There had been much written in the build-up to the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda – the first on African soil – about whether it could live up to its billing. Yet, once the action got underway last weekend, stresses about logistics, infrastructure and its potential legacy were quickly drowned out by the noise coming from the roadsides in and around Kigali, particularly during the elite men’s and women’s road races this last weekend.
The sheer scale of the crowds along the routes was hard to comprehend from TV pictures, but my Cyclingnews colleagues on the ground, Kirsten Frattini and Matilda Price, were in no doubt that they had never witnessed a bike race watched by so many people before.
Canada’s Magdeleine Vallieres and Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar came out on top of the two vastly contrasting road races, though, and get the honour of donning the rainbow jersey for the next 12 months.
Deep crowds lined the streets for the women’s road race on Saturday.
Diane Ingabire was one of four Rwandan riders competing on home roads in the elite women’s road race.
A young Rwandan boy helping to create a party atmosphere on the streets of Kigali.
No guesses needed for the rider on the poster behind this fan.
Organisers hope that the first-ever UCI Road World Championships in Africa will help to inspire the next generation of African pro cyclists.
Could they even be the next Biniam Girmay? The Eritrean couldn’t miss the momentous occasion, even if the course was heavily weighted against his sprinting prowess.
The facial…
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