Refresh
2025-09-27T13:38:32.899Z
This is brilliant. As the peloton is being eroded the big names are beginning to show themselves, Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini closing a small gap as the French slowly drag Spratt back into their clutches.
Benito and Rüegg continue to lead, now with 30 seconds.
2025-09-27T13:35:10.356Z
With three laps to go Rüegg and Benito lead a peloton of only around 30 riders by only 25 seconds.
There are two new faces on the front of the group, with Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (South Africa) and Urška Žigart (Slovenia) leading. However, as soon as the road levelled off Amanda Spratt (Australia) attacked, putting the cat among the pigeons.
2025-09-27T13:28:16.905Z
As the bunch hit the cobbles Switzerland lead the bunch. With a team mate up the road in the form of Rüegg, this is more likely to be a case of positioning rather than an effort to close the gap or disrupt the chase.
Rüegg and Benito lead by 30 seconds.
2025-09-27T13:25:36.688Z
Just 50km to go and France have been forced into action.
Benito and Rüegg still lead by 20 seconds as we approach the Côte de Kimihurura, with the French squad leading the chase. We’ve had a couple of punches off the front, with New Zealander, Niamh Fisher-Black gaining a small gap for a while.
2025-09-27T13:22:50.494Z
50km until the new World Champion is crowned
2025-09-27T13:16:41.243Z
With 55km left to race Van Anrooij’s time at the front is over. The Dutch woman is back in the bunch and we have two more escapees up the road.
Noemi Rüegg (Switzerland) and Mireia Benito (Spain) attacked over the top and built a lead of 25 seconds on a peloton which has shrunk significantly.
2025-09-27T13:11:54.697Z
With a touch over 60km left to race Shirin van Anrooij (Netherlands) leads the peloton by 16 seconds.
2025-09-27T13:07:59.841Z
Four laps to go
2025-09-27T13:07:25.847Z
Shirin van Anrooij (Netherlands) leads the 2025 Elite Women’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships. (Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-09-27T13:04:32.390Z
Onto the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura and Van Anrooij is leading Van de Velde by 20 seconds with the peloton hot on the Belgian’s heels.
Canadian Olivia Baril is dropped from the bunch, with Schrempf heroically trying to hold.
2025-09-27T12:59:09.264Z
This course is relentless!
We’re now onto the Côte de Kigali Golf – again – and Van Anrooij is solo at the front of the race with a lead of 37 seconds on the peloton. Schrempf was first to be dropped and has been caught by the Italian led bunch.
2025-09-27T12:56:32.705Z
Inside the final 70km
2025-09-27T12:51:17.929Z
Before the race Anna van der Breggen said the winner was likely to come from the biggest teams. Now her Dutch team have a rider up the road they don’t have to chase, so it is up to the other big teams, and while Italy have taken responsibility, France are keeping their powder dry. For now.
2025-09-27T12:48:32.824Z
With only 78km left to race over half way and onto the seventh lap of the 11. The two leaders have an advantage of around 20 seconds, but they’ve been joined by Dutchwoman, Shirin van Anrooij.
2025-09-27T12:40:11.118Z
On the cobbles of the Côte de Kimihurura and Van de Velde has caught Schrempf, the Austrian tucking into the Belgian’s slipstream looking for any help she can get on the steep gradients.
2025-09-27T12:37:23.070Z
It’s really kicking off now!
2025-09-27T12:33:44.811Z
But the Dutch want a piece of this too, and Yara Kastelijn is trying to get away. No one would let one of the Dutch women get away and she has been closely marked.
Now it’s Van Anrooij’s turn and once again the Italians react, but the race is well and truly on!
2025-09-27T12:31:42.040Z
Ooops! No, cancel that, the Italian team decided to take the chase on, but they now seem happy with Vas heading up the road.
To be fair, we do have more than 80km to go and Vas might an outstandig rider, but she’s not known for ultra-long range winning moves.
2025-09-27T12:29:05.466Z
The other nations know how strong and versatile Vas is, though, and the Dutch, Italians and French are trying to chase her down.
We’re heading onto yet another ascent of the Côte de Kigali Golf.
2025-09-27T12:26:47.709Z
86km to go and we’ve had huge attack from Usoa Ostolaza (Spain). She was followed by a handful of others but Hungary’s only representative, Blanka Vas attacked over the top of the Spanish rider and is in pursuit of Schrempf.
2025-09-27T12:19:54.179Z
With six laps and just over 90km to go, the peloton are closing in on our solo breakaway rider, Carina Schrempf whose lead is just 1:40.
2025-09-27T12:14:23.565Z
The Canadian team have started to make their presence known at the front of the peloton, but the Italians are the ever present nation on the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura as Schrempf’s advantage drops below tow minutes.
