Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) has successfully defended her 2023 rainbow jersey in the elite women’s road race at the World Championships in Zurich.
Silver in a ferocious six-rider final bunch that decided the 154-kilometre race was Chloé Dygert (USA), with Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini clinching the bronze. Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) claimed the under-23 women’s world title, finishing 13th from a chasing group at 3:00.
Raced in atrocious weather conditions, the rain-soaked and demanding Championship was dominated by the Netherlands, with Demi Vollering driving a lead group clear on the final two climbs.
But despite being in trouble earlier on, Kopecky maintained her calm and, having shadowed Vollering in the finale, remained firmly in contention.
Longo Borghini led out the six-strong sprint for gold, only for Kopecky to come through to become the first rider to claim back-to-back elite women’s World Championships titles since Marianne Vos in 2012-2013.
“There’s a kind of disbelief, but first of all I want to pay my condolences to the family of Muriel,” Kopecky said afterwards, referring to Muriel Furrer, the Swiss junior who died as a result of her injuries incurred in Thursday’s road race – and to whom she dedicated her win.
“I think the minute of silence at the start, seeing the Swiss riders crying, is something you just don’t want to see. I think it’s a very hard moment for them as well.”
As for the race itself, the defending champion said “It’s for sure a win [I took] with my head.
“It was a really annoying day because it was raining and it wasn’t warm, but on the climbs it was warm and then in the downhill you got so cold and I was freezing at the end.”
“But then I tried to stay as calm as possible, on the steeper climb I didn’t have any troubles and then on the longer one in the final time when Demi went I had some difficulties.”
“But I just tried to stay at my own pace and come back and in the end it was just a lot of mind games.”
“Then it was just trying to stay as cool as possible and use my energy in the right moment. The Australian rider [Ruby Roseman-Gannon] came from the back, Demi reacted immediately and that was perfect for me.”
How it unfolded
The tragic loss of Furrer has left – and will leave – an indelible mark on these World Championships and as Kopecky said, before the race a minute’s silence was held to honour the memory of the 18-year-old, with the Swiss team assembled at the front of the peloton underneath the starting gantry.
Swiss rider…
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