Anticipation builds as Kigali prepares for historic moment as the first African city to host the prestigious 2025 UCI Road World Championships, with global cycling stars like reigning champion Tadej Pogačar and two-time winner Julien Alaphilippe all looking to shine at the big stage. There will, however, be no Lotte Kopecky, the Belgian rider who claimed back-to-back championships in women’s elite category in 2023 (Scotland) and 2024 (Zürich). The race, scheduled for September 21-28, is fitting to pause and honor the icons who shaped the sport over the years and Times Sport highlights the most decorated riders since the race began in 1927. Men’s elite (First held in 1927) Alfredo Binda (Italy) Alfredo Binda became the first professional male Road World Champion in 1927, a title he won in Adenau, Germany, at the Nürburgring. This event marked the beginning of the official UCI Road World Championships Kigali prepares to host. Binda’s success in 1927 was not a one-off. He went on to secure two more World Championship titles in Liège, Belgium, in 1930 and Rome, Italy, in 1932. He achieved all three victories while riding for the Italian national team. He is also one of only three riders to have won the Giro d'Italia five times, a record he held for decades. He retired from professional cycling in 1936. ALSO READ: Why Kigali 2025 is billed to be UCI’s hardest race ever Rik Van Steenbergen (Belgium) Van Steenbergen won three professional men's World Championships while representing Belgium. His first two victories in 1949 and 1956 were both in Copenhagen, Denmark before winning his third world title before his home crowd in Waregem, Belgium, in 1957. Steenbergen's professional career spanned from 1942 to 1966, the year he officially retired. Eddy Merckx (Belgium) Eddy Merckx, widely considered the greatest cyclist of all time, was a dominant force in the sport during the 1960s and 1970s. He was nicknamed The Cannibal for his insatiable appetite for victory. A cornerstone of his career was his three professional men's world championship titles won 1967 in Heerlen, Netherlands, then Mendrisio, Switzerland, in 1971 and Montreal, Canada, in 1974. Merckx retired from professional cycling in 1978. Óscar Freire (Spain) The Spaniard was a powerful sprinter of the late 1990s and early 2000s. His legacy is largely built on his impressive record of three professional men's world championship titles. He won two races in Verona, Italy, in 1999 and 2004 and one more in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2001. ALSO READ: Kigali poised to break records: The 7 most viewed UCI World Champs Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Sagan is the only male cyclist to have won the title in three consecutive years, with victories in 2015 in Richmond, USA; 2016 in Doha, Qatar; and 2017 in Bergen, Norway. The Slovakian retired from professional road racing at the end of 2023 to focus on mountain biking. Women’s elite (First held in 1958) Yvonne Reynders (Belgium) Yvonne Reynders established herself as a dominant force in women's cycling during the 1960s. Her legacy is defined by her multiple world championships, which placed her among the top riders of her era alongside Beryl Burton. The Belgian star followed in the footsteps of Elsy Jacobs (Luxembourg), who had become the first-ever female world champion in 1958. Reynders won the women's world road race title four times in 1959 in Zandvoort, Netherlands, 1961 in Bern, Switzerland, 1966 in the Nürburgring, West Germany and 1963 in Renaix, Belgium. ALSO READ: Why Kigali 2025 race could draw largest viewership ever Anna Konkina (Soviet Union) Konkina was a prominent figure in women's cycling in early 1970s. Representing the Soviet Union's national team, she won her first rainbow jersey in 1970 in Leicester, Great Britain, and successfully defended her title the following year in 1971 in Mendrisio, Switzerland. She retired from professional cycling in early 1970s. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (France) Known for her extraordinary longevity and extensive list of victories, Longo-Ciprelli is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of cycling. Her five professional women's road race world championship titles are a record that no other cyclist, male or female, has achieved. She won her first rainbow jersey in 1985 in Giavera del Montello, Italy before claiming four more in 1986 in Colorado Springs, USA; 1987 in Villach, Austria; 1989 in Chambéry, France; and 1995 in Duitama, Colombia. Longo, who was playing for France, also won four world time trial titles in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2001. Her career spanned a remarkable period, from the 1970s to the 2010s. She officially retired from racing in 2012.
