Rwanda 2025: The toughest UCI Road World Championships of the 21st century
The race for the rainbow jersey is never ordinary. Over the past two decades, the UCI Road World Championships have unfolded on courses that were as scenic as they were savage, and the most demanding editions became wars of survival. Domestique revisits the five hardest men’s road races of the 21st century, ranked by elevation gain.
1. Rwanda - 2025 (5,475m)
The hardest edition of the 21st century is the 2025 World Championships in Rwanda, known as the land of the thousand hills, and it certainly lives up to that. With just under 5,500 metres of elevation gain across the race, it is primed for an absolute attritional slugfest, with tired riders all over the course.
Taking a look at the parcours, on paper there is not a mere presence of flat terrain with either the riders heading up hill with numerous ascents on the local circuit of the Cote de Kigali (0.8km at 8.1%) which has some stinging gradients that peak at 12.4% in the opening of the climb, along with the Cote de Kimihurua (1.3km at 6.2%).
If completing that local circuit 13 times wasn't enough, smack bang in the middle of the race is the Mont Kigali (5.9km at 6.8%) with peaking gradients of 13.5% towards the crest of the climb, almost as though the organisers have tailor-made the climb to be a springboard for daring attackers.
With the way modern cycling has developed, with attacks coming from further out than ever, and record-setting speeds, Rwanda 2025 will be an absolute spectacle.
2. Innsbruck - 2018 (5,020m)
The 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck featured the course with the previous highest elevation gain of World Championships in the 21st century, until Rwanda.
The course from Kufstein to Innsbruck covering 258km took in 5,020 metres of elevation, which was won by the legendary Alejandro Valverde, outkicking the group of Romain Bardet, Michael Woods and Tom Dumoulin.
The route took in some brutes, with 7 ascents of the main climb of the Igls (7.9km at 5.7%) along with ascents of the Gnadenwald and Grammartboden, located near the finish line with peaks of over 20%, truly an absolute killer of a climb at the end of an enduring day's racing.
3. Mendrisio - 2009 (4,819m)
The 2009 UCI Road World Championships road race was won by the Aussie great Cadel Evans, who took off in the final 4.8 kilometres to win his only rainbow jersey in Switzerland.
The course was almost roller coaster-esque with the riders either going up on the ascents of the Accquafresca and the Novazzano 19 times on the Swiss-Italian border in and around Mendrisio.
The riders had to deal with the accumulated 4,819 metres of climbing on the late September day in 2009, and it produced a fitting ending as the aforementioned Cadel Evans went solo on the final lap with Alexandr Kolobnev and Joaquim Rodríguez wrapping up the podium. Home country hero Fabian Cancellara would finish 5th on that day.
4. Varese - 2008 (4,755m)
Incidentally located very close to the previously mentioned Mendrisio, but this Italian edition of the UCI Road World Championships road race had less elevation metres by just less than 100 metres, with 4,755 metres of elevation gain.
The course featured two climbs, which were the Salta del Ronchi (2.6km at 5.2%) and the Via Montello (1.1km at 6.9%), with the Salta del Ronchi located for a final time right towards the finish line.
The race was a fairy-tale ending for Italian cycling fans as Italian Alessandro Ballan won the rainbow jersey with compatriot Damiano Cunego coming 2nd. Dane, Matti Breschel completed the podium.
5. Imola - 2020 (4,662m)
Coming in at 4,662 metres of elevation gain, the 2020 UCI Road World Championships were originally not even scheduled to be held in Imola as the 2020 road race was slated to be held in Aigle-Martigny, Switzerland, but was moved to Imola due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The local circuit was a brilliant one, even despite the times of a lack of fans packed out on the roadside, with two tough climbs for the riders to endure, which were the Mazzolano (2.2km at 7.1% and the Cima Gallisterna (2.3km at 7.1%).
The 258.2-kilometre kilometre was won by Julian Alaphilippe, who went on a 12-kilometre solo expedition, winning by 24 seconds over a small group which contained the likes of Wout van Aert and Primož Roglič. This 2020 rainbow jersey spurred Alaphilippe on to claim another just a year later in Leuven, Belgium.
The World Championships in Rwanda run from 21-28 September:
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