2025 World Cycling Championships: The toughest edition in history in Kigali?

After Tadej Pogačar's feat and his monumental solo victory at the 2024 World Championships in Zurich, a new adventure is already on the horizon. All eyes are now on Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, where the 2025 World Cycling Championships will take place. It's not just a race, it's a real challenge that's taking shape, a fight against oneself and the world.tagFrom September 21 to 28, 2025, Kigali will be the scene of what could well be the most demanding event of all time.

By Jean-François Tatard – Photos: ©UCI / screenshots X

The 2025 route to Kigali is a true test of endurance, designed to testand the limits of the runners. On paper, this championship looks like one of the most difficult ever imagined., a challenge that could well surpass the legendary editions of Bogotá in 1995 or Sallanches in 1980. With a total elevation gain of nearly 5 meters for the elite men's race, each climb, each ascent seems designed to shatter the certainties of the most seasoned runners. The formidable Kigali Wall, among others, embodies this brutality. At each kilometer, the effort will require more than physical strength, it will require extraordinary resilience.

To grasp the extent of this challenge, we only need to look back at two legendary editions that have marked the history of cycling: Bogotá 1995 and Sallanches 1980, where legends of the sport forged their glory on equally merciless courses.

Bogotá 1995: the difficulty of altitude

In 1995, the World Championships were held in Bogotá, Colombia, in a tense environment, where Spanish hopes rested on the shoulders of Miguel Indurain. After weeks of hard training in the mountains,tagnes from Colorado, he arrived in Colombia in great shape, ready to win the world title that was missing from his list of achievements, after five consecutive victories in the Tour de France. But, despite his impressive preparation and his domination, it was finally Abraham Olano, one of his teammates, who took the lead of the race in the final kilometers.

2025 World Cycling Championships: The toughest edition in history in Kigali?

 

The particularly difficult course included a 17,7-kilometre loop between 2 and 550 metres above sea level, making the effort of each runner all the more intense. Indurain, who had attempted to tester his rivals on the final climbs, could not prevent Olano from breaking away with 19 kilometres to go. While Indurain was content to control the group behind, Olano, despite a flat rear wheel, maintained a 35-second lead over his pursuers, including Marco Pantani, Mauro Gianetti and… Indurain himself. In the end, it was Olano who crossed the line as the winner, giving Spain a well-deserved victory.

Olano's feat was not just a simple victory; it was the fruit of a brilliant collective strategy, where Indurain, while being perfectly prepared, knew that he had to support his teammate in this crucial moment, even if it meant giving up personal victory.

Sallanches 1980: the consecration of Bernard Hinault

In 1980, the world championships in Sallanches marked the history of cycling, notably thanks to the unfailing domination of Bernard Hinault, who, on the morning of the race, announced to his team: " It's OK, you can put the Champagne in the fridge for tonight.. » Far from being a simple joke, this statement was the expression of absolute confidence, reinforced by a French team led by Jacques Anquetil, with teammates like Bernard Thévenet, although at the end of his career. The Sallanches course, 268 kilometers long, was formidable, with the Côte de Domancy to cross not once, but twenty times! The total elevation gain of 4 meters, which can be compared to that of the Innsbruck championships in 600, put each rider to the test, not only by its distance but especially by the repetition of the climbs.

2025 World Cycling Championships: The toughest edition in history in Kigali?

Hinault, sure of his strength, had developed a simple tactic: " You take care of the first half of the race, I'll take care of the second.. » However, from the second lap, it was he himself who set off in a breakaway, imposing a frenetic pace that gradually eliminated his opponents. With 100 km to go, there were only seven left in the lead, including the Italian champion Baronchelli and the Belgian Pollentier. But it was on the final climb, where Hinault meticulously observed the weaknesses of his rivals, that he struck a final decisive blow. Spotting that Baronchelli, at the key moment of each climb, switched to his smallest gear, Hinault exploited this weakness to blow away his last opponent. At the finish, Hinault crossed the line with an advantagetagand a minute on Baronchelli, after showing all his power and his implacable tactics.

