Photo: UCI.
The year 2025 saw a major first in the history of cycling with the organization of the World Road Cycling Championships on African soilin Rwanda. The challenge has been met. with brio "This is a great achievement," said UCI Director General Amina Lanaya in the federation's annual report. These UCI World Championships have demonstrated that Africa is capable not only of hosting our flagship annual event, but also of providing it with the best possible setting. They are a landmark in my eyes. the beginning of a new era for cycling. "They also open up a range of possibilities for potential future hosts."
« All continents have now hosted our biggest annual event, but many countries still have considerable development potentialI am thinking in particular of India, illustrates Amina Lanaya. In January 2026, I had the opportunity to attend the first edition of the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour, the biggest cycling race ever organized in the countryThis 2.2 class event, part of the UCI Asia Tour calendar, was impressive. The organizers, who collaborate with the Cycling Federation of India, had big plans and... considerable ambitions for the futureAnd the public responded enthusiastically: during the final stage, one and a half million spectators lined the route to cheer on the riders from the 29 teams representing 29 nationalities at the start. »
The men's road race at the World Championships attracted a similar number of spectators in Kigali last year. I am convinced that Other projects of this scale will emerge in different regions of the world.and that some will become a lasting part of the international landscape " adds Amina Lanaya. The next UCI Road World Championships to be awarded will be in 2032. India might be even more tempted to position itself in the coming years as it wishes to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036.
