Canada's Magdeleine Vallieres Mill won the Women Elite Road Race at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships on a long, grueling course over the hills of Kigali, Rwanda, on Saturday.

The 24-year-old broke late in the 167-kilometer run over 11 circuits of the Rwandan capital to win ahead of New Zealand's Niamh Fisher-Black and Spain's Mavi Garcia in third.

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Starting the day ranked 131st in the world, Vallieres got away from the other medalists on the last of the 15.2-kilometer laps of the circuit on a testing cobbled climb and crossed the summit finish alone, completely exhausted.

She won by 23 seconds.

"I can hardly believe it," said Vallieres after, by far, her biggest career win. "I just got in the right break."

Vallieres said preparation was key, and now, she'll get to be the defending champion in her home country next year, as the event heads to Montreal.Top of Form

"I prepared well, I knew I was on good form, so I tried," Vallieres said. "I told myself I didn't want to have any regrets. And I don't. It's great to win here, and with the Worlds next year in Montreal, it's been perfect. It was my dream to win it, and now it's come true - it's crazy."

Tour de France champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot started as favorite but was heavily tracked by her rivals as they mistakenly allowed a small group to get over a minute ahead.

Ferrand-Prevot eventually trailed home alongside American Chloe Dygert, almost two minutes down.

"This kind of thing often happens in a world championships,"  said Ferrand-Prevot, the Frenchwoman who won the Olympic mountain bike title in Paris. "I'm more disappointed for the team than myself."

Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen dropped back with 30 kilometers to go, while last week's time-trial champion Marlen Reusser made a brave, but doomed, solo effort to counterattack.

These are the first cycling worlds to be held in Africa.

The winners are awarded a rainbow jersey that they wear for the year, a much coveted prize in a race where riders represent their nations, rather than a professional team.

The men's race is Sunday and is extremely long at 267.5 kilometers. It includes 33 climbs over 15 loops and one longer, even harder, circuit with an extra cobbled climb.

Favorite Tadej Pogacar said the humidity and altitude were potentially decisive factors.

"We're quite high here, and you can feel it, not so much walking around, but on the bike," Pogacar said. "Also, the air quality here in the city is not the best."

2025 UCI Road World Championships Women Elite Road Race Results 

*All Finishers

1. Magdeleine Vallieres Mill (Canada) – 4:34:48
2. Niamh Fisher-Black (New Zealand) – 4:35:11
3. Margarita Garcia Canellas (Spain) – 4:35:15
4. Elise Chabbey (Switzerland) – 4:35:29
5. Riejanne Markus (Netherlands) – 4:35:45
6. Antonia Niedermaier (Germany) – 4:36:05
7. Demi Vollering (Netherlands) – 4:36:22
8. Kimberley Le Court de Billot (Mauritius) – 4:36:22
9. Marlen Reusser (Switzerland) – 4:36:22
10. Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland) – 4:36:22
11. Caroline Andersson (Sweden) – 4:36:22
12. Franziska Koch (Germany) – 4:36:24
13. Juliette Labous (France) – 4:36:27
14. Katrine Aalerud (Norway) – 4:36:32
15. Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) – 4:36:38
16. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France) – 4:36:38
17. Chloe Dygert (United States) – 4:36:42
18. Barbara Malcotti (Italy) – 4:36:46
19. Brodie Chapman (Australia) – 4:36:52
20. Noemi Ruegg (Switzerland) – 4:37:04
21. Ginia Caluori (Switzerland) – 4:37:06
22. Mireia Benito Pellicer (Spain) – 4:37:07
23. Urška Žigart (Slovenia) – 4:37:17
24. Ella Wyllie (New Zealand) – 4:37:47
25. Yuliia Biriukova (Ukraine) – 4:39:04
26. Evita Muzic (France) – 4:39:09
27. Shirin van Anrooij (Netherlands) – 4:39:30
28. Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset (Norway) – 4:39:54
29. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (South Africa) – 4:41:14
30. Amanda Spratt (Australia) – 4:41:14
31. Cedrine Kerbaol (France) – 4:43:03
32. Jasmin Liechti (Switzerland) – 4:43:25
33. Lauretta Hanson (Australia) – 4:44:01
34. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Netherlands) – 4:45:33
35. Sara Martin Martin (Spain) – 4:46:19
36. Marie Le Net (France) – 4:46:19
37. Blanka Vas (Hungary) – 4:46:19
38. Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) – 4:46:19
39. Wing Yee Leung (Hong Kong) – 4:46:19
40. Marta Lach (Poland) – 4:46:19
41. Julie van de Velde (Belgium) – 4:47:46
42. Monica Trinca Colonel (Italy) – 4:47:46
43. Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Belgium) – 4:47:46
44. Yara Kastelijn (Netherlands) – 4:47:46
45. Jasmin Gabriela Soto Lopez (Guatemala) – 4:50:48
46. Marieke Meert (Belgium) – 4:51:02
47. Femke de Vries (Netherlands) – 4:51:02
48. Carina Schrempf (Austria) – 4:51:02
49. Karolina Perekitko (Poland) – 4:51:04
50. Paula Andrea Patino Bedoya (Colombia) – 4:51:04
51. Olha Kulynych (Ukraine) – 4:51:08
52. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Australia) – 4:51:09
53. Olivia Baril (Canada) – 4:51:09

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