Belgian Yvonne Reynders won her second of four world titles on the road.

It was a triumph for the French amateurs, who won gold, silver and bronze.

[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.

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