Canada’s Magdeleine Vallières-Mill won the women’s road race on a long, gruelling course over the hills of Kigali at the cycling world championships on Saturday, September 27. The 24-year-old broke late on the 167 km run over 11 circuits of the Rwandan city to win ahead of New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black and Spain’s Mavi Garcia in third.
Starting the day ranked 131st in the world, Vallières-Mill got away from the other medallists on the last of the 15.2 km laps of the circuit on a testing cobbled climb and crossed the summit finish alone completely exhausted. “I can hardly believe it,” said Vallières-Mill after her biggest career win. “I just got in the right break,” she explained. “I prepared well, I knew I was on good form, so I tried. I told myself I didn’t want to have any regrets. And I don’t,” she said.
Tour de France champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot started as the favorite but was heavily tracked by her rivals as they mistakenly allowed a small group to get over a minute ahead. Ferrand-Prévot eventually trailed home alongside American Chloe Dygert almost two minutes down.
Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen dropped back with 30 km to go while last week’s time-trial champion Marlen Reusser made a brave but doomed solo effort to counter-attack.
These are the first cycling worlds to be held in Africa. The winners are awarded a rainbow jersey that they wear for the year, a much-coveted prize in a race where riders represent their nation rather than a professional team.
The men’s race is on Sunday and is extremely long at 267.5 km. It includes 33 climbs over 15 loops and one longer, even harder circuit with an extra cobbled climb.
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