders” himself, retired professional road cyclist Johan Museeuw, at the Ronse roadside.

Australians Alana Forster (C5) and Tara Neyland (C4) put themselves in the lead group of the 77km WC5/C4 race, plotting to bag both titles. The pair broke together, approaching the penultimate lap. Although Great Britain’s Morgan Newberry’s didn’t respond, her Polish C5 counterpart Anna Harkowska chased them down. Neyland held on until the final climb, knowing she had an advantage of more than one minute from America’s Samantha Bosco (C4).

As Harkowska took a drink and the Belgian rain returned, Forster (winner of Friday’s individual time trial), made her successful attack. Harkowska claimed silver and Newberry bronze. Neyland crossed the line just ahead of Harkowska, but all alone in the C4 standings. Bosco was second and Australia’s Meg Lemon third.

“It was great to have some team tactics today, I think we worked really well together,” said Tara Neyland. “Lots of strong riders out there so it was really great to have two Aussies up in the breakaway.”

WC3 - C2 collaboration

The WC3 -C2 race saw two riders from different classifications – and different nations – working together for a shared objective. USA’s C3 rider Clara Brown and Switzerland’s Flurina Rigling (C2) broke away together and pushed the pace throughout the 61.6 kilometres, and their teamwork succeeded.

“I had a great person to work with in Flurina and knew if we worked together, we could both have our day,” said Clara Brown. “We both put in an equal effort and worked really well together. We knew we could both be in stripes.”

“I just loved it to race in front of the crowds... It shows what para-cycling can do,” said Flurina Rigling. “And I’m so proud that we also did it together. It’s also an important part of para-cycling with the different categories, but also makes the sport fascinating.”

Frenchmen finish in style

French riders Mattis Lebeau and Kévin Le Cunff made a lead trio in the Men’s C4 race with Britain’s Archie Atkinson. At half distance the Frenchmen distanced the 21-year-old Briton, who held on for the bronze medal after his fourth place in 2024.

In a show of team respect that mirrored the French performance at last year’s UCI Worlds in Zurich (Switzerland), Lebeau and Le Cunff didn’t contest the sprint, crossing the line together in celebration, with Lebeau taking the title.

Three French riders in MC3 tried to repeat the trick: they worked together aiming to turn their numerical advantage into rainbow bands, but couldn’t topple Great Britain’s defending UCI World Champion Finlay Graham, who sprinted to victory, albeit with the same time as Frenshman Thomas Peyroton Dartet.

Alexandre Léauté (FRA) skipped the ‘teamwork’ memo and soloed to retain his MC2 title, while his countryman Thomas Tarou outfoxed the favourite Ricardo ten Argiles to the MC1 title.

Final reckoning

France retained their title in the 18.9km, 9-lap mixed handbike team relay, with Australia pipping Italy for silver. It meant that France tops the overall medal table with 27 medals, including 12 gold, from Australia with their total of 14 including 9 gold, while Italy totalled 14 with 7 gold.

Full results and race analyses

Para cycling sport classes

  • C – Cycle: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary

  • T – Tricycle: three-wheeled bike

  • B – Tandem: for visually impaired athletes with sighted pilot

  • H – Handcycle

Groups C (1-5), T (1-2) and H (1-5) are divided into different sport classes, with the lower the number indicating a higher level of impairment.