2025 UCI Road World Championships Recap

I decided to take a different approach and transform my detailed and very long paragraphs on the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali into bullet points for clearer impact. (fingers crossed)

A century of history

• The first UCI Road World Championships took place in 1921 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• At that time, there was no professional category and not even a women’s race.
• The Pro category was introduced just six years later in Nürburgring, Germany (1927).
• Women had to wait much longer. Their first race wasn’t until 1964, 37 years later.
• Since then, about a dozen countries have hosted, with the event leaving Europe only eight times (North America, South America, Asia, and Australia have each hosted twice).

 Africa finally gets its turn

• Africa is the second-largest continent (some argue the largest), yet the Championships had never been hosted here in its 104-year history.
• That finally changed just 2 weeks ago, when Kigali, Rwanda became the first African country to host the Worlds.
• A milestone long overdue for the sport. 

Not without controversy

• The build-up wasn’t smooth. Rwanda faced accusations of sportswashing, human rights abuses, and instability from regional conflict.
• There were even threats to cancel the event entirely and relocate it to France.
• Teams, directors and the media created their own narrative it wouldn’t be safe.
• Negative interviews emerged.
• Critics pointed to corruption in Kigali, suggesting the UCI used cycling as a distraction.
• But history has its ironies. Many European host nations, including Denmark, Belgium, France, and Spain, all carry heavy legacies of either slavery, colonization, and exploitation.

 Record participation in Kigali

• Despite the noise, Kigali delivered one of the biggest Championships ever!
• 769 riders entered across all disciplines, making it the second-largest Worlds in history, behind only Scotland.
• Many African nations, however, struggled with the logistics, equipment, visas and much more.
• My hunch? The UCI quietly relaxed rules around qualification and equipment standards, making sure African representation was boosted for this milestone event.

 The irony of Belgium

• One moment stuck with me. A Belgian superstar tossing bottled water to children along the roadside.
• His intention was good, a simple gesture of kindness I believe was sincere.
• But optics matter. Knowing Belgium’s dark history in Rwanda, the act landed differently.
• Belgium profited immensely from exploiting Rwandans during colonial rule, and its policies helped sow the divisions that contributed to the 1994 genocide.
• If you haven’t seen it, Hotel Rwanda is a must watch to understand this painful history that happened only 30 years ago.

 Rwanda showed its strength

• Despite everything, Rwanda stood tall.
• The people opened their homes, shared their hotels, welcomed strangers into restaurants, and allowed the world to take over their roads.
• Their hospitality was humbling, a powerful reminder of the resilience and forgiveness of the African spirit.

The past connects to today

• There is a connection between yourself and the historical realty to what happened before us.
• As today is link to yesterday, yesterday is linked to today as today is linked to tomorrow. That’s a reality.
• Many nations built wealth through the transatlantic slave trade, draining resources and wealth from Africa.
• I truly believe that legacy affects cycling today. The funding gaps between African nations and their counterparts aren’t random, they’re rooted in history.
• That’s a reality we can’t ignore.

Closing thoughts 

• “Africa Rising” isn’t just a slogan, it’s real. Across the continent, there’s a new consciousness, a new energy.
• With the growing and continued support of nonprofits and for profit organizations looking to boost the talent going to the next level of the sport, African riders will keep breaking into the elite level.
• Personally, my time in Rwanda was unforgettable. The landscapes, the people, the food left me in awe.
• Watching the best cyclist in the world compete on African soil was amazing and I'm happy I was able to be a part of history.
• I’ll be back…with or without a bike.

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