The 2024 World Championship Road Race for Elite women takes place in Zurich, Switzerland on Saturday, September 28. Many predict that the race will be a battle between SD Worx-Protime teammates Demi Vollering (NL) and Lotte Kopecky (BE), but there are many other talented riders that could shake things up and steal the show.
ROUTE
The women’s route is a challenging and undulating 154.1km that packs 2,384 meters of elevation gain. The main circuit where most of the action will take place is a 27km loop around Zurich that features two short climbs (1.1km and 2.3km), technical descents, and a number of short punchy climbs. The peloton will complete 4 laps of this city circuit.
The race starts in Uster, to the east of Zurich, and completes 1.5 laps around the lake Greifensee (25km) before heading to the Zurich city circuit. Most of the climbing of the race will take place on the 4 laps of the Zurich city circuit (27km), with each lap featuring 409 meters of climbing. Notable climbs on the city circuit are the Zurichbergstrasse (1.1km/8%), which kicks up to 15%, and Witikon (2.3km/5.7%), which maxes out at 9%.
The two climbs are the key points of the Zurich city circuit, and very likely will be where the winning attacks start, but there’s plenty of challenging parcours – technical descents and false flats – contained in the 27km for riders to dig into. Many have likened the course to a hilly spring Classic, like Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes, which has a similar elevation gain.
Course: Women Elite Road Race (154.1km)
Zurich City Circuit (27km): Zurichbergstrasse (1.1km/8%) and Witikon (2.3km/5.7%)
TEAMS + RIDERS TO WATCH
Podium Picks
1st – Demi Vollering (NL), Lotte Kopecky (BE)
2nd – Elisa Longo Borghini (IT), Kasia Niewiadoma (PL), Puck Pieterse (NL)
3rd – Juliette Labous (FR), Christina Schweinberger (AT), Pauliena Rooijakkers (NL), Kristen Faulkner (US)
There are 208 riders from 71 nations scheduled to start the women’s race, making it one of the largest women’s pelotons in an Elite level race. The major contenders will field teams of six to seven riders, with Belgium the only team to have eight, and France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland each having seven.
Team tactics will play a large role in controlling the race in the first half, but once the peloton completes a couple laps of the Zurich city circuit, the peloton will be reduced along with the strength of teams. Large and powerful teams like the Netherlands will have an advantage, but also bear the responsibility of controlling the race and early breakaways. Race radios are not allowed and will add to the complexity of riders on large teams communicating with one another. There isn’t any separate U23 race, so U23 riders will race in the Elite race and be competing amongst themselves for the U23 title.
NETHERLANDS
On paper, the Dutch team is by far the strongest, with Demi Vollering their best shot at victory. Vollering finished second at last year’s Worlds, but admittedly fell short of this year’s goals to win the Tour and the Olympics, so she’s ready to make up for that with a rainbow jersey. Her silver medal performance in the Worlds time trial on Sunday shows she has the form, and her motivation does not appear to be flagging at all. She now appears to be the favorite going into Saturday and should benefit from a super strong Dutch team around her. However, there are many other stars on the Dutch team that could also be eyeing the rainbow jersey. Many stars = many ambitions.
Many of the riders supporting Vollering have superstar status themselves and could act as super domestiques or strike out on their own if the need arises. Three-time world champion, Marianne Vos (the Fox), should never be overlooked. While more of a one-day specialist in the spring Classics, the 37-year-old Vos still has the race smarts and fast sprint to put herself on the podium.
Similarly, up and coming Puck Pieterse has made great progress this season, winning a stage at the Tour de France Femmes and taking the white jersey in the youngest rider classification. She is also only 22-years-old and will be battling it out with other riders for the U23 title, or at the very least the podium.
Pauliena Rooijakkers is also still showing good form from her third place overall at the Tour de France Femmes. If opportunity or need arises, Rooijakkers could make the difference for Vollering in the hills or for herself.
Riejanne Markus is another rider that shouldn’t be overlooked. She’s shown good form this year, placing second at the Vuelta España Femenina, winning the National Time Trial Championships, and recently placing fourth at the European Time Trial Championships – missing bronze by only 2 seconds. More than likely, Markus will be in the service of Vollering, using her time trial skills to control situations.
Mischa Bredewold and Thalita de Jong will likely be deployed as support in the early part of the race for the team. Bredewold has a number of good results this season in the smaller tours while also being a workhorse for Vollering and her trade team, and De Jong has shown good form in the second half of the season, with a 10th place on the GC at this year’s Tour de France Femmes.
Shirin van Anrooij was scheduled to start, but had to withdraw from the road race, citing on-going problems with her leg. De Jong is her replacement.
