Jeannie Longo
Five road race titles, in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1995, are the women's record. In 1995 she won the road race and the time trial at the same championships.
Annual rainbow jersey championship
UCI Road World Championships
A week of races for the rainbow jersey, in a different host city each year. Brandon McNulty and Demi Vollering won the elite road races in Montréal in 2026. The 2027 Worlds are in Haute-Savoie, France.
Next edition Aug 27 – Sep 5, 2027
- When
- Late September
- Course
- One Day
- Since
- 1921
- Most recent winner
- 🇺🇸 Brandon McNulty (2026)
- Also known as
- Road Worlds
- Category
- Race
About UCI Road World Championships
The UCI Road World Championships is cycling’s annual road-racing championship, bringing national teams together for time trials, road races and the mixed relay.
Also known as: Road Worlds · UCI Worlds · Road World Championships
Montréal has hosted the Worlds twice. In 1974 it was the first host outside Europe. In 2026 Geneviève Gambillon, who won the women's road race there in 1974, rang the bell for the last lap of the women's race.
It is one championship week rather than a single race: different age groups and disciplines compete for rainbow jerseys, culminating in the Elite road races.
UCI Road World Championships winners
| Year | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 🇺🇸Brandon McNulty | 🇳🇱Demi Vollering |
| 2025 | 🇸🇮Tadej Pogačar | 🇨🇦Magdeleine Vallières |
| 2024 | 🇸🇮Tadej Pogačar | 🇧🇪Lotte Kopecky |
| 2023 | 🇳🇱Mathieu van der Poel | 🇧🇪Lotte Kopecky |
| 2022 | 🇧🇪Remco Evenepoel | 🇳🇱Annemiek van Vleuten |
| 2021 | 🇫🇷Julian Alaphilippe | 🇮🇹Elisa Balsamo |
| 2020 | 🇫🇷Julian Alaphilippe | 🇳🇱Anna van der Breggen |
| 2019 | 🇩🇰Mads Pedersen | 🇳🇱Annemiek van Vleuten |
| 2018 | 🇪🇸Alejandro Valverde | 🇳🇱Anna van der Breggen |
| 2017 | 🇸🇰Peter Sagan | 🇳🇱Chantal Blaak |
Show all 93
| Year | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 🇸🇰Peter Sagan | 🇩🇰Amalie Dideriksen |
| 2015 | 🇸🇰Peter Sagan | 🇬🇧Lizzie Armitstead |
| 2014 | 🇵🇱Michał Kwiatkowski | 🇫🇷Pauline Ferrand-Prévot |
| 2013 | 🇵🇹Rui Costa | 🇳🇱Marianne Vos |
| 2012 | 🇧🇪Philippe Gilbert | 🇳🇱Marianne Vos |
| 2011 | 🇬🇧Mark Cavendish | 🇮🇹Giorgia Bronzini |
| 2010 | 🇳🇴Thor Hushovd | 🇮🇹Giorgia Bronzini |
| 2009 | 🇦🇺Cadel Evans | 🇮🇹Tatiana Guderzo |
| 2008 | 🇮🇹Alessandro Ballan | 🇬🇧Nicole Cooke |
| 2007 | 🇮🇹Paolo Bettini | 🇮🇹Marta Bastianelli |
| 2006 | 🇮🇹Paolo Bettini | 🇳🇱Marianne Vos |
| 2005 | 🇧🇪Tom Boonen | 🇩🇪Regina Schleicher |
| 2004 | 🇪🇸Óscar Freire | 🇩🇪Judith Arndt |
| 2003 | 🇪🇸Igor Astarloa | 🇸🇪Susanne Ljungskog |
| 2002 | 🇮🇹Mario Cipollini | 🇸🇪Susanne Ljungskog |
| 2001 | 🇪🇸Óscar Freire | Rasa Polikevičiūtė |
| 2000 | Romāns Vainšteins | Zinaida Stahurskaia |
| 1999 | 🇪🇸Óscar Freire | Edita Pučinskaitė |
| 1998 | 🇨🇭Oscar Camenzind | Diana Žiliūtė |
