France’s Célia Gery outsprinted Slovakia’s Viktória Chladoňová to take the rainbow jersey, at the first first standalone under 23 women’s world road race champs. Isabell Holmgren, who was at the front for the majority of the race, finished 6th.

The 119.3-km race took place over eight laps of a 15.1-kilometre Kigali circuit. It featured the Côte de Kigali Golf (800 m at 8.1 per cent) and the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura (1.3 km at 6.3 per cent, finishing with a technical 600-metre stretch. Riders faced a total of 2,770 m of climbing.

Team Canada early on

The red-and-white jerseys of Team Canada controlled the race early on. Jazmine Lavergne (who also rode the TT), Anabelle Thomas and Jenaya Francis set a tough pace, with many riders falling off. Eventually there was only Francis and Isabella Holmgren left in the reduced bunch. Missing in action was her sister Ava.

Ava had a sinus infection and was a DNS. Earlier in the week she had a strong time trial, showing she had good form. Francis rode well to protect Holmgren, even catching back on a few times after being distance.

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The tough course quickly thinned the field, with notable riders like Britain’s Cat Ferguson struggling. Czech rider Julia Kopecký repeatedly tested the cobbled climbs but could not escape, and Bego’s subsequent attacks continued to falter. Attrition began to set in and riders continued to fall off the pace.

THE WOOORLD IS YOURS 🌈

Celia Gery crowned U23 World Champion ! pic.twitter.com/y3afZtqnWK

— FDJ – SUEZ (@FDJ_SUEZ) September 25, 2025

The decisive moves began on the penultimate lap. Bego established a gap with Germany’s Justyna Czapla, Switzerland’s Anina Hutter, and Spain’s Paula Blasi, but Holmgren and the peloton pulled them back. Poland’s Malwina Mul launched a powerful attack, gaining a significant lead before Gery and Chladoňová caught her on the Côte de Kigali Golf.

Pour le collectif 🇫🇷
⁰Julie Bego, active et offensive, a animé la course et a contribué au titre de Célia Gery sur les Championnats du monde U23 🌈#Kigali2025 📷 Getty Images pic.twitter.com/RLEz4yx67o

— Team Cofidis (@TeamCOFIDIS) September 25, 2025

In the final lap, a leading group of 14 riders, including Holmgren, Blasi, Bunel, and later De Schepper, battled for the win. Bunel set the pace for her teammate Gery, who timed her final sprint perfectly to overtake Chladoňová. Holmgren rode in for 6th. Jenaya Francis, after working hard for Holmgren for most of the day, finished 34th.

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