13/08/2023

Lotte Kopecky wins Glasgow World Championships road race capping off incredible season for the Belgian

Lotte Kopecky has been crowned the women's elite World Championships road race champion after a thrilling race in Glasgow.

The riders start in Loch Lomond. The climb of Crow Road is 5.5 kilometres long at 4% and will see a meaningful challenge early on, however the race should be decided in the urban roads. The riders enter it with 61 kilometres. Here the riders will ride 6 laps.

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Despite plenty of attacks before the riders reached the city circuit, the peloton was pretty much all together as they began to take on Glasgow city centre.

It didn't take long for the attacks to start getting a gap thereafter however, with a strong move that included the likes of Marlen Reusser, Anna Henderson, Riejanne Markus and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig started to ride clear.

Once that move was caught, Elise Chabbey launched a solo attack with over 70km to go and drawing the pre-race favourite Lotte Kopecky to lead the charge herself.

Annemiek van Vleuten meanwhile was slowed up by a bike change facing a battle to get back into the peloton.

With 50km to go, Chabbey had extended her lead out to over a minute from the peloton and by 40km to go it was closer to a minute and a half.

As the chase began exploding behind, Chabbey's lead did begin to drop drastically but at 20km to go she remained a lone leader, some 23 seconds ahead of an elite chasing group of seven that contained Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering, Marlen Reusser, Lizzie Deignan, Lotte Kopecky, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Christina Schweinberger.

The lack of cohesion in the chase though was frustrating Kopecky. Nevertheless, with 14km to go, Chabbey was caught by the chasing group minus van Vleuten who'd suffered a late puncture.

Deignan, looking for her second world title win attacked with 12km to go, Schweinberger straight on her wheel as Vollering and Kopecky cancelled each other out.

As Kopecky finally managed to get the jump on Vollering, she and Reusser attached themselves to the leaders, making a quartet at the front.

They then began to stall, allowing Vollering to get back into contact meaning the elite seven were all together once again heading into the final 7km.

Once Uttrup Ludwig made her move only Kopecky could match her. After a short time working together, the Belgian then decided it was time to go solo.

From there, Kopecky would not be stopped, romping to an incredible win. In the battle behind there was a photo finish for second, Vollering getting it ahead of Uttrup Ludwig.