2025-09-27T12:08:38.225Z
Schrempf is still leading after the fifth ascent of the Côte de Kigali Golf, but once again her advantage is shrinking. It was back out to 2:50, but as she approaches the cobbled climb again she only has 2:25.
2025-09-27T12:05:53.766Z
Less than 100km left to race
2025-09-27T12:05:15.982Z
That was Gigante’s second win of this year’s Giro, and where she finally made her big breakout. Sadly, though, the Australian was unable to be in Kigali to after breaking her leg in a training crash last month.
2025-09-27T12:03:25.496Z
Nor does today’s race have the most metres of vertical ascent the women’s peloton has covered this year, that honour goes to stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia women, when Sarah Gigante won after climbing 3,700m, over 150km.
2025-09-27T12:01:53.549Z
It might be the World Championships but it’s not the longest race the women’s peloton have ridden this year. At 168.9km both Gent-Wevelgem and Tour of Flanders were longer, though neither had anywhere near the same amount of climbing.
2025-09-27T11:57:36.132Z
The Elite Women’s peloton during the 2025 UCI Road World Championships (Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-09-27T11:52:08.853Z
One rider who would have gone well on the Kigali circuit is Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, but the Danish rider was forced to withdraw only this week, leaving the Danish team with only Solbjørk Minke Anderson.
Uttrup Ludwig has been suffering from a parasitic stomach infection for some time and though it’s on the mend she withdrew form the race earlier this week.
2025-09-27T11:50:07.018Z
Carina Schrempf has just completed the fourth lap at the top of the Côte de Kimihurura, and though her lead had been eroded slightly by the attacks in the bunch, it’s grown to 3:36 again, the peloton riding the climb a little easier.
2025-09-27T11:43:54.192Z
With 110km to go we’re done with another ascent of the Côte de Kigali Golf and the pace in the peloton had eased for a while.
2025-09-27T11:34:26.550Z
We have action on the front of the peloton!
Some attacks in the bunch has seen the pace lift significantly with Shirin van Anrooij leading for the Dutch team.
2025-09-27T11:28:29.718Z
Carina Schrempf (Austria) leads onto the fourth lap by 2:50. The bunch remains a big one, with fewer riders being dropped out of the back of the race than we saw on the opening laps.
2025-09-27T11:23:31.957Z
120km to go
2025-09-27T11:21:00.040Z
On the Côte de Kimihurura for the third time and Schrempf is leading by almost three minutes.
The last time an Austrian woman was off the front alone with a good lead in a major championship was the Tokyo Olympics, and we all remember Anna Kiesenhofer winning the gold medal there!
Just saying…
2025-09-27T11:13:21.276Z
They’re Dutch team is completed by Shirin van Anrooij, Pauliena Rooijakkers, Yara Kastelijn and De Vries, with each of them offering the team differing strengths.
Today we’ll find out if those issues still linger.
2025-09-27T11:09:07.468Z
Vos has been replaced by Femke de Vries who will add to an immensely strong team which can challenge with a number of riders.
2025-09-27T11:05:26.652Z
While the start list for today’s ride is packed with big names, one of the biggest is not in Kigali.
Marianne Vos, who has three road world titles to go with a vast palmarès, had initially been selected to ride but withdrew for personal reasons. You can read the story here.
2025-09-27T11:01:53.938Z
A great ride from Schrempf, she’s extended her lead on the climb and crossed the line to start the third lap over two minutes ahead of the bunch. (Image credit: Getty Images)
2025-09-27T10:52:19.025Z
Schrempf is on a mission, she’s extended her lead to 1:15 as she hits the cobbles of the Côte de Kimihurura for the second time.
The Austrian rides for the Fenix-Deceuninck team when not representing her country and is an accomplished climber, as well as a former national champion.
2025-09-27T10:45:24.904Z
Austria’s only representative, Carina Schrempf has attacked the bunch and takes a lead of 40 seconds onto the ascent of the Côte de Kigali Golf.
Short and sharp the climb has seen many a breakaway brought back during the earlier road races this week.
Today, though, the peloton seem happy to let her go.
2025-09-27T10:41:41.950Z
The first attack!
2025-09-27T10:40:43.049Z
The opening lap has taken its casualties with plenty of riders pulled from the race having been dropped from the bunch. Among those are the Mauritain pair of Lucie De Marigny-Lagesse and Aurelie Halbwachs, whose withdrawal leaves pre-race favourite Kim Le Court-Pienaar totally isolated.
