Overview

• Competition runs September 21–28 in Kigali with 13 events, including the first standalone U23 women’s races at a Road World Championships.
• The men’s road race features a record 267.5 km with 5,475 meters of climbing, and riders face thin air at roughly 1,500 meters elevation.
• Top entrants include Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, with Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt among the women’s stars, while Eritrean standout Biniam Girmay confirmed his start.
• The European Parliament urged moving the event over alleged Rwandan support for M23, which Kigali denies, and the UCI says the championships will go ahead with security measures and limited protest expected.
• Despite promises to boost African cycling, the qualification system leaves many African nations with few or no start places, while hosts Rwanda received six and Eritrea secured seven spots.