World Cycling Championships 2025: Route Road Race – men

So, it’s safe to says that the riders are facing a race of attrition. It’s the relentless onslaught of short, steep hills that will do the damage. The riders face a total of five climbs. The Côte de Kigali Golf (800 metres at 8.1%) and Côte de Kimihurura (1.3 kilometres at 6.3%, cobbled) are tackled fifteen times each, while Côte de Péage (1.8 kilometres at 5.9%), Mount Kigali (5.9 kilometres at 6.9%), and the Wall of Kigali (400 metres at 11%, cobbled) feature only once.

The race begins on a local circuit of 14.9 kilometres, featuring the Côte de Kigali Golf and the Côte de Kimihurura. After completing nine laps of this loop, the riders continue onto a larger circuit to the west of Kigali. This lap features the Côte de Péage, Mount Kigali, and the steep cobbles of the Wall of Kigali. The route reaches its highest point at Mount Kigali, peaking at 1,771 metres above sea level.

The race ten returns to Kigali for six more 14.9 kilometres laps with the Côte de Kigali Golf and the Côte de Kimihurura. The finale is particularly challenging as both climbs come in the second half of the loop. After the penultimate pass of the finish line, the riders descend gently for 6.3 kilometres to the base of the Côte de Kigali Golf. At that point, there are 8.6 kilometres remaining.

As mentioned, the Côte de Kigali Golf is an 800-metre climb with an average gradient of 8.1%. The riders then descend for 2 kilometres to take on the cobbles of the Côte de Kimihurura. The route flattens out after the 1.3-kilometre climb at 6.3%, but only for a few hundred metres, as the final 900 metres rise at over 4% to the finish line.

The road race at the World Cycling Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, starts at 9:20 and is expected to finish around 16:35 – both are local times.

World Cycling Championships 2025, road race men: route, profile, video

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