North Americans Show Grit at Challenging Rwanda Road Worlds
Kigali, Rwanda – Despite brutal climbs and challenging altitude, North american riders demonstrated resilience at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, with standout performances from young American talent and steadfast efforts from the U.S. and Canadian teams.The championships, held on a demanding course in Kigali, saw Great Britain’s Harry hudson claim the elite men’s solo victory, while the elite women’s race was won by another rider not mentioned in this article.
The U.S. elite men’s team faced a especially tough race, arriving without key riders Matteo Jorgenson, Brandon McNulty, and Neilson Powless. Of the five Americans who started – Kevin Vermaerke, Larry Warbasse, Quinn Simmons, luke Lamperti, and Will Barta – only Vermaerke managed to reach the finish, battling through the relentless climbs to secure 23rd place.The altitude and course proved decisive, shredding the peloton and leaving Vermaerke as the sole U.S. finisher.
In the U23 men’s race,American rider Drake demonstrated impressive form,bridging to an early move and extending the gap to nearly two minutes before ultimately finishing strongly.His performance throughout the week marked him as a revelation at the championships, particularly given his recent entry onto the junior circuit.
On the women’s side, Chloé dygert of the U.S. persevered through pain to finish 17th in the elite women’s road race. The 165km circuit, featuring 3,350 meters of climbing, proved challenging, and dygert finished the race visibly exhausted, collapsing after the finish with a heavily bandaged left leg. Ruth Edwards was distanced earlier in the race, on lap five.
Team USA looks ahead to the 2026 World Championships in Montréal, anticipating a more favorable course closer to home.
