Australia’s Matilda Raynolds and the Netherlands’ Jeroen Van Voorden have claimed the top honours at the 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, rounding out an unforgettable week of racing along Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road.
Local favourite Raynolds produced an emotional and commanding ride to take out both her age group and the overall women’s title on Sunday - after being diagnosed with stage four lymphoma.
“It’s been 12 months since my diagnosis, and I spent six months getting healthy and rebuilding,” Raynolds said post-race. “I feel really proud of where I’ve got myself back to. Today I just wanted to enjoy it. It’s so different to race without pressure - to look up, see where you are, and realise how lucky we are. I didn’t care too much about the result, but I’m glad I got it in the end.”
Matilda Raynolds was the fastest female finisher. Photo: Con Chronis
Racing on familiar roads made the moment even more special for the Victorian.
“I’ve just felt so proud of Victoria and Lorne - this incredible playground - and to show it off to riders from all over the world,” she said. “We’ve had South Africans, the Spanish, the French, the Dutch … and to have everyone here in the peloton on closed roads was just magical.”
Raynolds navigated the decisive 10-kilometre Benwerrin climb and headwinds with precision before launching a strong final effort to win gold in the women's 35-39 age group, finishing the 131km race in 3:44:18.
“Descending the back of the Great Ocean Road on fully closed roads was a dream,” she said. “You don’t often get that as an amateur. Huge thanks to the volunteers and organisers - events like this aren’t easy, and everyone created such a positive, special atmosphere.”
Earlier, Van Voorden executed a flawless race plan to power away from the bunch and solo to victory, securing his first rainbow jersey after finishing third at last year’s championships in Denmark. He was the first finisher of the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships and won gold in the men's 19-34 age group in 3:08:28.
Jeroen Van Voorden celebrates solo victory. Photo: Con Chronis
“Together with my coach, we made a plan to go with 10 kilometres to go,” he explained. “At that point I saw nobody directly following me, so I thought, this is the perfect moment. I attacked, and it turned out a good way.”
Battling coastal winds and rolling terrain, the Dutchman said the challenging conditions suited him perfectly.
“I was actually quite happy with the wind because we’re used to it,” he said. “It made the race tougher, and that’s what I like. I focused on saving my energy, not reacting to every attack, and that helped me have fresh legs in the final.”
By the final kilometres, the victory was all but secured.
“With three kilometres to go, I looked back and saw the gap was big. Then with one to go, I knew I had it,” he said. “Last year’s result really motivated me, so I started preparing straight after Denmark. Now I’ve achieved it - and next year, I’ll try to defend it.”
Alongside the overall winners, age-group champions were crowned across all categories, from 19 to 89, celebrating riders from every corner of the globe who earned their place in the world’s biggest amateur cycling event.
Among them was Marcel Eve, the oldest competitor in the field, who conquered the course after winning his fourth world title in the men's 85-89 age group time trial on Thursday - a day before his 85th birthday. On Saturday he was presented with a birthday cake made by local resident Margaret, who is a regular at the Lorne Central cafe.
The 2025 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships brought together over 2,000 amateur cyclists from across the globe, showcasing the beauty of Victoria’s Surf Coast and Geelong.
“It was so nice to be on home roads with everyone in such a positive environment,” Raynolds said. “The whole weekend had such a great vibe.”
The titles this year coincided with Amy’s Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo that once again united almost 2,500 riders of all abilities in support of safer cycling, including Olympic swimming champion Mack Horton and former Test cricketer Peter Siddle. The event raises money for advocacy group Amy's Foundation, named in memory of Australian cyclist Amy Gillett, who died after being struck by a car on a training ride in Germany 20 years ago.
Mack Horton and Peter Siddle at the start of Amy's Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo. Photo: Con Chronis
“Twenty years later we have this incredible momentum and movement. Here at Amy's Gran Fondo, and also with the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships on, we not only have a domestic crowd, but an international crowd,” Amy's Foundation Managing Director Katherine Bates said.
“The biggest message I think they can take away from this is every rider, every person, also drivers, they have a role to play in road safety. Everyone has to be accountable for their behaviour, but also small actions can make a big difference. It might mean, for cyclists, waving at motorists when maybe that's not what they're so inclined to do. And, for drivers, it may be just pausing and slowing down for a moment and giving a little bit more distance. Respect on the roads is so very important, because the roads belong to all of us.”
Full results from the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships and Amy's Great Ocean Road Gran Fondo are here.