“The wait was long until noon, but it worked out in my favour,” said France’s Célia Gery, winner of the women’s Under-23 rainbow jersey, after clocking 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 26 seconds on the 119.3 km course with 2,435 meters of elevation gain on Thursday. For the first time in UCI history, the Women’s Under-23 riders competed in their own standalone road race. The event took four hours and 20 minutes to complete eight laps around the circuit, starting and finishing at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC). Gery secured the gold medal, with Slovakian Viktoria Chladonova and Spain’s Paula Blasi Cairol finishing close behind just two and twelve seconds adrift to claim silver and bronze, respectively. It's unbelievable. It was a long time waiting, but it's amazing. It was a masterpiece for the team. There were only three of us, but we managed to race perfectly. We had three very strong girls, and Marion was amazing at the finish, Gery said. ALSO READ: Kagame slams elitism in global event hosting at UCI Congress I was with Viktoria twice—she attacked twice and I stayed with her. The other girls were stronger than me in the sprint, so I wanted to stay away with her to try and win the race.” “The weather conditions are very different compared to France. It was difficult. The last two laps were a real challenge. I wasn’t fully confident, but I trusted my team. Canadian favourite Isabella Holmgren looked among the strongest riders throughout the day but could not match the French surge on the final climb. She finished sixth, while Britain’s Imogen Wolff Brit was 12th. Katherine Sarkisov placed 14th, the best finish for the USA. However, the race proved extremely tough for African riders, none of the 35 participants from the continent managed to cross the finish line, underscoring the challenges ahead in the upcoming road races. ALSO READ: ‘Home of Dreams’ cycling centre opens in Bugesera Friday, September 26, marks the sixth day of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, featuring two categories: Men’s Junior and Men’s Under-23. Both will follow the same route as the Women’s Under-23, with juniors covering eight laps and Under-23 men completing eleven laps. The Men’s Junior race will run from 8 am to 11:30am over a distance of 119.3 km, while the Men’s Under-23 race will take place from 12pm to 4:30pm , covering 164.6 km. Rwanda will be represented in the junior category by Moise Ntirenganya and Jackson Nkurikiyinka. The Under-23 team will include Samuel Niyonkuru, Aime Ruhumuriza, Etienne, and Shadrack Ufitemana.