| 1997 | 🇫🇷Laurent Brochard | 🇮🇹Alessandra Cappellotto |
| 1996 | 🇧🇪Johan Museeuw | 🇨🇭Barbara Heeb |
| 1995 | 🇪🇸Abraham Olano | 🇫🇷Jeannie Longo |
| 1994 | 🇫🇷Luc Leblanc | 🇳🇴Monica Valvik |
| 1993 | 🇺🇸Lance Armstrong | 🇳🇱Leontien van Moorsel |
| 1992 | 🇮🇹Gianni Bugno | |
| 1991 | 🇮🇹Gianni Bugno | 🇳🇱Leontien van Moorsel |
| 1990 | 🇧🇪Rudy Dhaenens | 🇫🇷Catherine Marsal |
| 1989 | 🇺🇸Greg LeMond | 🇫🇷Jeannie Longo |
| 1988 | 🇮🇹Maurizio Fondriest | |
| 1987 | 🇮🇪Stephen Roche | 🇫🇷Jeannie Longo |
| 1986 | 🇮🇹Moreno Argentin | 🇫🇷Jeannie Longo |
| 1985 | 🇳🇱Joop Zoetemelk | 🇫🇷Jeannie Longo |
| 1984 | 🇧🇪Claude Criquielion | |
| 1983 | 🇺🇸Greg LeMond | 🇸🇪Marianne Berglund |
| 1982 | 🇮🇹Giuseppe Saronni | 🇬🇧Mandy Jones |
| 1981 | 🇧🇪Freddy Maertens | 🇩🇪Ute Enzenauer |
| 1980 | 🇫🇷Bernard Hinault | 🇺🇸Beth Heiden |
| 1979 | 🇳🇱Jan Raas | 🇳🇱Petra de Bruin |
| 1978 | 🇳🇱Gerrie Knetemann | 🇩🇪Beate Habetz |
| 1977 | 🇮🇹Francesco Moser | 🇫🇷Josiane Bost |
| 1976 | 🇧🇪Freddy Maertens | 🇳🇱Keetie van Oosten-Hage |
| 1975 | 🇳🇱Hennie Kuiper | 🇳🇱Tineke Fopma |
| 1974 | 🇧🇪Eddy Merckx | 🇫🇷Geneviève Gambillon |
| 1973 | 🇮🇹Felice Gimondi | 🇧🇪Nicole Vandenbroeck |
| 1972 | 🇮🇹Marino Basso | 🇫🇷Geneviève Gambillon |
| 1971 | 🇧🇪Eddy Merckx | Anna Konkina |
| 1970 | 🇧🇪Jean-Pierre Monseré | Anna Konkina |
| 1969 | 🇳🇱Harm Ottenbros | 🇺🇸Audrey McElmury |
| 1968 | 🇮🇹Vittorio Adorni | 🇳🇱Keetie van Oosten-Hage |
| 1967 | 🇧🇪Eddy Merckx | 🇬🇧Beryl Burton |
| 1966 | 🇩🇪Rudi Altig | 🇧🇪Yvonne Reynders |
| 1965 | 🇬🇧Tom Simpson | 🇩🇪Elisabeth Eicholz |
| 1964 | 🇳🇱Jan Janssen | Emma Sonka |
| 1963 | 🇧🇪Benoni Beheyt | 🇧🇪Yvonne Reynders |
| 1962 | 🇫🇷Jean Stablinski | 🇧🇪Marie-Rose Gaillard |
| 1961 | 🇧🇪Rik Van Looy | 🇧🇪Yvonne Reynders |
| 1960 | 🇧🇪Rik Van Looy | 🇬🇧Beryl Burton |
| 1959 | 🇫🇷André Darrigade | 🇧🇪Yvonne Reynders |
| 1958 | 🇮🇹Ercole Baldini | 🇱🇺Elsy Jacobs |
| 1957 | 🇧🇪Rik Van Steenbergen | |
| 1956 | 🇧🇪Rik Van Steenbergen | |
| 1955 | 🇧🇪Stan Ockers | |
| 1954 | 🇫🇷Louison Bobet | |
| 1953 | 🇮🇹Fausto Coppi | |
| 1952 | 🇩🇪Heinz Müller | |
| 1951 | 🇨🇭Ferdinand Kübler | |
| 1950 | 🇧🇪Briek Schotte | |
| 1949 | 🇧🇪Rik Van Steenbergen | |
| 1948 | 🇧🇪Briek Schotte | |
| 1947 | 🇳🇱Theo Middelkamp | |
| 1946 | 🇨🇭Hans Knecht | |
| 1938 | 🇧🇪Marcel Kint | |
| 1937 | 🇧🇪Eloi Meulenberg | |
| 1936 | 🇫🇷Antonin Magne | |
| 1935 | 🇧🇪Jean Aerts | |
| 1934 | 🇧🇪Karel Kaers | |
| 1933 | 🇫🇷Georges Speicher | |
| 1932 | 🇮🇹Alfredo Binda | |
| 1931 | 🇮🇹Learco Guerra | |
| 1930 | 🇮🇹Alfredo Binda | |
| 1929 | 🇧🇪Georges Ronsse | |
| 1928 | 🇧🇪Georges Ronsse | |
| 1927 | 🇮🇹Alfredo Binda |
2027 edition
Aug 27 – Sep 5, 2027. The 2027 UCI Road World Championships run from August 27 to September 5 in Haute-Savoie, France. The road races use a 13.3-kilometer circuit over the Côte de Domancy at Sallanches: the elite men climb it 20 times on August 29, the elite women 12 times on September 5. The time trials are around Lake Annecy.
