Lack of British representation in the elite women's road race at the UCI World Championships 2025: Explanation absent.
In a significant shift for British Cycling, the team will be represented by only one rider, Callum Thornley, in the under-23 men's race at the UCI Road World Championships this year. This marks a departure from previous years, as the team traditionally fields a larger contingent in various events.
In a more notable absence, there is no information available about a female cyclist representing Great Britain in the elite men's road race discipline. This situation is unprecedented in more than three decades, highlighting a change in focus for the British cycling team.
Anna Henderson, the only British entrant in the elite women's events, will compete only in the time trial. Meanwhile, Pfeiffer Georgi, who has been a regular in British cycling events, is sidelined due to injury.
The challenging courses and expensive logistics costs have influenced the squad selections of various federations, including Denmark, Italy, Ireland, and the Netherlands, who are all taking reduced teams. The budget for the Great Britain Cycling Team comes as part of its Olympic cycle funding, which must be managed across four years.
British Cycling has prioritized events with medal prospects in their team selection for the UCI Road World Championships. As a result, the team will field its full qualifying quota of eight riders in the elite men's road race. However, they will not be participating in the elite men's time trial, despite qualifying two places.
The under-23 title is running as a separate event for the first time this year at the UCI Road World Championships. Zoe Bäckstedt is targeting the under-23 time trial title, while Millie Couzens will compete in the under-23 events. Cat Ferguson, an elite pro for WorldTour team Movistar, will lead the British team in the under-23 race.
The event offers "huge development opportunities" for younger British riders according to performance director Stephen Park. This focus on nurturing talent aligns with the timing of the Rwanda World Championships, which falls at the start of the second year of the Los Angeles 2028 cycle.
Notably, Lizzie Deignan won the women's road race at the World Championships in 2015, while Nicole Cooke clinched the title in 2008. Cat Ferguson, currently the highest-placed female British rider in the UCI's elite rankings (22nd), will be hoping to continue this tradition of success in future years. The complete 25-rider squad for Great Britain can be found elsewhere.
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