“I think Tadej Pogacar, but I hope for Remco” - Lotte Kopecky makes prediction for men's World Championship road race
Cycling
The 2024 World Championships in Switzerland are properly underway. As always though, the highlight for many fans, are the elite road races. This weekend, Lotte Kopecky is set to try and defend her Rainbow Jersey against some fierce competition in the women's race.
"I saw the course this week. I like it, that's the most important thing," previews the 2023 champion in comments to VTM Nieuws, clearly quietly confident in her chances of retaining the Rainbow Jersey. "I'm one of the favourites, but there are many riders who are eligible for the world title. At least ten: Demi Vollering, Liane Lippert, Elisa Longo Borghini, Kasia Niewiadoma...”
It's been a successful season for the world champion in 2024 as well, despite narrowly missing out on a first ever Grand Tour victory to the aforementioned Longo Borghini at the Giro d'Italia earlier this year. “It didn’t give me any extra power, but I am very proud that I was allowed to wear this jersey. It has been a kind of privilege," she says warmly.
Kopecky has also been working closely together with a mental coach in order to continue performing at the very highest level, not that this is anything new though. “I have had one since I was thirteen. I was in the gym at the time and it was part of our training. I learned a lot from that," she explains. "Sometimes you react incorrectly to impulses as a runner and with the help of a mental coach you learn to react correctly and you can better understand what people around you expect from you or how they look at you.”
And then comes the time for predictions. Firstly for the men's race as Kopecky's Belgian compatriot Remco Evenepoel looks to try and take his second road race Rainbow Jersey. “I think Tadej Pogacar, but I hope for Remco,” Kopecky answers. As for the women's race? “Then I will mention my own name.”
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- Avoiding him is a good strategy, you get more wins and then you can compete in the TDF relatively relaxed. Pit yourself against Pogi and not only there will be no wins, it will be considerable mental setbackabstractengineer21-12-2024
- If you hold onto then, you blowup in a minute and then you finish 5 minutes down like Ben O'Connorabstractengineer21-12-2024
- Based on what argument?Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Agreed except the length of climbs, pretty sure you can stretch that to about a km unless we’re talking about half a dozen in quick succession.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Lot of contradictory information floating around world cup contenders, someone should do some tidying up.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- A bit much to suggest that Pogacar is better than MvdP on most terrains. The only terrain Pogacar is clearly better is long climbs, on any other terrain they are pretty even except flat cobbles and short and steep climbs (max a few 100 mtrs) where MvdP is clearly better than Pogacar.Velovibes21-12-2024
- The likelihood of RE improving enough at this point to outclass TP or JV is less than zero.verve82521-12-2024
- That’s the most stupid thing I’ve read for a long time, did you not go to school and learn even the most basic physics? Aero depends on one thing only, drag, drag depends speed and the relationship is squared and apart from maybe at zero or the speed of sound or due to side winds that relationship is valid at all speeds, it dies not “suddenly” start at a magic number. Very simply, the faster you go the more the effect becomes important. If you think 25km/h is needed to have noticeable effects you’re delusional, athletic WR are cancelled as soon as winds top 2m/s that’s 7.2km/h, why because the assistance is already too important at that speed and the times prove it. You don’t even consider wind which can significantly increase the effective speed for aerodynamics and you underestimate speed of climbs, 6% is ridden more at 30 than 25km/h, a speed at which early generation high rims were considered to have more advantages than disadvantages. And finally, as in normal races you can’t just switch bikes according to terrain, it’s pretty pointless to discuss climbs as a separate situation, the aero will have justified itself plenty during the rest of the ride.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- If you look at how much TP progressed in that 1 1/2 years you can no longer say that’s nothing. If Remco improves as much he’s a challenger!Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Froome wishing to ride the Vuelta...he won't even be selected for the team!frieders320-12-2024