Cycling World Championships Road Race 2025 Preview: Odds and Predictions

Men’s World Championships Road Race Odds

No one will be surprised that Tadej Pogacar (-500) is a heavy betting favorite to win the Cycling World Championship Road Race. At -500, the four-time Tour de France winner has an overwhelming chance to win. Pogacar’s implied probability to win is 83.3%, so he’s the clear frontrunner at the best cycling betting sites.

Behind Pogacar, Paris 2024 gold medalist Remoc Evenopoel (+1000) and Isaac Del Toro (+1000) have the second-best World Championship Road Race 2025 odds. However, there is a significant drop off from Pogacar to Evenopoel and Del Toro at just 9.1% to win.

I wouldn’t discount Tom Pidcock (+1600), but he has a low probability of winning at 5.9%. Nevertheless, if there is an incident on the course, Pidcock may be there to capitalize.

Women’s World Championships Road Race Odds

Pauline Ferrand-Prevost (+175) is the leading favorite to win the Women’s World Championship Road Race. The 33-year-old French cyclist has a 36.4% implied chance to prevail in Ghana. Last year, Ferrand-Prevost came out on top for gold in the women’s mountain cross-country race at Paris 2024.

The spread between the favorite and the rest of the field is much tighter than in the men’s race. The Netherlands’ Demi Vollering (+300) and Italy’s Elisa Longo (+600) are within striking distance, according to the latest 2025 World Championship Road Race betting odds.

Vollering holds a 25% implied probability, while Longo Borghini rounds out the top favorites with a 14.3% chance to bring home the gold.

Cycling World Championships Men’s Road Race Preview

The odds point squarely to Pogacar winning the Men’s road race. After winning the Tour de France for a fourth time and a second consecutive year, Pogacar passed on racing in the final Grand Tour in the Vuelta a España.

He focused on the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal, where UAE Team Emirates dominated with a 1-2 finish. In an event Pogacar could have easily won, he and his teammate Brandon McNulty crossed the finish line together. The duo were in complete control to humiliate the rest of the field in Canada.

The ultimate teammate 🫡

Pure humility as the World Champion Tadej Pogačar rode tirelessly to repay Brandon McNulty’s work over the years and help him win at Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal 🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/2Or0DhbjHp

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) September 14, 2025

So, while Pogacar is known for his ability in stage events, he can pull away in road races as well. Along with an impressive performance in Montreal and the Tour de France title, Pogacar also won the UAE Tour, La Fleche Wallonne, Liege-Bastogne, and Criterium du Dauphine.

Regardless of the distance or conditions, Pogacar has had the edge. Evenepoel might be the biggest threat to the Slovenian’s gold medal quest.

Evenepoel is the defending Olympic champion in Paris and thrives in road courses. He hasn’t had as much success as he’d like in Grand Tours, but he can get the job done in a road race.

In June, Evenepoel won the time trial at the Belgium National Championships and then followed up in second in the road race. In his latest outing, Evenepoel had a solid effort to finish as the runner-up in the Tour of Britain.

Pogacar’s teammate, del Toro, is an instant threat as well. The 21-year-old Mexican is having a fantastic campaign and should be in form in Africa.

🔥🐂 TORITOOOOOOOOO

🏆 @ISAACDELTOROx1 takes the win at #TrofeoMatteotti 🇮🇹 with a brilliant sprint!#WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/5Rhpnlr5h3

— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) September 14, 2025

Since finishing second in the Giro d’Italia, del Toro has 10 wins, including four recent victories in Italy in seven days! He also has wins in the Tour of Austria, Classica Terres de l’Ebre, Circuito de Getxo, and Vuelta a Burgos. As a longshot bet, del Toro fits the bill at +1000!

Outside of these three, it’s hard to find true contenders, so I suggest focusing on the favorites for the men’s race.

Cycling World Championships Women’s Road Race Preview

The women’s race is shaping up to be a more wide-open affair for the gold medal. Ferrand-Prevot is the favorite, but she should have company in the field. Nevertheless, she remains the woman to beat after winning the Tour de France Femmes.

Four months earlier, she was victorious on home soil with a win in the Paris-Roubaix Femmes. The Olympic champion in mountain biking has some key wins on her resume this season. With defending champion Lotte Kopecky taking time off instead of racing, the door is open for Ferrand-Prevot.

Congratulations to Pauline Ferrand-Prevot on winning the Tour de France Femmes yesterday. She's the first French woman to claim the title in 36 years! 🇫🇷

She also won mountain bike gold in the women's cross country at #Paris2024. 🚴#TDFF2025 pic.twitter.com/WmGzc02OR1

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 4, 2025

That being said, she didn’t have her best performance most recently in the Classic Lorient Agglomeration. Ferrand-Prevot finished 20th in the French race on August 8. I don’t think Ferrand-Prevot brought her best, so I’ll give her a pass.

One of her main rivals – Vollering – has been having an incredibly consistent season and is going to be a major threat at the World Championship. In addition to finishing second in the Tour de France, Vollering has a win in five events, including the Vuelta España. In her previous six starts, she finished 2nd, 72nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, and 1st.

Demi Vollering gave her all and has lots to be proud of 💛

Resilience personified 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/DwEwhSJzyG

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) August 3, 2025

When you look at this race, it’s most likely going to come down to Ferrand-Prevot and Vollering. However, I wouldn’t look too far past Longo Borghini, who is having a strong campaign. She heads into the World Championship coming off wins in the Giro d’Italia and Italian National Championships Road Race.

The 33-year-old also has wins in the UAE Tour, Dwars door Vlaanderen, De Brabantse Pijl, and recently in the Kreiz Breizh Elites on August 28.  She should give Vollering and Ferrand-Prevot a run for their money.