This victory was not only a physical feat, but a masterpiece of strategy and racing intelligence, where Hinault, true to his character, was able to combine his natural talents with a keen tactical sense to win a memorable world title.

And in 2024 in Zurich?

The 2024 World Cycling Championships in Zurich were not only a breathtaking race, but also a fearsome course that truly tested the biggest names in world cycling. The course for this edition, 274 kilometres long with 4 metres of elevation gain, was designed to favour the climber-punchers. The riders first had to tackle 470 kilometres of road course before embarking on a local circuit around Zurich, which they had to cover seven times.

The profile of the race was a real succession of challenges: long and winding climbs, steep slopestagand technical downhill sections that kept trapping the most daring. It was obvious that effort management was going to be crucial on such a demanding course. The distance, the elevation and the intensity of the course would have exhausted even the strongest riders, but it was precisely in these conditions that Tadej Pogačar demonstrated the full extent of his genius.

2025 World Cycling Championships: The toughest edition in history in Kigali?

The Slovenian, already a favourite before the race, showed exceptional strength, attacking at key moments, especially in the final laps, where fatigue was making itself felt. The multiple climbs, and in particular the steepest slopes around Zurich, tested the physical and mental endurance of the competitors. But Pogačar, with perfect management of his effort, took the lead 100 kilometres from the finish, alone, and raced to victory, like an absolute champion. This route, between technicality and extreme difficulty, forged an anthology event and an exploit worthy of the greatest moments in world cycling.

Kigali 2025: a unique playground

The route to the 2025 World Cycling Championships in Kigali is not just a test of strength, but a real test of resilience. Although the altitude is more moderate than that of Bogotá, the capital of Rwanda is distinguished by its unforgiving terrain and dizzying climbs. At 1 meters above sea level, the runners will already have to fight against premature fatigue, but it is the nature of the course that will make all the difference. The 267,5 km of the circuit, with almost 5 meters of elevation gain, form a real headache for punchers and climbers., where each climb seems longer, harder, and more impactful. Climbs like Kimihura, a torture for the legs and the mind, and the Kigali Wall, with its 8,1% gradient over 800 meters, will be the key moments, just like Domancy in 1980 or Mont de la Ligne in 1995, where the history of the race could change.

2025 World Cycling Championships: The toughest edition in history in Kigali?
The UCI has unveiled the route for the 2025 world championship road race in Kigali.

More It is not only the climbs that will define this route, the weather conditions will also have to be taken into account.. Rwanda's intense humidity and heat will provide a much different challenge than the altitudes of Bogotá or the mountainstagSallanches Alpine Ski Resort. Hydration management, the ability to maintain a steady pace in the heat, and adaptability to these extreme conditions will be essential to surviving this ordeal.

2025 World Cycling Championships: The toughest edition in history in Kigali?
The time trial will also be very difficult.

The favourites for this titanic race are already well identified. Tadej Pogacar, the reigning champion, proved his ability to shine in very difficult conditions, such as his solo victory in Zurich after more than 100 kilometres of breakaway. Remco Evenepoel, with his impressive record in the classics and Grand Tours, also seems ready to take up the challenge. Other contenders like Primoz Roglic et Richard Carapaz, often resilient in the face of the most complex courses, will not be underestimated. But this time, strategy will not be enough. It will be a question of perfect effort management, attacks on cruel slopes, recovery in trying conditions and, above all, willpower. Only those who know how to draw on their last reserves will have a chance of emerging victorious.

This championship will not just be a race, but a turning point in the history of cycling, since For the first time the world championships will be held on the African continent. Rwanda, with its growing passion for cycling, its spectacular landscape and its incredible energy, will offer a unique atmosphere. But beyond the scenery, it is the mental, physical and emotional battle that awaits. It will be a test ultimate character, where the true champions will reveal themselves in the hell of Kigali. The 2025 World Championships will not only be a sporting event, but a historical chapter that cycling fans will never forget.

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Jean-François Tatard

- 43 years old - Multidisciplinary athlete, sales coach and sports consultant. Collaborator on specialized sites for 10 years. His sporting story begins almost as quickly as he learned to walk. Cycling and running quickly became his favorite subjects. He obtains national level results in each of these two disciplines.

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