Elsy Jacobs and the Historic First Women's Road World Championships

The first official men’s Road World Championships took place in Germany in 1927, where Alfredo Binda led an Italian 1-2-3 finish. However, this event was strictly for men, during a time when women's sports were completely ignored, leaving female cyclists without a race for decades.

This absence persisted for more than 30 years. Although World War Two contributed to delaying the introduction of a women's event, 12 years had already passed after the end of hostilities before the UCI finally accepted the worthiness of a women's race.

When the inaugural women's World Championship finally took place in Reims in 1958, Luxembourg rider Elsy Jacobs was ready to write her name into the history of women's sport.