Lotte Kopecky (BEL) outsprinted her five breakaway companions to claim her second consecutive World Championship road title on Saturday in Zurich, Switzerland. Taking the silver medal was Chloe Dygert (USA), followed by Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA), who outsprinted Liane Lippert (GER) and Demi Vollering (NED), for the bronze.
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The 154.1km race started under wet and cold conditions, with many of the 194 starters donning rain gear for the entire race. In the end, only 81 would finish.
It began with an early breakaway of three riders, Caroline Maur (SUI), Sara Martin (ESP), and Nina Bertons (LUX), getting away for about 40 km, before being caught by the peloton. This was followed by a number of groups forming and getting up the road, but only gaining a handful of seconds before being pulled back by the peloton. The Dutch and Belgians were especially careful in making sure they had a presence in the breaks, with Riejanne Markus (NED), Mischa Bredewold (NED), and Justine Ghekiere (BEL), being the most active riders from their respective teams.
But the real action didn’t kick off until 46 km remaining, when the Netherlands, along with Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) and Justine Ghekiere (BEL), began to shake things up by pushing the pace and forcing a selection that produced a lead group of 13 riders. Over the remainder of the race, this lead group would see-saw back and forth, shrinking and growing, losing and gaining time, depending upon the pace and riders. But the gaps were never very significant and the lead group never had more than 30 seconds.
The race began to change dramatically with 25 km to go, when the riders hit the Zurichbergstrasse (1.1km/8%) and the four riders in the new lead group, Marianne Vos (NED), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS), Riejanne Markus (NED) and Justine Ghekiere (BEL), found themselves with a one minute lead on the peloton.
With Vos (NED) and Markus (NED) out front, and Vollering (NED) behind, it appeared that the Dutch had a plan and were in an ideal position. But this plan, if it was a plan, failed when Longo Borghini (ITA) attacked and bridged up to the four leaders with Vollering (NED) and Lippert (GER) in tow. While the attack dropped Kopecky (BEL) and Dygert (USA), it also pushed Vos (NED) and Markus (NED) to their limits.
With 20 km to go, Vollering (NED) and Longo Borghini (ITA) were the only riders driving the lead group and the Dutch team was starting to crack with Markus (NED) dropping off and soon after Vos (NED). With now only five riders, Longo Borghini (ITA), Vollering (NED), Lippert (GER), Roseman-Gannon (AUS), and Ghekiere (BEL), the break looked like it would go to the finish, but with only two riders working, and Kopecky (BEL) and Dygert (USA) still at their heels, it never had more than 15 seconds and began to lose ground. With around 13 km to go, all the riders who had been dropped, Kopecky (BEL), Dygert (USA), Markus (NED), Vos (NED), had caught the lead group.
The group was now nine and Vollering (NED) made the decision to attack up a short ramp with 10 km to go, which only resulted in dropping her teammates Vos (NED) and Markus (NED) along with Ghekiere (BEL).
Six riders now remained in the lead group: Longo Borghini (ITA), Kopecky (BEL), Vollering (NED), Lippert (GER), Roseman-Gannon (AUS), Dygert (USA).
As the road began to descend, Vollering (NED) looked over her shoulder trying to see where her teammates Vos and Markus were, but they were nowhere to be seen. Kopecky (BEL) then got on the front and kept the pace moving on the descent with the help of Lippert (GER). Dygert (USA) was distanced on the descent. And Roseman-Gannon (AUS) was dropped on a short rise.
With 5.5km to go, Longo Borghini (ITA) made a good last attack that lasted for almost 2 kilometers, but was brought back by Vollering (NED), with some help from Kopecky (BEL) and Lippert (GER).
Behind, Dygert (USA) and Roseman-Gannon (AUS) were gaining ground as the 4 leaders slowed in the final kilometers. With only 1 kilometer remaining they made contact, and the lead group of four became six again.
Roseman-Gannon (AUS) attempted a surprise attack right after she and Dygert (USA) made contact, but it was quickly countered by Vollering (NED) who was on the front.
With less than 300 meters left, with Vollering (NED) still on the front, Longo Borghini (ITA) launched her sprint from behind. Vollering (NED) tried to counter, but Kopecky (BEL) powered through easily, followed by Dygert (USA), and won by 3 bike lengths.
Dygert was happy with her silver, but would have liked to win. “I guess at the beginning of the race I wouldn’t have expected it,” she said afterwards. “But now that I do have silver I am a little annoyed, I wanted to win. This year I have fallen a few times and after the accident with my leg I am still not very confident when descending. So I tried to race safely and at the same time give everything.”
