Magdeleine Vallières’ victory at the 2025 UCI world championships may have stunned the international cycling community, but her Canadian teammates say they saw it coming.

The Sherbrooke Que. native became the first Canadian to win in the elite road race. Ever. Vallières is also the first non-European female winner of the title since 1980. To her teammates, though, the triumph was the product of years of quiet strength.

It was clear from the start of the race Vallières had a big goal. She was floating at the front of the pack, following moves but keeping her nose out the wind. Once she made what would be the winning move, she drove it. When they hit the final climb with just three riders–no one had a chance. She launched up the Côte de Kimihurura and soloed to a historic, and beautiful solo win.

“Honestly, if there were a world title for being the model teammate, Magdeleine would already have it,” Émilie Fortin said to Sportcom. “People were calling it a huge surprise, but I wasn’t surprised. I knew she could do it. That’s why I put my name forward to ride these worlds. I wanted to be there to help a Canadian make history.” She added that the plan was clear from the start: “Not many people believed except us. We knew she was capable, and we were ready to give our races for her.”

Magdeleine Vallières just broke a record held by Tadej Pogačar

Laury Milette described the win as emotional, but never improbable. “It was really special. I can’t say we didn’t expect it. From the beginning, the plan was to give everything for her. She had only one pro win before this, but I always thought she deserved more. She’s the person who deserved it the most.”

Olivia Baril was quick to dismiss any suggestion that the victory came only because rivals hesitated. “No, Magdeleine was simply the strongest. She was the most prepared and she finished above the others. You have to give her full credit. We all knew she was a great domestique, but once she gets her own chance, she’s so strong.”

For Alison Jackson, the bond was personal. The Paris-Roubaix winner was waiting for her EF Education – Oatly teammate at the line and jumped into her arms. “She’s like my little sister. I’ve watched her grow and always believed in her. She’s always thought of her teammates first, but this time it was her moment. She’s the best in the world.”

It wasn’t just her teammates who knew she had it. Louis Barbeau, director general of the Quebec cycling federation, put the result in historic perspective:

“This is the greatest performance in Canadian cycling history — across all disciplines. She executed perfectly, she was the strongest, and now she’s on the same poster as Tadej Pogačar. That says everything.”

Vallières will be debuting her new rainbow kit and gear on Saturday at the Giro dell’Emilia Donne. And you can be darn sure your pals at Canadian Cycling Magazine will be bringing a report of photos of our new world champion. You can also watch the race on Flobikes.com.

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