The UCI Road World Championships land in Africa for the first time from this weekend. Previous editions have explored Europe, America, Asia and Oceania, and now the 2025 edition settles in Rwanda, the “land of a thousand hills”, with demanding roads in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa.
The best riders from around the world get together in the Rwandan capital Kigali for a comprehensive programme featuring 13 races, with the introduction of separate events to award the Women Under 23 rainbow jerseys in both the individual time trial (ITT) and the road race.
The action will be intense from Sunday 21 to Sunday 28 September. And it all begins with ITTs, which will start from the BK Arena and finish at the Kigali Convention Centre. The courses will differ depending on the category.
Elite riders the first down the ramp
The ITT for Women Elite is the opening event on the programme on Sunday morning, and will be followed in the afternoon by that of the Men Elite.
Both Elite courses will feature two ascents – in different directions – on the Côte de Nyanza (2.5km at 5.8% and then 4.1km at 3.1%) before a finale on the cobbled slopes of Kimihurura (1.3km at 6.3%). The women’s course is 31.2km long (with 460m elevation), while the men’s course will make a detour on the Côte de Péage (2.0km at 6.0%) for a 40.6km battle featuring 680m elevation.
On Monday, the Men Under 23 event will follow the same course as the Women Elite. The Women Under 23 contenders will battle it out over 22.6km, with one Nyanza ascent and the cobbled climb of Kimihurura. The same course will be used the next day for the Men Junior ITT. The Women Junior event will skirt the climb of Nyanza with an 18.3km course that features 225 metres of elevation.
The time trial schedule will conclude with the team time trial – mixed relay on Wednesday, set on the same roads with two laps of 20.9km totalling 41.8km distance.
Global and rising stars: Evenepoel, Dygert, Bäckstedt…
The courses make for exciting and open challenges that will require both masterful solitary outputs and climbing abilities, compared to last year’s courses in Zurich (Switzerland) which were significantly flatter. Will it spur change on top spots of podiums? Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, two-time and defending UCI World Champion, is not afraid of gradients! The Women Elite rainbow jersey will definitely change hands as Australia’s Grace Brown, crowned in 2024, retired at the end of the year.
Her predecessor Chloé Dygert (USA), crowned again in 2023 after a first Elite title in the speciality in 2019, will try to claim yet another rainbow jersey. The Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist in the ITT has also taken eight titles of UCI World Champion on the track in addition to rainbow jerseys as a Junior in the road race and ITT. The Netherlands’ Anna van der Breggen will be the other former ITT UCI World Champion (in 2020) participating in the Women Elite event. She is joined in the Dutch outfit by the likes of Demi Vollering (silver medallist in 2024) and Riejanne Markus (a member of the team time trial - mixed relay squad that won the UCI World title in 2019).
The star-studded field is completed by talents such as Swiss icon Marlen Reusser, the ever consistent Anna Henderson (Great Britain) and Juliette Labous (France), and the up and coming Marthe Goossens (Belgium). The recent winner of the ITT at the Simac Ladies Tour at UCI Women’s WorldTour level, Great Britain’s Zoe Bäckstedt, is a favourite in the Under 23 event. Her countrywoman Erin Boothman is among the rising stars to watch in the Junior ranks after she took two gold medals last month at the UCI Junior Track World Championships.
In the men’s events, Evenepoel has well established his dominance, with a Junior UCI World Champion title and the Olympic Games gold medal in addition to his Elite rainbow jerseys. The recent ITT at La Vuelta Ciclista a España, in Valladolid, highlighted the great form of Australia’s Jay Vine (winner of the team time trial - mixed relay in 2024), Portugal’s João Almeida and France’s Bruno Armirail. Also riding for France, Paul Seixas, crowned last year in the Juniors, is set to make his Elite debut at 20 years old. Among the youngsters battling for his succession, Austria’s Heimo Fugger chases more glory after winning the elimination race at the UCI Junior Track World Championships.