When Magdeleine Vallieres rode clear in Kigali last September to claim Canada\u2019s first elite women\u2019s road race rainbow jersey, the impact was immediate and far-reaching. Thousands of kilometres away in Richmond, British Columbia, Nadia Gontova watched the decisive moment unfold on a livestream, sidelined but deeply affected by what she was seeing.<\/p>\n
Gontova had been selected for the Canadian team at the UCI Road World Championships, ready to support Vallieres on the demanding 15.1 km Kigali city circuit. Instead, she was at home recovering from iliac artery surgery, following the race from afar as Vallieres launched her winning break and soloed to the line over the cobbled C\u00f4te de Kimihurura.<\/p>\n
Speaking to CyclingNews in a phone interview, Gontova described the moment candidly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know her well, and I was watching it live, and I think I cried,\u201d she said. \u201cI was emotional to see that it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
What struck Gontova most was not only the scale of the result, but the way it was achieved. Vallieres had built her reputation as a relentless worker in the peloton rather than a perennial favourite, and her attack in Kigali challenged many assumptions about how world titles are won.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see her in races in the peloton; she\u2019s always such a hard worker for her team, and I think she\u2019s such a well-deserving champion,\u201d Gontova told CyclingNews. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty incredible just to see that it\u2019s possible. You don\u2019t need to be one of the big favourites to go and win a big race.\u201d<\/p>\n
That performance has become a reference point as Gontova prepares for her own next step, moving up to the Women\u2019s WorldTour with Liv AlUla Jayco in 2026. Her pathway has been steep and unconventional, beginning with local racing at Red Truck Racing before progressing through Roxo Racing, DNA Pro Cycling, and Winspace Orange Seal.<\/p>\n
Results followed quickly. Gontova won the Redlands Bicycle Classic, finished second overall at the Tour of the Gila, and placed runner-up at the Tour F\u00e9minin International des Pyr\u00e9n\u00e9es. In 2025, she impressed in mountainous Spanish races before delivering a decisive breakthrough at the Tour de France Femmes, finishing 10th on the final stage to Ch\u00e2tel and 23rd overall. That showing prompted interest from multiple top-tier programmes.<\/p>\n