Few outside of Canadian cycling circles, and perhaps the EF Education–Oatly team, saw it coming. When 24-year-old Magdeleine Vallieres lined up in Kigali, Rwanda, for the elite women’s road race at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, she was ranked 149th in the world and far from a household name. But by the end of the gruelling course, she had pulled off one of this year’s biggest upsets, outriding decorated champions to seize the rainbow jersey.
Until last week, the biggest wins on her palmarès had been a Canadian criterium title and a victory at the UCI 1.1 Trofeo Palma Femina in Spain. Modest results on paper, but as her teammate Kristen Faulkner, herself the surprise Olympic champion of 2024, explained, that ranking said little about her true talent.
For Faulkner, the triumph only confirmed what the EF squad already knew: Vallieres is “a quiet role model” with a bright future ahead. “I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for her,” Faulkner said.
Let’s get to know Canada’s first road racing world champion.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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Full Name: |
Magdeleine Vallieres Mill |
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Nickname: |
Mags |
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Date of Birth: |
10 August 2001 |
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Nationality: |
Canadian |
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Hometown: |
Sherbrooke, Québec |
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Resides in: |
Girona, Spain |
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Turned pro in: |
2019 |
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Current team: |
EF Education-Oatly |
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UCI wins: |
2 |
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Instagram: |
@magdeleinevallieres |
1. Vallieres is Canada’s first-ever Elite Road Race World Champion
In its 98-year history, Canada had never produced an elite world champion in the road race, men’s or women’s. It had come close. Linda Jackson, Michael Woods and Steve Bauer all earned bronze medals at past road world championships. There have also been Canadian champions in other cycling disciplines, notably on the track, and in junior and under-23 categories. But in the sport’s most prestigious event, the top step of the podium had always remained out of reach.
Now, Canada will have one of its riders wear the rainbow jersey for the entire year ahead, and those iconic bands will remain on the collar and sleeves of every road racing jersey Vallieres wears from now on.
2. Her win was no fluke
Though Vallieres’ victory came as a surprise to many, it was no fluke. The 24-year-old had raced intelligently throughout the race, staying attentive and aggressive in the decisive moments. In the final two laps, she was among the 10 riders in the lead group, always near the front, searching for the right moment to make her move.
Onto the final climb of the Côte de Kimihurura, only Vallieres, Niamh Fisher-Black (New Zealand) and Mavi García (Spain) were left, and Vallieres attacked right at the base. Neither of her fellow escapees was able to respond, ensuring that the EF Education-Oatly rider would go on to win the rainbow jersey.
“I knew I probably wouldn’t win in a sprint against Niamh because she is strong,” Vallieres said post-race. “We were both committed to this break, working really hard, and then I saw that she was fading a little bit so I told myself I just have to go all-in now and, yeah, it all worked out in the end.”
Behind the audacity was preparation. Vallieres explained that the world championships had been a season-long target.
“I’ve been dreaming about it for a while now – it was a big goal of mine for this year, so I prepared well and at altitude,” she revealed. “With my coach, we knew this would be a big goal, so with the team, we focused on it.
“The girls believed in me, so I believed in myself, and I really committed to going for it. I prepared well, knew I was on good form, so I tried. I told myself I didn’t want to have any regrets and I don’t.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
3. Bikepacking with her dad sparked a lifelong cycling passion
Vallieres was born and raised in Sherbrooke, Quebec, which lies about 150 kilometres east of Montreal.
She picked up the bike early on, tackling her first 1,000-kilometre bikepacking trip with her dad during the summer of her ninth birthday.
She credits her dad and that initial bikepacking trip for instilling in her a passion for cycling that has guided her life ever since.
Vallieres started racing with a local club, competing in mountain biking, cyclocross, and road cycling as a teenager.
In 2019, she won junior national championship titles in the road race and the time trial, and was selected to compete at the UCI Road World Junior Championships in Yorkshire, England, where she finished in 10th place.
4. She’s a graduate of the UCI’s World Cycling Centre programme
In 2019, Vallieres earned a spot in the UCI’s World Cycling Centre programme, which provides training and development for approximately 100 athletes annually in the three Olympic disciplines (road, track and BMX).
She spent two seasons racing for the WCC team, gaining exposure to European racing, adapting to life abroad, and laying the foundation that would carry her into her professional career.
She joined the WorldTour in 2022 as part of Linda Jackson’s EF Education–Tibco–SVB team.
Magdeleine Vallieres with boyfriend Cian Uijtdebroeks
(Image credit: Getty Images)
5. She shines when the roads turn up
Vallieres has always been at her best when the gradients get steep. A natural climber, she’s been a strong asset for EF Education-Oatly in the sport’s longest and most challenging stage races like the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Vuelta a España Femenina and Giro d’Italia Women. And last weekend’s breakthrough ride, we wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of her in these races in the coming seasons.
That love of climbing traces back to her roots in Sherbrooke, Québec. Vallieres names la Côte de Beauvoir as her favourite climb. The short, punchy three-minute climb near her childhood home is the place where she “learned how to suffer” and fell in love with cycling.
6. Her boyfriend is fellow pro cyclist Cian Uijtdebroeks
On the day after winning her rainbow jersey, Vallieres could be found cheering on the men’s peloton, not among the Canadians, but the Belgians. That’s because her boyfriend is none other than young Belgian talent Cian Uijtdebroeks.
The couple first crossed paths during a training camp in Spain and quickly connected through their shared love of racing. They went public with their relationship at the World Championships in Rwanda, where Uijtdebroeks confirmed the relationship to reporters, after giving Vallieres a hug and kiss before his start.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
7. She’s well-loved by her teammates
When Vallieres crossed the line in Kigali, the first embrace came from a screaming, jubilant and teary Alison Jackson. The former Paris–Roubaix champion leapt the barriers to congratulate her younger compatriot.
“I’ve known Magdeleine since she was young, and she always looked up to me. I feel like I mentor her and hopefully just help her grow in her confidence and racing knowledge and skill. So then to be able to be a part of her big win… honestly, she’s just like my little sister,” Jackson told reporters. “She’s been in that teammate role for so long. But she’s a champion. She’s the best in the world… I absolutely believe in her.”
The sentiment was echoed by teammate Kristen Faulkner, who described her as “selfless, kind, fun, hard-working, humble, and the kind of person you want to support. She’s a quiet role model. She’s a loyal friend.”
