World Cycling Championships: Winners and records

Recent winners World Championships road race for men

2025: Tadej Pogacar (slo) – Kigali
2024: Tadej Pogacar (slo) – Zürich
2023: Mathieu van der Poel (nld) – Glasgow
2022: Remco Evenepoel (bel) – Wollongong
2021: Julian Alaphilippe (fra) – Leuven
2020: Julian Alaphilippe (fra) – Imola
2019: Mads Pedersen (den) – Harrogate
2018: Alejandro Valverde (spa) – Innsbruck
2017: Peter Sagan (svk) – Bergen
2016: Peter Sagan (svk) – Doha
2015: Peter Sagan (svk) – Richmond
2014: Michal Kwiatkowski (pol) – Ponferrada
2013: Rui Costa (por) – Florence
2012: Philippe Gilbert (bel) – Valkenburg

World Championships road race for men records

Five riders claimed three World Championship titles: Alfredo Binda (Italy), Rik Van Steenbergen (Belgium), Eddy Merckx (Belgium), Óscar Freire (Spain) and Peter Sagan (Slovakia). Sagan is the only rider who won the rainbow jersey three times in a row. Furthermore, he is the only still capable to add more wins to his tally.

The youngest rider ever to become World Champion was Karel Kaers (Belgium). He was only 20 years and 46 days of age when he took the title in 1934. The oldest World Champion ever is Joop Zoetemelk, who won the rainbow jersey in 1985 – his age at the time was 38 years and 272 days.