History on the hills of Kigali: Magdeleine Vallières Mill delivers Canada’s first elite road world title

A landmark for Canadian cycling

Magdeleine Vallières Mill has etched her name—and Canada’s—into cycling history. The 24‑year‑old from Sherbrooke, Quebec won the Elite Women’s Road Race at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, becoming Canada’s first‑ever road world champion at the elite level. She sealed the victory with a decisive attack on the final climb of a demanding circuit, finishing ahead of New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher‑Black and Spain’s Mavi García.

This world title is not only a personal triumph for Vallières Mill; it’s a watershed moment for Canadian cycling—our first elite road race rainbow jersey, achieved at the first Road World Championships ever staged on African soil.

How the race was won

On a course that demanded power and nerve, Vallières Mill made her move on the cobbles of the final ascent, breaking clear from a select lead group. She held her advantage to the line, winning by 23 seconds over Fisher‑Black, with García taking bronze at 26 seconds. The circuit covered roughly 165 km over 11 laps and featured 3,350 metres of climbing—attritional racing that rewarded commitment and timing.

It was just the second professional win of her career, underscoring the scale of her breakthrough against the sport’s biggest favourites.

Why it matters

• First Canadian elite road race world title: No Canadian—woman or man—had previously won the elite road race at the UCI Road World Championships. Vallières Mill’s victory changes that.
• Inspiration across the pathway: Her success validates years of development work by coaches, clubs and the national program—and will inspire the next generation of Canadian riders.
• Global stage, historic setting: Kigali 2025 marked the championships’ debut in Africa, showcasing the sport’s growing footprint.

MAPEI Canada’s partnership with Cycling Canada

MAPEI Canada is proud to support the national program as an Official Partner of Cycling Canada, a relationship established in 2023 and running through the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal. Our partnership strengthens cycling from grassroots to high performance and builds toward an unforgettable home Worlds.

This collaboration also continues MAPEI’s long, global association with cycling—spanning decades of investment in the sport’s growth and excellence.

What’s next: Montréal 2026

The rainbow jersey will return to Canada in 2026 when Montréal hosts the UCI Road World Championships (Sept. 20–27). With momentum from Kigali, Canadian athletes—and fans—have a rare chance to celebrate the sport’s pinnacle event on home roads. MAPEI Canada looks forward to supporting Cycling Canada every pedal stroke of the way.

Race at a glance

• Event: Elite Women’s Road Race, UCI Road World Championships (Kigali 2025)
• Winner: Magdeleine Vallières Mill (Canada)
• Course: ~164–165 km, 11 laps, ~3,350 m elevation gain
• Time gaps: +0:23 (2nd, Niamh Fisher‑Black), +0:26 (3rd, Mavi García)
• Notable: First Road Worlds held in Africa; first Canadian elite road race world title.

Photo Credit: Sirotti

About UCI
Founded in 1900 in Paris, France, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the worldwide governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms, for all people – as a competitive sport, a healthy recreational activity, a means of transport, and just for fun. The UCI manages and promotes the nine cycling disciplines: Road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, cyclo-cross, trials, indoor cycling and cycling esports. Five of these are featured on the Olympic Games program (road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle), two in the Paralympic Games (road and track) and four in the Youth Olympic Games (road, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle). For more information, visit www.uci.org.

About MAPEI
MAPEI Group, with 98 subsidiaries operating in 59 countries and 106 plants in 36 nations, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of mortars, grouts, adhesives and complementary products for installing all types of flooring and wall coverings. The company specializes in developing chemical products for every aspect of construction, from waterproofing and structural strengthening to concrete repairs and tunnel building.

Headquartered in Deerfield Beach (Florida), MAPEI North America consists of the subsidiaries MAPEI Corporation (for the USA), MAPEI Inc. (for Canada) and MAPEI Caribe (for Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands), whose 28 facilities collectively have a workforce of about 2,000 employees. MAPEI facilities have been certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 Standards for Management Systems. An environmentally conscious manufacturer that reinvests a percentage of its revenue into R&D, MAPEI offers training for architects, contractors, installers and distributors through the MAPEI Technical Institute. For more about MAPEI, visit www.mapei.com or call 1-800-42-MAPEI (1-800-426-2734).