The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
All the world championship events are ridden by national teams, not trade teams such as in most other major races. The winner of each category is entitled to wear the rainbow jersey in races of that category (either mass start or time trial) until the next championships.
Only five riders in history have won the title three times, with Alfredo Binda, Rik van Steenbergen, Oscar Freire, Eddy Merckx and Peter Sagan being the ones to register a hat-trick of gold medals.
Slovakia’s Sagan is the only rider with three consecutive victories. Belgium is the most successful nation having won the event 27 times.
The most successful rider in the women’s world championships road race is France’s Jeannie Longo, who has worn the rainbow jersey five times.
Let us have a look at all the winners of the UCI Road World Championships in men’s and women’s elite categories.
Men’s UCI road race world champions
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1927 | Alfredo Binda (Italy) |
| 1928 | Georges Ronsse (Belgium) |
| 1929 | Georges Ronsse (Belgium) |
| 1930 | Alfredo Binda (Italy) |
| 1931 | Learco Guerra (Italy) |
| 1932 | Alfredo Binda (Italy) |
| 1933 | Georges Speicher (France) |
| 1934 | Karel Kaers (Belgium) |
| 1935 | Jean Aerts (Belgium) |
| 1936 | Antonin Magne (France) |
| 1937 | Eloi Meulenberg (Belgium) |
| 1938 | Marcel Kint (Belgium) |
| 1946 | Hans Knecht (Switzerland) |
| 1947 | Theo Middelkamp (Netherlands) |
| 1948 | Briek Schotte (Belgium) |
| 1949 | Rik Van Steenbergen (Belgium) |
| 1950 | Briek Schotte (Belgium) |
| 1951 | Ferdinand Kubler (Switzerland) |
| 1952 | Heinz Muller (Germany) |
| 1953 | Fausto Coppi (Italy) |
| 1954 | Louison Bobet (France) |
| 1955 | Stan Ockers (Belgium) |
| 1956 | Rik Van Steenbergen (Belgium) |
| 1957 | Rik Van Steenbergen (Belgium) |
| 1958 | Ercole Baldini (Italy) |
| 1959 | Andre Darrigade (France) |
| 1960 | Rik Van Looy (Belgium) |
| 1961 | Rik Van Looy (Belgium) |
| 1962 | Jean Stablinski (France) |
| 1963 | Benoni Beheyt (Belgium) |
| 1964 | Jan Janssen (Netherlands) |
| 1965 | Tom Simpson (Great Britain) |
| 1966 | Rudi Altig (Germany) |
| 1967 | Eddy Merckx (Belgium) |
| 1968 | Vittorio Adorni (Italy) |
| 1969 | Harm Ottenbros (Netherlands) |
| 1970 | Jean-Pierre Monsere (Belgium) |
| 1971 | Eddy Merckx (Belgium) |
| 1972 | Marino Basso (Italy) |
| 1973 | Felice Gimondi (Italy) |
| 1974 | Eddy Merckx (Belgium) |
| 1975 | Hennie Kuiper (Netherlands) |
| 1976 | Freddy Maertens (Belgium) |
| 1977 | Francesco Moser (Italy) |
| 1978 | Gerrie Knetemann (Netherlands) |
| 1979 | Jan Raas (Netherlands) |
| 1980 | Bernard Hinault (France) |
| 1981 | Freddy Maertens (Belgium) |
| 1982 | Giuseppe Saronni (Italy) |
| 1983 | Greg Lemond (United States) |
| 1984 | Claude Criquielion (Belgium) |
| 1985 | Joop Zoetemelk (Netherlands) |
| 1986 | Moreno Argentin (Italy) |
| 1987 | Stephen Roche (Ireland) |
| 1988 | Maurizio Fondriest (Italy) |
| 1989 | Greg Lemond (United States) |
| 1990 | Rudy Dhaenens (Belgium) |
| 1991 | Gianni Bugno (Italy) |
| 1992 | Gianni Bugno (Italy) |
| 1993 | Lance Armstrong (United States) |
| 1994 | Luc Leblanc (France) |
| 1995 | Abraham Olano (Spain) |
| 1996 | Johan Museeuw (Belgium) |
| 1997 | Laurent Brochard (France) |
| 1998 | Oscar Camenzind (Switzerland) |
| 1999 | Oscar Freire (Spain) |
| 2000 | Romāns Vainšteins (Latvia) |
| 2001 | Oscar Freire (Spain) |
| 2002 | Mario Cipollini (Italy) |
| 2003 | Igor Astarloa (Spain) |
| 2004 | Oscar Freire (Spain) |
| 2005 | Tom Boonen (Belgium) |
| 2006 | Paolo Bettini (Italy) |
| 2007 | Paolo Bettini (Italy) |
