Magdeleine Vallieres caused a sensation. © ANSA / KIM LUDBROOK

A Canadian surprise woman becomes world champion

At the Road Cycling World Championships in Rwanda on Saturday, a clear underdog rode to victory. The big favorites, including Italian Elisa Longo Borghini, came away empty-handed.

September 28, 2025

From: dpa

The peloton witnessed Magdeleine Vallieres of Canada surprisingly outpace all the top riders and celebrate her first world championship title. After an eleven-stage circuit covering a distance of 164,6 kilometers in the hilly capital Kigali, the 24-year-old won ahead of New Zealand's Niamh Fisher-Black and Spaniard Mavi García.

Before the race, everyone's eyes were on the big favorites, including Tour de France winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot of France. Defending champion Lotte Kopecky, however, hadn't traveled to Rwanda for the first World Championships in an African country. However, Vallieres coolly exploited tactical games between the gold medal contenders to pull off the sensational coup.

Duel between Pogacar and Evenepoel

In Sunday's men's road race, top star Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia aims to defend his title in a duel with Belgian serial time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel. The course is extremely demanding, with almost 270 kilometers and a challenging 5.475 meters of elevation gain.