Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar delivered another masterclass on Sunday, retaining his men’s elite road race crown at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.
Launching a decisive solo attack 66 kilometers from the finish, the 27-year-old powered away on the punishing 267.5-kilometre course, which featured 5,475 meters of climbing and the cobbled streets of Kigali, the toughest of them the Cote de Kimihurura climb.
The win secures Pogačar back-to-back rainbow jerseys, cementing his place as the sport’s dominant all-rounder.
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, who endured two costly bike changes, settled for silver after leading the chase, collapsing in exhaustion and frustration at the finish line.
Evenepoel had dominated the Time Trial event and was one of the favourites for the championship but his second bike change was costly as he stopped nearly a minute before his team arrived.
Ben Healy of Ireland claimed a remarkable bronze.
Earlier, Pogačar had pulled away from the peloton with Mexican Isaac del Toro on his heels in a two-man move with 104 kilometres to go. It looked premature for such an elite race with a strong peloton just under a minute behind.
But the Slovenian proved untouchable once he struck out alone. Each climb seemed to fuel him, as he extended his lead with every ascent despite searing midday heat that forced several riders to abandon.
He held a lead of nearly a minute throughout his time with Del Toro but once he pulled away, he never dipped below a minute for the 66km to the finish, instead eating up more and more seconds the moment his team told him Evenepoel had charged away from the two other chasers.
Rwanda’s six-man team, competing in the nation’s first home World Championships, drew roars from roadside crowds. Eric Manizabayo appeared determined to write a local heroism story early on but even he could not endure the terrain and fell back into obscurity.
The biggest cheer for Africa would come for Eritrea’s Amanuel Ghebreigziabiher, who battled to 30th place, finishing as the continent's top rider in the elite men’s field.
In the women’s elite race, Canada’s Magdeleine Vallieres stunned the peloton with a fearless attack on the final climb.
The 24-year-old surged clear from a select group that included New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black and Spain’s Mavi García, crossing the line 23 seconds ahead to become Canada’s first road world champion.
Fisher-Black took silver, while García secured bronze at age 41. Switzerland’s Elise Chabbey finished fourth.
The junior races also produced headlines. Britain’s Harry Hudson stormed to victory in the men’s junior road race, conquering the 119.3km circuit to finish 16 seconds ahead of France’s Johan Blanc.
Poland’s Jan Michal Jackowiak claimed bronze, while Hudson’s teammates Max Hinds and Matthew Peace placed fourth and fifth, underlining British depth in youth development.
Amid the celebrations, the UCI announced that number 84 will be permanently retired from women’s junior competition.
The gesture honors Swiss rider Muriel Furrer, who tragically died of head injuries following a crash in last year’s junior race.
The Kigali championships, staged from September 21–28, marked the first time cycling’s biggest annual event was hosted in Africa.
For a continent long on the fringes of elite cycling, Rwanda’s successful staging of the Worlds—and the spirited performances of its riders—signaled a watershed moment.
