Lotte Kopecky is perhaps the biggest favourite to win today's women's elite road race in Glasgow, because of her current form and explosiveness, however she faces a mammoth task against the Dutch team's depth.
Last year in Wollongong Kopecky did an almost perfect race and won the final sprint, however for second place as Annemiek van Vleuten surprised in the final kilometer to take the victory, a difficult moment for the Belgian to take in. "I did learn a lot from that day. I know that in some situations I shouldn't hesitate anymore," Kopecky told Het Laatste Nieuws. This year the race is different, being more selective it will favour her, however the depth of the Dutch team can be quite a difficult task for everyone else if they race collectively.
Among them she will face Demi Vollering and Lorena Wiebes, but in fact other contenders for the gold medal include Marlen Reusser and Blanka Kata Vas. Team SD Worx has been the absolute dominant figure of this season and Kopecky jokes that she will be racing against her own team: "I think I have to take them into account more than ever. I think we will be at the start with twelve riders from SD Worx. But of course such team interests do not count here. There's just going to be a lot of racing against each other."
Although initially thought to suit the sprinters, the Glasgow circuit has proven to be a race of attrition and suited to the puncheurs and classics specialists, with tactics not being as key as initially expected. "I like it for once. It's certainly not to my detriment. Positioning will be the most important thing. I don't take into account a bunch sprint, but I do take into account a sprint of a thinned group," she admits. "But arriving alone would also be nice. That's a little less stressful."
“The World Championships are a big goal. It has been a great year so far. The world title is something I dream of. The grueling parcours should normally suit me. I’ll give it my all”, says @LotteKopecky before #Glasgow2023. Read more: teamsdworx.com/en/news/worlds… 📸 @billy_lebelge