2025-09-27T10:37:08.551Z
As we’ve seen throughout the Kigali Worlds there are plenty of fans out on the circuit to see the race. (Image credit: SW Pix)
2025-09-27T10:33:20.868Z
The pace up the Côte de Kimihurura and across the line at the end of the first lap was high, but any selection is being made from behind as the race is all together at the front. Italy were very much in control, but Australia take to the front.
2025-09-27T10:28:25.955Z
The circuit is incredibly demanding, not only are there the two main climbs, but there are also a number of smaller inclines. The cagey start suggests riders are feeling their way into the race, testing their own legs before testing their opponents.
2025-09-27T10:24:31.107Z
Over the top of the first ascent of the Côte de Kigali Golf and we’re still waiting for the first concerted attack. The biggest teams are still tightly packed at the front of the race, while some of those representing the smaller nations have slipped off the back of the peloton.
2025-09-27T10:21:03.918Z
The only elite British woman at the Worlds this year is Anna Henderson, last year’s Olympic silver medalist finishing eighth in the Individual Time Trial, some 1:37 behind eventual winner, Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser.
2025-09-27T10:18:37.035Z
If you’re wondering where the British riders are, GB didn’t send any women to the Elite Women’s race despite being allocated the maximum six places. They’ve sent a team to the women’s Elite race every year since 1995, winning it twice, first with Nicole Cooke in 2008, then in 2015 it was Lizzie Deignan, or Armitstead, as she was then.
2025-09-27T10:15:59.425Z
It’s a high pace on the descent of the opening kilometres, but there are no attacks. Instead we see the Dutch, Australians, French and Norwegians among the nations on the front of the bunch.
2025-09-27T10:10:55.621Z
The race is one and it’s a cagey start. There are 104 riders from 44 nations all hoping to win the rainbow jersey in this, the 2025 Elite Women’s road race.
2025-09-27T10:09:34.981Z
The race is on
2025-09-27T10:03:04.902Z
While both Ghekiere and Kopecky are absent, the Belgian team are left with Marieke Meert, Julie Van de Velde and Margot Vanpachtenbeke and while they are all classy riders, they lack the results of the other two. (Image credit: SWPix)
2025-09-27T10:00:12.137Z
The Belgian team have also been hit by the withdrawal of Justine Ghekiere. The national road champion crashed at high speed during the recent GP Stuttgart and her injuries have not healed well enough to allow her to race.
2025-09-27T09:58:25.944Z
One woman not on that list is defending champion Lotte Kopecky who opted out of defending her title after winning the rainbow jersey in both 2023 and 2024. She’s had a difficult year, starting the season under-par after injury affected her preparation over the winter.
2025-09-27T09:55:29.397Z
Who’s going to win? Well, we’ll need to wait a few hours to find that one out, but we’ve analysed some of the pre-race favourites which can read here.
You can read our analysis here.
2025-09-27T09:51:17.534Z
Each of the laps contains two main climbs. With an average gradient of 8.1% over its 800m, the Côte de Kigali Golf comes first, with the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura coming inside the closing 3km of the lap. Over the top of that climb the riders are faced with the final kilometre and its brutal short ramp to the line.
2025-09-27T09:47:13.083Z
The weather’s not too smart either, with 26º expected to feel more like 29º and the chance of rain on the circuit. With cobbles and a decent amount of descending all day any moisture the roads could add yet another aspect to what is already a fascinating race.
2025-09-27T09:43:24.184Z
Not only is it a long old day out, there’s also a lot of climbing, the race taking on 3,350m of vertical ascent over 11 laps of the 15.2km circuit. Kigali sits at 1,800m above sea level, the altitude combining with the route to add an extra challenge.
2025-09-27T09:37:11.425Z
As you’d expect for the Elite Women’s World Championships, the route is a tough one, the riders tackling a 164.6km parcours, comprising 11 laps of the Kigali circuit we’ve seen already in the Junior and U23 races.
2025-09-27T09:30:12.307Z
Before the Elite women get underway, you can read how Ostiz won her rainbow jersey here.
2025-09-27T09:25:11.171Z
Paula Ostiz (Spain) sings the national anthem after winning the Junior Women’s road race at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda. (Image credit: Picture by Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com – 27/09/2025 – Cycling – 2025 UCI Road World Championships – Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda – Women Junior Road Race Podium – Paula Ostiz Taco (Spain) receiving the Gold Medal to become World Champion)
2025-09-27T09:20:04.451Z
The Elite women are set to start their race in less than an hour, but we’ve already had one race this morning. Spain’s Paula Ositz won the Junior Women’s race, winning a sprint from a small group.
2025-09-25T14:21:57.009Z
Good morning from Cyclingnews’ live coverage of the first Elite road race from this year’s Road World Championships.