Yesterday in Kigali, Rwanda, this year’s UCI Road World Championships officially got underway. Thirteen riders will represent Poland across the elite, U23, and junior categories.
The Road World Championships are one of the most important moments of the cycling season, and this year, for the first time in history, the event is being held in Africa. The host city is Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, where the road races and individual time trials for elite, U23, and junior riders, as well as the mixed relay, will take place.
The competition in Rwanda opened yesterday with the elite time trials, where the rainbow jerseys of world champions went to Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) and Marlen Reusser (Switzerland). In the women’s race, Katarzyna Niewiadoma – the only Pole on the start line – finished in 14th place.
A full week of thrilling racing still lies ahead – with Polish riders also in the mix. Alongside Katarzyna Niewiadoma, who normally competes for Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto, the women’s elite road race will feature Marta Lach (Team SD Worx — Protime) and Karolina Perekitko (Winspace Orange Seal), who rode aggressively last year in the 2nd Tour de Pologne Women.
In the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix, Mateusz Gajdulewicz has shown strong performances on multiple occasions and will now compete in Rwanda in the U23 category. The Mazowsze Serce Polski rider finished 6th overall in this year’s ORLEN General Classification of the U23’s race and took 3rd on one of the stages ending at Hotel Arłamów. Two of his teammates will also represent Poland: national champion Dawid Lewandowski and Michał Pomorski. In the women’s U23 field, Malwina Mul (MAT ATOM Deweloper Wrocław), 9th in the 3rd Tour de Pologne Women, and Weronika Wąsaty (KK Ziemia Darłowska) will line up.
Among the juniors, Poland will be represented by Jan Jackowiak (Cannibal B Victorious / UKS Copernicus CCC SMS Toruń), Jan Mróz (Energy Team ASD / Grupa Kolarska Gliwice), Bartosz Łyżwa (UKS Avatar Silesia Team), and Ksawery Gancarz (ALKS Stal Grudziądz). In the junior women’s category, Maria Okrucińska (Watersley Race & Development Cycling Team / UKS Copernicus CCC SMS Toruń) will compete, a rider who has won numerous stages in the Tour de Pologne Junior. Polish Cycling Federation (PZKol) decided not to send an elite men’s team to Rwanda after Michał Kwiatkowski and Rafał Majka decided not to compete in the World Championships.
The UCI Road World Championships will continue until Sunday.