UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race

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 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.

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. It usually involves laps of a circuit with a total race distance over {{Convert|250|km|mi}} in length.

File:Alfredo Binda 2.jpg, posing with his third World Championship jersey in 1932]]

File:Eddy Merckx, 1967 World Championships.jpg celebrating his first professional World Championship in 1967, after winning it as amateur in 1964]]

File:Maurizio-Fondriest-Laurent-Fignon-Giro-1989.jpg (left) as World Champion at the 1989 Giro d'Italia]]

File:Paolo Bettini - 2008 b.jpg]]

File:Cadel Evans Tour 2010 team presentation (cropped).jpg in the rainbow jersey at the 2010 Tour de France]]

File:2011 Road World Championships Mens road race podium (cropped).jpg (centre) is crowned World Champion following the 2011 road race.]]

File:20180930 UCI Road World Championships Innsbruck Men Elite Road Race Valverde wins 850 2068.jpg wins the 2018 road race in Innsbruck.]]

Seven cyclists have successfully defended their title (three Belgians, two Italians, a Slovakian and a French): 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), Peter Sagan (Slovakia, 2015–17) and Julian Alaphilippe (France, 2020–21). Sagan is the only rider with three straight titles (2015–17). Spaniard Alejandro Valverde has the most total medals by any individual rider with seven (1 gold in 2018; 2 silver in 2003, 2005; 4 bronze in 2006, 2012–14).

{{Medals table

| caption =

| host =

| flag_template =

| event =

| team =

| gold_BEL = 27 | silver_BEL = 13 | bronze_BEL = 12

| gold_ITA = 19 | silver_ITA = 21 | bronze_ITA = 16

| gold_FRA = 10 | silver_FRA = 13 | bronze_FRA = 15

| gold_NED = 8 | silver_NED = 5 | bronze_NED = 7

| gold_ESP = 6 | silver_ESP = 6 | bronze_ESP = 12

| gold_SUI = 3 | silver_SUI = 6 | bronze_SUI = 6

| gold_USA = 3 | silver_USA = 2 | bronze_USA = 0

| gold_SVK = 3 | silver_SVK = 0 | bronze_SVK = 0

| gold_GER = 2 | silver_GER = 7 | bronze_GER = 6 | note_GER = {{ref|a|[a]}}

| gold_GBR = 2 | silver_GBR = 1 | bronze_GBR = 0

| gold_AUS = 1 | silver_AUS = 5 | bronze_AUS = 3

| gold_NOR = 1 | silver_NOR = 2 | bronze_NOR = 0

| gold_IRL = 1 | silver_IRL = 1 | bronze_IRL = 3

| gold_POL = 1 | silver_POL = 1 | bronze_POL = 0

| gold_LAT = 1 | silver_LAT = 0 | bronze_LAT = 0

| gold_POR = 1 | silver_POR = 0 | bronze_POR = 0

| gold_DEN = 1 | silver_DEN = 3 | bronze_DEN = 3

| gold_SLO = 1 | silver_SLO = 0 | bronze_SLO = 2

| gold_RUS = 0 | silver_RUS = 3 | bronze_RUS = 1 | note_RUS = {{ref|b|[b]}}

| gold_LUX = 0 | silver_LUX = 2 | bronze_LUX = 2

| gold_CAN = 0 | silver_CAN = 0 | bronze_CAN = 2

| gold_LTU = 0 | silver_LTU = 0 | bronze_LTU = 1

}}

;Notes

• {{note|a|[a]}}{{nowrap|Includes {{FRG}} and Nazi Germany}}
• {{note|b|[b]}}{{nowrap|Includes {{flagu|USSR}}}}

• UCI Road World Championships
• GP Wolber

{{Reflist}}

{{UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race}}

{{UCI Road World Champions – Men's road race}}

{{UCI Road World Championships events}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uci Road World Championships - Men's Road Race}}

Men's road race

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1927

Category:Men's road bicycle races

Category:Lists of UCI Road World Championships medalists

Category:Super Prestige Pernod races