1961 UCI Road World Championships

The 1961 UCI Road World Championships was the 34rd edition of the UCI Road World Championships.^[1]

1961 UCI Road World Championships

Bern
Venue	Bern, Switzerland
Date(s)	2 and 3 September 1961
Coordinates	46°56′53″N 7°26′51″E / 46.94806°N 7.44750°E / 46.94806; 7.44750
← Sachsenring 1960 Salo 1962 →

It took place on 2 and 3 September 1961 in Bern, Switzerland. It was the second time the championships were organized in Bern, after the 1936 UCI Road World Championships.^[2]

The women's race took place on 10 August on the Isle of Man. Belgian Yvonne Reynders won her second of four world titles on the road.^[3]

The amateurs rode 181.5 kilometers on Saturday, September 2, 1961. It was a triumph for the French amateurs, who won gold, silver and bronze. The three Frenchmen escaped together on a climb after about 145 kilometers. In the final lap, Jean Jourden defeated his two compatriots.^[4]

The professional cyclists rode on Sunday, September 3, 1961, over a distance of 285.252 kilometers. Belgian Rik Van Looy extended his world title; he narrowly defeated the Italian Nino Defilippis in a sprint. Frenchman Raymond Poulidor came third.

In the same period, the 1961 UCI Track Cycling World Championships was organized in the Oerlikon Velodrome in Zürich, Switzerland.