Magdeleine Vallieres becomes 1st-ever Canadian to win elite race at road cycling worlds

Canadian Magdeleine Vallieres won the women's elite road race at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships on Saturday in Kigali, Rwanda.

The 24-year-old from Sherbrooke, Que, riding for the U.S.-based EF Education-Oatly team, attacked out of the breakaway on the final climb of the Kigali circuit and held on for the historic victory.

She became the first-ever Canadian to win an elite road race world title.

"It was my dream to win it, and it's true now. It's crazy," said Vallieres, backed by a team that included Canadian Alison Jackson.

Vallieres finished the 164.6-kilometre course in four hours 34 minutes 48 seconds. New Zealand's Niamh Fisher-Black was second, 23 seconds back, and Spain's Mavi Garcia third, another four seconds in arrears.

"The girls believed in me, so I believed in myself and I really committed to going for it," said Vallieres. "I prepared well. I knew I was on good form, so I just told myself I didn't want to have any regrets."

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