Belgium's Lotte Kopecky crosses the finish line and wins the women's Elite Road Race cycling event during the UCI 2024 Road World Championships, in Zurich, on September 28, 2024. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP.
Zurich: Lotte Kopecky won a second straight world road race title on Saturday, ahead of American Chloe Dygert and Italy's Elisa Longo Borghini.
On a hilly 2024 route around Zurich on a cold and rainy day, a slower than expected pace allowed Kopecky to thrive while Dygert almost stole the title with a late charge from behind.
The powerfully built Kopecky had been slated as likely being less at ease on the rolling Zurich route than the flatter Glasgow one where she won in 2023.
The 28-year-old immediately dedicated her title to junior rider Muriel Furrer, who died after a fall on Friday.
"We were all crying during the one minute silence before the race. I dedicate this title to her, it's for her," said the Belgian.
The race embarked from the pretty town of Uster and raced fully around the nearby Greifensee lake, a well-known hiking and biking destination.
The high-quality road surface of the four-lap circuit around Zurich, featuring plenty of rolling terrain as well as short, steep sections, sparked a series of attacks that whittled down the size of the peloton.
The Dutch team led by Demi Vollering set a high tempo pace, considering the rain, and while she was in the six-rider group sprinting for the line she failed to make the podium having started as favourite to win.
One of the surprise drop-outs was Olympic mountain bike champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, the Frenchwoman opting to climb back into the team bus after the first lap of Zurich.
Tour de France winner Kasia Niewiadoma also dropped out early.
