Kigali became the centre of the cycling world in 2025, welcoming the globe’s finest riders for the 98th edition of the UCI Road World Championships. The event crowned a vision first publicly shared in 2018, when the leadership of the cycling federation set out to place the country among the world’s elite cycling nations. ALSO READ: Timeline: How Rwanda secured bid to host 2025 UCI Road World Champs From September 21 to 28, cyclists from 110 countries were in the land of a thousand hills to battle for the iconic rainbow jersey across junior, under-23, and elite categories for both men and women. Though Africa ultimately missed out on a podium finish, riders from the continent delivered courageous and inspiring performances, signalling steady progress on cycling’s biggest stage. As the year draws to a close, Times Sport revisits UCI Kigali 2025, reflecting on the defining moments, unforgettable scenes, and lasting highlights from a championship that reshaped Rwanda’s place on the global cycling map. Big names that attended Among the 1,394 riders who competed, the championship featured some of the biggest stars in world cycling, including Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar, who arrived in Kigali at the peak of his career. By the time of the championships, Pogačar had already claimed four Tour de France titles (2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025), a Giro d’Italia victory in 2024, and nine one-day Monument wins, including the Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Pogačar competed in both the men’s elite individual time trial (ITT) and the road race, disciplines in which he has built an extraordinary reputation. The championships also featured one of cycling’s greatest ITT specialists, Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, who stood among the event’s biggest figures. Africa was strongly represented, with 38 participating countries, led by Eritrean star Biniam Girmay, who holds the distinction of being the first African rider to win a silver medal at the UCI Road World Championships, achieved in the men’s under-23 road race. ALSO READ: Riders to keep an eye on in the 2025 UCI World road champs On the women’s side, Africa had stars including Kimberley Le Court Pienaar, the 29-year-old Mauritian who made history earlier this year as Africa’s first monument winner after triumphing at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Beyond the riders, the event attracted high-profile guests, including President Paul Kagame, UCI President David Lappartient, and Prince Albert II of Monaco. Global audience tuned into Kigali It would not be an exaggeration to say that the cycling world’s attention was fixed on Rwanda throughout the championships. According to UCI reports, the event was broadcast in 124 countries across 22 international television networks, with Rwanda Television (RTV) serving as the host broadcaster. ALSO READ: Why Kigali 2025 race could draw largest viewership ever Major broadcasters included the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), BBC (United Kingdom), France TV, ZDF (Germany), RAI (Italy), and VRT/RTBF (Belgium), while FloBikes covered the event in the United States and Canada. In Africa, SuperSport served as the pan-African broadcaster, alongside RBA as the local partner. The UCI also streamed all events live on its YouTube channel, which has over 690,000 subscribers. The platforms helped the championships surpass expectations, with over 330 million viewers worldwide, making Kigali 2025 the most-watched edition in the event’s history, overtaking the 329 million audience recorded at Yorkshire 2019 in England. Uniqueness of the Rwandan circuit The Kigali circuit was billed as the toughest course ever staged at a UCI Road World Championships. On the final day, elite men riders tackled 267.5 kilometres with a staggering 5,475 metres of elevation gain, all at an altitude of approximately 1,850 metres above sea level. ALSO READ: Why Kigali 2025 is billed to be UCI’s hardest race ever The challenge was further intensified by the Mur de Kigali, a cobblestone climb that became one of the championship’s defining landmarks. Another historic milestone was recorded as under-23 women competed in their own road race for the first time, separate from the elite women’s event. Their race covered 119.3 kilometres with 2,435 metres of climbing, navigating short, sharp ascents and rolling terrain that relentlessly tested endurance. ALSO READ: France’s Gery on U23 rainbow jersey in Kigali: Long wait, worth it France’s Célia Gery was the winner of the women’s Under-23 rainbow jersey after clocking 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 26 seconds. Slovakian Viktoria Chladonova and Spain’s Paula Blasi Cairol finished behind her to claim silver and bronze, respectively. Sections and moments that stood out One of the championship’s most memorable storylines was the rivalry between Pogačar and Evenepoel, which began in the ITT. Evenepoel once again proved his dominance in the discipline, completing the 40.6-kilometre course in 49 minutes and 6 seconds to claim his third consecutive ITT world title, following victories in Glasgow (2023) and Zurich (2024). He finished two minutes and 37 seconds ahead of Pogačar, who struggled on the demanding Kigali route and finished fourth after being overtaken near the Women’s Foundation climb in Kimihurura. However, Pogačar turned the tables in the elite men’s road race. On the final day, he attacked on Mont Kigali with more than 100 kilometres remaining, eventually dropping Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro before riding the final 66 kilometres solo. He completed the brutal course in 6 hours, 21 minutes, and 20 seconds, reclaiming the rainbow jersey as Evenepoel finished one minute and 26 seconds behind. For Rwanda, one of the most inspiring moments came when Moise Ntirenganya defied expectations by completing the men’s junior road race, carrying the nation’s hopes in a race won by Britain’s Harry Hudson. The Kimihurura cobblestone section, tackled shortly before the finish at KCC, also emerged as one of the toughest challenges for ITT riders across all categories. ALSO READ: Ntirenganya makes history as first Rwandan to finish UCI Junior Road Race Off the road, David Lappartient was re-elected as UCI President, securing another four-year term until 2029 and marking continuity in leadership since first assuming office in 2017. What global figures said about Kigali 2025 World champion Tadej Pogačar praised the Kigali course and Rwanda’s hospitality after defending his road race title. “I really feel it; it’s the nation of a thousand hills. From the moment I arrived here until today when I’m leaving, I will remember Rwanda in a really positive way. I had one of the best training experiences here with my girlfriend and my team, which made the race even more special,” he said. Legendary Burundian musician Khadja Nin, described the championships as exceptional. “What is happening here is beyond expectations. This is definitely the best World Cycling Championship ever. Congratulations to everyone who organised it. As Africans, we are all very proud,” she said. UCI President David Lappartient also highlighted Africa’s future role in global cycling. “Africa is not a finish line; it’s a starting point. This is part of our global strategy. The way Rwanda organised this event was a success, and many federations were very impressed,” he noted. President Paul Kagame, in a message posted on X, lauded the successful hosting of the championships, stating that Rwanda was proud to welcome the world and celebrate the resilience and achievements of all riders who competed across Kigali.
