Date End of season Editions 83 (as of 2016) Discipline Road bicycle racing First edition 1927 Edition 83 (2016) | Type One-day | |
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Organiser Union Cycliste Internationale Instances 2016 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race | ||
The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships include championships for elite men's road race and individual time trial. In addition, women's world championship events are held for the same events in the same manner ; under-23 world championship for cyclists under the age of 23 years; junior world championships for cyclists under the age of 19 years.
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The road race is contested by riders organized by national cycling teams as opposed to commercially sponsored or trade teams, which is the standard in professional cycling.
History
The first professional World Cycling Championship took place in 1927 at the Nürburgring in Germany and was won by Alfredo Binda, of Italy. In recent years, the race is held towards the end of the European season, usually following the Vuelta a España. The event can be held over either a relatively flat course which favors cycling sprinters or over a hilly course which favors more of a climbing specialist or all-round type of cyclist.
The elite men's race is usually won by riders on the UCI World Tour or its predecessors. However, in the past there were separate events for amateur riders, mainly from Eastern bloc countries.
For men at the elite professional level, the World Cycling Championship, along with the Tour de France, and the Giro d'Italia, forms the Triple Crown of Cycling.
Medalists
Only six cyclists have successfully defended their title (three Belgians, two Italians and a Slovakian): Georges Ronsse (Belgium, 1928–29); Rik Van Steenbergen (Belgium, 1956–57); Rik van Looy (Belgium, 1960–61); Gianni Bugno (Italy, 1991–92); Paolo Bettini (Italy, 2006–07) and Peter Sagan (Slovakia, 2015-16). Spaniard Alejandro Valverde has the most total medals by any one individual with six, although he has never won the rainbow jersey (2 silver 2003, 2005 and 4 bronze - 2006, 2012–14).