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Lotte Kopecky: If you are so close to the world title then second is not enough

Lotte Kopecky: If you are so close to the world title then second is not enough


There was no mistaking Lotte Kopecky’s frustration. The Belgian had come toward the line at the UCI Road World Championships in a seemingly perfect position as key sprint rivals like Elisa Balsamo (Italy) and Marianne Vos (Netherlands) had been dropped, and given the composition of the lead group of 12 Kopecky had every reason to think she’d have the upper hand in the sprint. 

And she did, but it turned out not to be a sprint for victory. An injured Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands), who had taken up domestique duties unexpectedly, stole the show when she crossed the line for victory just ahead of Kopecky after launching a late attack and only just holding off the sprinting group. As Van Vleuten crossed the line with disbelief written all over her face, Kopecky was just behind in second, banging the bars in frustration. 

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