BELGIUM
Defending World Champion Lotte Kopecky is by far the leader of the Belgian team. She will surely be looking to improve on her Olympic bronze medal in the road race and her disappointment in not winning a medal on the track in the Olympic Omnium event. But it still remains to be seen whether the hilly nature of the Zurich city circuit will suit her. The climbs in last Sunday’s Worlds time trial, where she placed fifth (+1:39”), appeared to cause her difficulties, and she confessed afterwards that she didn’t feel so great. Not a good sign. But recently she spoke to Sporza, saying, “On Monday and Tuesday I rode promising wattages, so the confidence and morale are good. This is the best team ever at the start of the World Championship. And they all support me 100%, so I am very satisfied.”
If Kopecky is not having a good day, it’s possible that Justine Ghekiere could find an opportunity on the hilly course and get herself on the podium. She has been having one of her best seasons ever, winning stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes and the mountains classification at 3 tours this year: Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia Women, and Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina. It would all depend on whether is assigned the role of supporting Kopecky, or allowed to play her own hand.
Primary support for Kopecky or Ghekiere will likely come from the experienced riders on the team like Julie Van de Velde, Margot Vanpachtenbeke, and Valerie Demey.
ITALY
Elisa Longo Borghini will more than likely lead the Italian team, even though her form is a bit uncertain. A training ride crash prevented her from starting the Tour de France Femmes just days before it started, and at the Olympics she was not able to perform at her best, ending up only in the top ten in the time trial and road race. Her recent 2nd place finish at the Grand Prix de Wallonie shows promise, but she might still not have the form needed in time to compete with the best. Designated leader or not, she will be surrounded by a team consisting of Gaia Realini, Elena Cecchini, Soraya Paladin, Erica Magnaldi, Barbara Malcotti, and Alice Arzuffi. The team might not have the same firepower as the Dutch, but they are experienced and have riders who are very capable on climbs, which should make them contenders for a podium spot.
FRANCE
Juliette Labous seems to have the needed form to do well in the road race. With her recent 9th place in the Worlds time trial last Sunday, and her 4th place in the Paris Olympics time trial, Labous could break into the top five or finish on the podium with some luck. At her side she’ll have the super-climbers Évita Muzic and Marion Bunel, playing a supporting role or a leading role, depending upon the circumstances, and the mountain biker Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who is transitioning back to the road next year and was a late addition to the team. Whether this course suits these particular riders remains to be seen. Bunel is 19 and has designs on the U23 title and will likely ride accordingly with that in mind. How much Ferrand-Prévot will be able to contribute to the team is unknown, she has done very little, if any, road racing since 2018, when she switched to mountain biking. The team’s strategy may have to be decided as the race unfolds.
POLAND
Kasia Niewiadoma has the potential to reach the podium, but it may depend on how well her team can support her and what kind of shape she is in. After her victory at the Tour de France Femmes she contracted Covid, so it’s difficult to know if she will be at her best. Her highest placing at a World Championships was third in the road race in 2021. If she has her fitness like she did at the TdFF she could easily podium. But still a big question mark.
AUSTRALIA
World Champion Grace Brown has said she’ll be working for her teammates in the road race, but it’s hard to say exactly who that will be. Brodie Chapman and Amanda Spratt are both capable riders, but fall outside podium potential. Sarah Gigante is a pure climber and still learning how to handle one-day races, while Neve Bradbury will be focusing on the U23 title. In the end, it might be wiser for the team to support Bradbury and the goal of winning the U23 title.
GERMANY
Antonia Niedermaier placed fourth in the Worlds time trial on Sunday, and in doing so, won the U23 Worlds TT title. She is one of the top contenders for the U23 road title and, like some other teams, it may be in the interest of the team to focus on the U23 title, rather than trying to compete for the Elite title.
AUSTRIA
Christina Schweinberger’s recent 6th place in the World’s time trial and bronze medal at the European Championships shows she is on form. She was fifth in last year’s Worlds road race in Glasgow and could very well put in a good performance on Saturday if the race develops in her favor. A top five placing is certainly within reach. A podium spot may be possible with the right circumstances and luck.
GREAT BRITAIN
Anna Henderson probably has the greatest potential for the road race. She has the time trial chops, but whether she can turn that into a medal in the road race is uncertain. The team has two U23 riders, Alice Towers and Josie Nelson, and it may be better to focus efforts on trying to put one of these riders on the U23 podium.
SPAIN
Mavi García was 6th in the Olympic road race and at age 40 may be Spain’s best bet in the road race. While she may not have youth on her side or the strongest team, García has proven that she has the experience to perform at a high level. With some luck she could break into the top 5.
USA
Within the U.S. team, Chloe Dygert and Kristen Faulkner are the favored riders, but the hilly course does not really suit either one of them. Dygert’s bronze medal in the time trial Worlds last Sunday shows she has the fitness, but it may not be the kind needed to tackle the two major climbs on the 4 laps of the Zurich city circuit. And Faulkner, who won gold at the Olympic road race, hasn’t raced since the Tour de France Femmes, so her form is questionable at this point. An on-form Faulkner could get on the podium.