By Jean-Pierre
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce the exceptional participation figures for the 2025 UCI Road World Championships taking place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 21 to 28 September, UCI said in a news release.
The start lists for the different events are published on the page dedicated to the event on the UCI website, added the global body for cyclists.
This will be the first edition of the UCI’s flagship annual event, organised since 1921, to be held in Africa, said UCI in a press release.
According to UCI, to date, 108 nations have registered riders, which is the second highest number in the history of the UCI Road World Championships.
Only the UCI World Championships for road cycling held as part of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland (United Kingdom) had a higher number, with 110 nations, but that event combined a total of 13 separate UCI World Championships, said UCI.
Participation in the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali is all the more remarkable given that the event is taking place outside Europe, the continent where the participation levels are traditionally the highest.
The total number of participants(unique) has reached 769 riders, compared to 647 riders in Wollongong (Australia) in 2022, the last edition held outside Europe.
The 2025 edition also marks a turning point for Africa: 36 African countries are expected, compared to 15 at the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. With 33.64% of participants coming from Africa (compared to 32.71% from Europe, 17.76% from America, 14.02% from Asia, and 1.87% from Oceania), an exceptional participation from the continent is anticipated at the event.
The number of nations registered to participate in the 194th UCI Congress, which will be held on Thursday, 25 September, in Kigali, alongside the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, stands at 132. This would also be the second highest number after the UCI Congress held in Glasgow, Scotland (United Kingdom), in 2023.
UCI President David Lappartient said: “These figures show that our UCI Road World Championships are attracting growing global interest. The exceptional participation of African countries, made possible by the event being held on their continent, illustrates the appeal of road cycling beyond Europe, both for National Federations and African riders. The first edition of the UCI Road World Championships in Africa is historic, both in terms of its location and its scale.”