UCI Road World Championships in numbers
- Most elite men's titles
- 3Shared by Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen, Eddy Merckx, Óscar Freire and Peter Sagan
- Most elite women's titles
- 5Jeannie Longo of France, in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1995
- First rainbow jersey
- 1927Alfredo Binda won at the Nürburgring, the first Worlds open to professionals
- First women's road race
- 1958Elsy Jacobs of Luxembourg won in Reims, France
- Titles in one week
- 13Awarded in Montréal in 2026: six road races, six individual time trials and the mixed relay
UCI Road World Championships timeline
- 2026
McNulty's 32-kilometer solo in Montréal
Brandon McNulty attacked with 32 kilometers to go and won by 13 seconds, the first American win in the elite men's race since 1993. A day earlier Demi Vollering won the women's race in a two-rider sprint, after an attack she had made alone with 38 kilometers to go was caught.
- 2025
First Worlds in Africa
Kigali, Rwanda, hosted the first Worlds held in Africa. Magdeleine Vallières became the first Canadian elite road race champion, and 30 riders finished a men's race with 5,475 meters of climbing.
- 2019
Van Vleuten alone for 105 kilometers
Annemiek van Vleuten attacked on a climb 105 kilometers from the finish in Harrogate and won the women's race alone. Anna van der Breggen, the champion of 2018, finished second.
- 1974
Merckx and Gambillon in Montréal
The first full Worlds outside Europe were raced over Mount Royal in Montréal. Eddy Merckx beat Raymond Poulidor in a sprint for his third title, and Geneviève Gambillon of France won the women's race for the second time.
Show all 5
- 1927
Binda wins the first rainbow jersey
Professionals raced the Worlds for the first time, on the Nürburgring in Germany. Alfredo Binda won by more than seven minutes, and 18 of the 55 starters finished.
UCI Road World Championships: what shapes the race
- 1
The host's circuit
Only 15 of the 107 starters finished on the Alpine circuit at Sallanches in 1980, when Bernard Hinault won. In Copenhagen in 2011 the lap climbed 40 meters and Mark Cavendish won the sprint.
- 2
National teams
In Montréal in 2026 the United States had three riders in the leading group of twelve, and Matteo Jorgenson followed every chase while Brandon McNulty rode the final 32 kilometers alone. In Wollongong in 2022 Annemiek van Vleuten rode as a helper for Marianne Vos with a fractured elbow and won with an attack inside the final kilometer.
- 3
The distance
The elite men's race in Zürich in 2024 was 273.9 kilometers long, and Tadej Pogačar attacked with more than 100 still to ride. In Yorkshire in 2019 Annemiek van Vleuten rode the last 105 kilometers alone, more than two thirds of the women's race.
- 4
No race radios
Race radios are not allowed at the Worlds, so riders cannot hear from their team cars. In 2026 Belgium's coaches taped messages to drink bottles, and Mathieu van der Poel, third in the men's race, called racing without earpieces the best thing there is.
UCI Road World Championships route
The course changes with the host. In Montréal in 2026 the road races used a 13.4-kilometer circuit over Mount Royal with 269 meters of climbing a lap. Its main climb, the Voie Camillien-Houde, is 1.67 kilometers at 7.4 percent. In 2027 the road races are at Sallanches, on a 13.3-kilometer circuit over the Côte de Domancy, and the time trials are around Lake Annecy.
UCI Road World Championships champions
Eddy Merckx
Champion in 1967, 1971 and 1974, three titles, a record he shares with four other men. His 1974 win in Montréal came in a season in which he had already won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France.
Marianne Vos
She won in Salzburg in 2006 at 19 and again in 2012 and 2013. In between she finished second five years in a row, from 2007 to 2011.
Peter Sagan
Champion in 2015, 2016 and 2017. He is the only man to win the title three years in a row.