After the finish, Dygert appeared to be in pain, holding the leg she injured in 2020. “That’s how my leg is now. I have to learn to live with it. There were some convulsions in my leg. When it’s so cold and I sweat a lot, there’s little you can do. At times, it’s also tough on the bike. Then I ask myself: ‘Can I continue like this?’ The pain was sometimes eleven out of ten.”
Longo Borghini said afterwards that she felt good and hoped she could get away, but admits it was too difficult in the end. “I also felt I could make it to the end when I when at 5K to go, but unluckily they closed on me and then I was like, okay, I will sprint for the for the podium no matter what. If I have to think about all my bronze collection, it makes me laugh a little bit because I have many, but it’s still a medal and it’s really important to be on the podium for my nation, for all the people that are surrounding me. It was the best I could achieve.”
Dygert, Kopecky, Longo Borghini (image: UCI)
Dutch Hopes Dashed
The Dutch were the favorites and dominated much of the race, but their tactics were perhaps not the best, and in the end Vollering’s fifth place was the best they could do. It marks the first time in 14 years that the Dutch women have not won a medal in the road race.
Bradbury, Pieterse, Niedermaier (image:UCI)
Only 81 riders out of 194 starters finished in the brutally wet and cold conditions and a number of pre-race favorites failed to factor into the race:
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) dropped out with about seventy kilometers to go, while French teammates Juliette Labous and Évita Muzic finished 12th (+3:00) and 26th (+9:01). Ferrand-Prévot will have her work cut out for her if she hopes to transition back to the road next year and achieve her goal of winning the Tour de France Femmes.
Tour de France Femmes winner, Kasia Niewiadoma finished 17th, three minutes down.
Olympic double gold medalist, Kristen Faulkner, finished 35th (+10:10).
Wet and cold weather was a factor in the Elite women’s race (image: UCI)
The Women’s Elite Road Race (154.1km) started under wet and grey skies, with many riders donning gloves and rain gear more fitting for an early spring classic than a World Championships.
Once the flag dropped after the neutralized start, riders began attacking and soon a group of three was established out front with around 150km to go consisting of Caroline Maur (SUI), Sara Martin (ESP), and Nina Bertons (LUX). This trio built up a gap of more than a minute before they settled into a steady pace and held the gap between 30-40 seconds for the next 40 km.
With 110km to go, the riders hit the Zurich city circuit and the peloton picked up the pace and the gap to the trio was quickly reduced. Baur (SUI) was the first to drop off from the trio, leaving Martin (ESP) and Berton (LUX) at the front with around a 15” lead.
At 102km to go, Julie Van de Velde (BEL) and Thalita de Jong (NED) bridged up to the two leaders, but the peloton was right behind, and all 4 were absorbed by the peloton, effectively killing the breakaway.
Almost immediately after, 5 riders forced the pace before the feed zone and forced a gap of five seconds. Soon after, three more riders bridged up to the group. Pushing the pace in this front group was Riejanne Markus (NED) and Justine Ghekiere (BEL), along with with Urška Žigart (SLO), Sarah Gigante (AUS), Elena Hartmann (SUI), Niamh Fisher-Black (NZL), Soraya Paladin (ITA), and Christine Majerus (LUX).
At 90 km to go, this group of eight had 14 seconds with 3 riders bridging up.
With 84 km to go, eleven riders had around a 15 second gap: Riejanne Markus (NED), Justine Ghekiere (BEL), Urška Žigart (SLO), Sarah Gigante (AUS), Elena Hartmann (SUI), Niamh Fisher-Black (NZL), Soraya Paladin (ITA), Christine Majerus (LUX), Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (NOR), Franziska Koch (GER), Mischa Bredewold (NED).
As the riders hit the line with 3 laps remaining, the lead group had less than 15 seconds, with a reduced, but powerful peloton still behind containing favorites Vollering, Kopecky, Pieterse, Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma, and others.
At around 74km to go, Pauliena Rooijakkers (NED) went to the front of the peloton and pushed the pace and the lead group of eleven was caught.
Over the next 25 km, breaks were controlled and stronger teams like the Netherlands pushed the pace as riders began to lose contact and slip off the back.
With 46 km to go Vollering pushed the pace and at the same moment Longo Borghini (ITA) attacked. The lead group was now thirteen riders, containing favorites Vollering (NED), Longo Borghini (ITA), and Lotte Kopecky (BEL).
Markus (NED) and Ghekiere (BEL) then attacked with 43 km and forced a gap that grew to 45 seconds.
Teammates Bredewold (NED) and Pieterse (NED) pushed the pace on the front and the gap to Markus (NED) and Ghekiere (BEL) decreased to 23 seconds. Elise Chabbey (SUI) then took up the pace on the descent and the gap shrank to less than 10 seconds.
With 33 km to go, Marianne Vos (NED) attacked with Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS) on her wheel and they bridged up to the leaders, Markus (NED) and Ghekiere (BEL), making it a breakaway of four with a 5 second gap.
