ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW: MEDAL PROSPECTS IN TIME TRIALS AND ROAD RACES

Friday 19th September: This year the battle for road cycling's rainbow stripes heads to the African continent for the first time. From Sunday 21st to Sunday 28th September the road elite will aim for glory in Kigali, Rwanda. Known as ‘the land of a thousand hills’, Rwanda promises one of the most challenging World Championships in history. With its capital city Kigali sitting at 1,500m above sea level, all riders will face the challenges of high altitude and hard climbs. 

Although riders will be representing their national teams and wearing their country’s colours, they'll still be racing on their regular trade team bikes. Canyon riders from Movistar, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Fenix-Deceuninck and CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto will all be present at the start line in Rwanda for one of the most visually stunning race locations we've seen in recent years. Here's a run-down of the medal prospects we're expecting to see in each category:

The championships kick off with the Individual Time Trials (ITT) – energy sapping, lung-busting, all-out efforts across a hilly route. The Elite Men take on 680m of elevation over the 40.6km course, tackling the Cote de Nyanza twice, Cote de Peage and the final cobbled 6.3% Cote de Kimihurura ramp. The Elite Women and U23 Men skip the Cote de Peage with a shortened 31.2km and 460m of elevation, while the U23 Women – who for the first time will be racing in a dedicated event – face 22.6km and 350m of elevation. All riders come together for the 41.8km Mixed Relay Team Time Trial (TTT) before the Road Races start on Thursday 25th September. 

The Elite Women’s TT has a star-studded line-up: Former ITT World Champ Chloé Dygert (US), 2024 Tour de France winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (PL), German TT champ Antonia Niedermaier (DE), Soraya Paladin (IT), Austrian TT champ Christina Schweinberger (AT), Swiss TT champ Marlen Reusser (CH) and Canadian TT champ Olivia Baril (CA). Plus Zoe Backstedt (GB), Justyna Czapla (DE), Cat Ferguson (GB), Lucia Ruiz (ES) and Laura Ruiz (ES) will be going for gold at Women's U23 level.   

The Elite Men’s TT features hot prospect Ivan Romeo (ES), U23 World TT champ in 2024, plus USA’s Will Barta and Danish TT specialist Johan Price-Pejtersen. 

All Canyon riders will tackle the course with the Speedmax CFR TT. Based on Canyon's original Speedmax CFR triathlon bike, but fully adapted to professional time trialling, it’s an aerodynamic masterpiece with UCI-compliant supreme race performance. 

The Road Races promise equal drama and tension, testing rider’s endurance over longer distances and in high-altitude terrain. Much like the TT, the distances differ per category in the Road Races: U23 Women face 119.3 km and 8 laps of the Kigali circuit, having to overcome more than 300m of elevation per lap – a total of 2,450m. U23 Men and Elite Women will ride 164.6 km and 3,350m of elevation across 11 laps. Elite Men will ride 267.5 km, combining nine opening laps, six final circuits, and a mid-race extension loop for a total of 5,475 m of climbing. If the 1,771 m Mont Kigali doesn't cause the final selection, the cobbled climb on each lap is sure to be where the action happens.  

The U23 Women’s Road Race will be the first show-down featuring Canyon riders Cat Ferguson (GB), Lucia Ruiz (ES) and Laura Ruiz (ES). On Friday, the U23 Men will be racing, with Aaron Dockx (BE), Jente Michels (BE) and Senna Remijn (NL) among them. 

On the final weekend, the Elite Women's Road Race features a packed Canyon line up with Justyna Czapla (DE), Chloé Dygert (US), Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (PL), Soraya Paladin (IT), Antonia Niedermaier (DE), Christina Schweinberger (AT), Olivia Baril (CA) and Marlen Reusser (CH) back in action, plus Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (DK), Pauliena Rooijakkers (NL) , Yara Kastelijn (NL), Millie Couzend (GB), Flora Perkins (GB), Carina Schrempf (AT) and Sara Martín (ES) taking to the start line.

And the Elite Men's Road Race sees Xandro Meurisse (BE), Quinten Hermans (BE), Michael Gogl (AT), Tobias Bayer (AT), Ivan Romeo (ES), Will Barta (US), Natnael Tesfatsion (ER) and Carlos Canal (ES) vying for the title.

For the Road race, Canyon riders are likely to choose the Aeroad CFR: Proven in the wind tunnel against its competitors and validated in real-world racing, it’s recognised as one of the fastest bikes in the peloton. Its aerodynamic frame and cockpit design, and rider-optimized geometry allows athletes to save watts while laying down sustained power efficiently.

But with all that climbing in store, the Canyon Ultimate CFR may come into play as well. The Ultimate has carried riders to two World Champion victories and countless podium appearances in the world’s biggest races, perfectly balancing ultralight weight and aero-optimized performance in a timeless frame design, which might be just the thing that counts over such an energy-depleting course. 

Whatever bike they choose, and whatever discipline they take part in, we wish all Canyon riders, and all competitors safe and successful racing in Rwanda. 

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