Spain and France are the latest teams to confirm their selections for the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda (September 21-28), adding the likes of Juan Ayuso, Julian Alaphilippe and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot to the start lists of the elite races.
Despite some high-profile drop-outs in recent weeks, and riders like Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel and Lotte Kopecky skipping the Rwanda Worlds, many of the biggest cycling nations are still assembling strong teams, with Grand Tour winners and stage winners among those lining up for next weekend's road races.
For Spain, Vuelta a España stage winners Juan Ayuso and Marc Soler will lead the eight-man selection for the elite men's road race, taking on their UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Tadej Pogačar on the climber-friendly course in Kigali.
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They'll be joined by Abel Balderstone, Iván Romeo, Carlos Verona, Carlos Canal, Roger Adrià and Raúl García Pierna in what is shaping up to be a strong team for the nation that last won a men's road race title in 2018 – with Alejandro Valverde, who is now the national coach. Mikel Landa, still recovering from a back injury, is absent from the selection.
García Pierna and last year's under-23 time trial world champion Romeo will line up for Spain in Sunday's elite time trial.
Ayuso has never previously ridden a World Championships as an elite rider, but will immediately be on the list of potential winners alongside Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, given his recent successes at the Vuelta and the volume of climbing in Kigali.
The women's road race team will be led by Mavi García, whilst Mireia Benito is selected for the women's elite time trial.
France also announced their strong team on Monday, with GP Québec winner Julian Alaphilippe and Tour de France Femmes winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot spearheading their road race squads.
In the men's race, Alaphilippe – back-to-back world champion in 2020 and 2021 – will be flanked by a team that includes the young phenom Paul Seixas, who just won the Tour de l'Avenir. Despite still only being 18, the UCI have reverted to the rule that WorldTour riders may not race the under-23 events at Worlds, so Seixas will ride in the elite category, racing both the road race and TT.
Bruno Armirail will also ride the TT for France, though he isn't part of the road race selection.
Ferrand-Prévot, also a former world champion on the road, will count on the likes of Juliette Labous, Évita Muzic and double Tour stage winner Maëva Squiban for support on a course that is well-suited to her abilities, with Labous and Cédrine Kerbaol representing France in the women's time trial.
With Belgium, Australia, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the USA and Germany all now confirming their elite line-ups, the provisional start lists for the biggest World Championship races are beginning to come together, with nations like Italy and Great Britain among the countries still yet to announce their selections.
France selection for Worlds 2025
Elite women TT
- Cédrine Kerbaol
- Juliette Labous
Elite women road race
- Léa Curinier
- Pauline Ferrand-Prévot
- Cédrine Kerbaol
- Juliette Labous
- Marie Le Net
- Évita Muzic
- Maëva Squiban
Elite men TT
- Bruno Armirail
- Paul Seixas
Elite men road race
- Julian Alaphilippe
- Louis Barré
- Julien Bernard
- Jordan Jegat
- Valentin Madouas
- Valentin Paret-Peintre
- Paul Seixas
- Pavel Sivakov
Mixed relay TTT
- Bruno Armirail
- Paul Seixas
- Pavel Sivakov
- Cédrine Kerbaol
- Juliette Labous
- Maëva Squiban
Spain selection for Worlds 2025
Elite women TT
Elite women road race
- Alicia González
- Usoa Ostolaza
- Ane Santesteban
- Sara Martín
- Mireia Benito
- Mavi García
Elite men TT
- Iván Romeo
- Raúl García Pierna
Elite men road race
- Juan Ayuso
- Abel Balderstone
- Marc Soler
- Ivan Roméo
- Carlos Verona
- Carlos Canal
- Roger Adrià
- Raúl García Pierna
Mixed relay TTT
TBC
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