With one lap to go (29.6km) the gap to the leaders had grown to 29 seconds, with about 17 riders, including Kopecky (BEL) and Vollering (NED), back in the peloton. With 26 km to go, the gap grew to 1 minute.
On the Zurichbergstrasse (1.1km/8%) with 25 km to go, the lead group was able to maintain their gap, while behind in the peloton no one seemed willing to push the pace.
At 21km to go, a chase group of five formed behind the 4 leaders containing Kopecky (BEL), Dygert (USA), Vollering (NED), Longo Borghini (ITA), Liane Lippert (GER).
Less than a kilometer later (20.3km to go) Longo Borghini (ITA) attacked and bridged up to the four leaders, with Vollering (NED) and Lippert (GER) on her wheel, dropping Kopecky (BEL) and Dygert (USA).
With 20km to go, the lead group contained: Longo Borghini (ITA), Vollering (NED), Lippert (GER), Vos (NED), Roseman-Gannon (AUS), Ghekiere (BEL), with Markus (NED) having slipped off the back of the group. Further back at 8 seconds, Dygert (USA) and Kopecky (BEL) tried to bridge the gap to the 6 leaders.
Vollering (NED) and Longo Borghini (ITA) were doing the bulk of the work, with Lippert (GER) contributing when she could, while Roseman-Gannon (AUS) and Ghekiere (BEL) sat on.
16km to go, the leaders had 14 seconds on Kopecky and Dygert. Vos (NED) dropped off the lead group, leaving five riders in the lead: Longo Borghini (ITA), Vollering (NED), Lippert (GER), Roseman-Gannon (AUS), Ghekiere (BEL).
At this point, Vollering (NED) and Longo Borghini (ITA) looked tired and it was apparent that Dygert, who had dropped Kopecky, was catching up to the lead group.
With 14km to go, Dygert (USA) made contact with the lead group, followed by Kopecky (BEL), and then Vos (NED), and it became a lead group of eight.
A kilometer later, Markus (NED) bridged back up to the lead group, making it nine riders: Longo Borghini (ITA), Vollering (NED), Lippert (GER), Vos (NED), Roseman-Gannon (AUS), Ghekiere (BEL), Dygert (USA), Kopecky (BEL), Markus (NED).
10 km to go, Vollering (NED) attacked and her teammates Vos (NED) and Markus (NED) were dropped, along with Ghekiere (BEL), reducing the lead group now to six.
Kopecky kept the pace moving, leading the group of 6 riders on the quick descents. Eventually, Dygert (USA) got distanced on the descent.
6km to go, Roseman-Gannon (AUS) dropped off from the group on a rise, while Dygert (USA) caught up and almost made contact.
5.5km to go, Longo Borghini (ITA) attacked, leaving Kopecky (BEL), Vollering (NED), and Lippert (GER) to chase. Vollering (NED) took up the chase, followed by Kopecky (BEL) and Lippert (GER).
3.8 km to go Longo Borghini (ITA) was caught by the three chasers.
4 riders in the lead group: Longo Borghini (ITA), Kopecky (BEL), Vollering (NED), and Lippert (GER).
3.6km to go, Vollering (NED) now led and drove the pace, with Longo Borghini (ITA), Kopecky (BEL) and Lippert (GER) sitting on.
Behind them, Dygert (USA) and Roseman-Gannon (AUS) were slowly catching up to the leaders.
2.2 km to go, the leaders slowed down and Kopecky (BEL) took a quick turn a the front, followed by Lippert (GER).
1.5km to go, Dygert (USA) and Roseman-Gannon (AUS) were only 7 seconds back from the leaders. Vollering (NED) went to the front and picked up the pace. Kopecky (BEL) refused to pull through.
1km to go, Dygert (USA) and Roseman-Gannon (AUS) made contact with the 4 leaders, making it six.
As the they made contact, Roseman-Gannon (AUS) tried to attack and surprise the leaders, but her effort was contained by Vollering (NED).
With less than 1km to go, the six riders began setting up for the sprint : Longo Borghini (ITA), Kopecky (BEL), Vollering (NED), Lippert (GER), Dygert (USA) and Roseman-Gannon (AUS)
At less than 300 meters Vollering was on the front and Longo Borghini (ITA) was first to jump from the back. Vollering (NED) reacted, followed by Kopecky (BEL), and Dygert (USA).
250 meters to go, Kopecky (BEL) powered past Vollering (NED), with only Dygert (USA) able to make any sort of challenge. In the end, Kopecky (BEL) easily won by 2 bike lengths ahead of Dygert (USA), with Longo Borghini (ITA) taking the bronze, a bike throw ahead of Lippert (GER).