The race was a nail-biting contest, especially between Australia and France. As the French teamâ€"consisting of Bruno Armirail, Paul Seixas, Pavel Sivakov, Cédrine Kerbaol, Juliette Labous, and Maëva Squibanâ€"crossed the line with a time of 54:35.71, they briefly held the hot seat but had to settle for silver. Despite holding the lead for the majority of the race, France could not hold off Australia's final push. Switzerland, also battling hard throughout the race, secured third place with a time of 54:58.89.
Switzerland's remarkable recovery
Switzerland's Marlen Reusser showed exceptional resilience when an unexpected bike change left her temporarily behind the pack. Undeterred, Reusser rejoined her teammates and, with solid teamwork, helped Switzerland finish just 10 seconds behind France. The Swiss team's recovery demonstrated their tenacity and ability to handle adversity under pressure.
Top times at the relay point
The race unfolded dynamically, with Switzerland setting the early pace, leading the field after the men's trio finished their part. Italy briefly surged to the top, but France overtook them at the midway switchover, moving into the lead.
At that point, Switzerland remained in the top spot, holding a 20-second advantage. As the women riders took over, France put in the quickest women's time of the dayâ€"12 seconds faster than anyone else and 28 seconds ahead of Australia. This fast-paced finish set up a dramatic showdown for the gold, with Australia ultimately securing victory by a narrow margin.
Amanda Spratt, reflecting on the intense final moments of the race, said, 'I knew from the cobbled climb on that it was just going to be like hell, just push through and push through. Brodie was so strong in that last part, so I knew I had to hold the wheel and that it was going to be close. Matt White, our director, was screaming at us to sprint, sprint, sprint.'
Teammate Michael Matthews added, 'It's not often we get a chance to ride with other Aussies like this in a full Aussie event, so I think we had full focus for this after we won last year. Just being back with the team and mixing it with the girls in the last few days, and putting it together today was just the cherry on top of the cake.'
The Mixed Relay featured 15 teams, with fierce competition throughout the day. Germany, who lost the previous year's title to Australia by less than a second, finished in 5th place with a time of 56:04.05, 1:33.58 behind the winners.
Meanwhile, Italy faded from second place at the midway point to finish fourth, with a time of 55:45.03. The battle for the top five spots was intense, with only seconds separating the teams.
Rwanda, with a team composed of Byukusenge Patrick, Nkundabera Eric, Uwiduhaye Mike, Ingabire Diane, Nirere Xaverine, and Nyirarukundo Claudette, put up a strong fight and finished in 11th place with a time of 1:03:08.97, 8:38.50 behind the winning Australian team. Their performance on home soil was a testament to their growing presence in international cycling.
2025 UCI mixed relay final results
1. Australia â€" 54:30.47
2. France â€" 54:35.71 (+5.24)
3. Switzerland â€" 54:40.47 (+10.00)
4. Italy â€" 55:45.03 (+1:14.56)
5. Germany â€" 56:04.05 (+1:33.58)
6. Spain â€" 56:25.99 (+1:55.52)
7. Belgium â€" 58:50.14 (+4:19.67)
8. Ukraine â€" 1:00:33.83 (+6:03.36)
9. China â€" 1:01:08.72 (+6:38.25)
10. Ethiopia â€" 1:02:22.60 (+7:52.13)
11. Rwanda â€" 1:03:08.97 (+8:38.50)
12. Mauritius â€" 1:03:28.23 (+8:57.76)
13. UCI World Cycling Centre â€" 1:03:34.14 (+9:03.67)
14. Uganda â€" 1:05:58.19 (+11:27.72)
15. Benin â€" 1:12:14.74 (+17:44.27)
Wycliffe Nyamasege