| 2008 | Alessandro Ballan (Italy) |
| 2009 | Cadel Evans (Australia) |
| 2010 | Thor Hushovd (Norway) |
| 2011 | Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) |
| 2012 | Philippe Gilbert (Belgium) |
| 2013 | Rui Costa (Portugal) |
| 2014 | Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) |
| 2015 | Peter Sagan (Slovakia) |
| 2016 | Peter Sagan (Slovakia) |
| 2017 | Peter Sagan (Slovakia) |
| 2018 | Alejandro Valverde (Spain) |
| 2019 | Mads Pedersen (Denmark) |
| 2020 | Julian Alaphilippe (France) |
| 2021 | Julian Alaphilippe (France) |
| 2022 | Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) |
| 2023 | Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) |
| 2024 | Tadej Pogačar (Slownia) |
Also Read: UCI World Tour: Complete 2025 Road Cycling Calendar
Women’s UCI road race world champions
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Elsy Jacobs (Luxembourg) |
| 1959 | Yvonne Reynders (Belgium) |
| 1960 | Beryl Burton (Great Britain) |
| 1961 | Yvonne Reynders (Belgium) |
| 1964 | Emilija Sonka (Soviet Union) |
| 1965 | Elisabeth Eicholz (Germany) |
| 1966 | Yvonne Reynders (Belgium) |
| 1967 | Beryl Burton (Great Britain) |
| 1968 | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (Netherlands) |
| 1969 | Audrey McElmury (United States) |
| 1970 | Anna Konkina (Soviet Union) |
| 1971 | Anna Konkina (Soviet Union) |
| 1972 | Genevieve Gambillon (France) |
| 1973 | Nicole Vandenbroeck (Belgium) |
| 1974 | Genevieve Gambillon (France) |
| 1975 | Tineke Fopma (Netherlands) |
| 1976 | Keetie van Oosten-Hage (Netherlands) |
| 1977 | Josiane Bost (France) |
| 1978 | Beate Habetz (Germany) |
| 1979 | Petra de Brujin (Netherlands) |
| 1980 | Beth Heiden (United States) |
| 1981 | Ute Enzenauer (Germany) |
| 1982 | Mandy Jones (Great Britain) |
| 1983 | Marianne Berglund (Sweden) |
| 1984 | No race |
| 1985 | Jeannie Longo (France) |
| 1986 | Jeannie Longo (France) |
| 1987 | Jeannie Longo (France) |
| 1988 | No race |
| 1989 | Jeannie Longo (France) |
| 1990 | Catherine Marsal (France) |
| 1991 | Leontien van Moorsel (Netherlands) |
| 1992 | No race |
| 1993 | Leontien van Moorsel (Netherlands) |
| 1994 | Monica Valvik (Norway) |
| 1995 | Jeannie Longo (France) |
| 1996 | Barbara Heeb (Switzerland) |
| 1997 | Alessandra Cappellotto (Italy) |
| 1998 | Diana Žiliūtė (Lithuania) |
| 1999 | Edita Pučinskaitė (Lithuania) |
| 2000 | Zinaida Stahurskaya (Belarus) |
| 2001 | Rasa Polikevičiūtė (Lithuania) |
| 2002 | Susanne Ljungskog (Sweden) |
| 2003 | Susanne Ljungskog (Sweden) |
| 2004 | Judith Arndt (Germany) |
| 2005 | Regina Schleicher (Germany) |
| 2006 | Marianne Vos (Netherlands) |
| 2007 | Marta Bastianelli (Italy) |
| 2008 | Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) |
| 2009 | Tatiana Guderzo (Italy) |
| 2010 | Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) |
| 2011 | Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) |
| 2012 | Marianne Vos (Netherlands) |
| 2013 | Marianne Vos (Netherlands) |
| 2014 | Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France) |
| 2015 | Lizzie Armistead (Great Britain) |
| 2016 | Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark) |
| 2017 | Chantal Blaak (Netherlands) |
| 2018 | Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) |
| 2019 | Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) |
| 2020 | Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) |
| 2021 | Elisa Balsamo (Italy) |
| 2022 | Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) |
| 2023 | Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) |
| 2024 | Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) |
