Cycling: Lotte Kopecky is the name of the new world champion on the road. The Belgian won the gold medal at the World Championship road race in Glasgow.
Lotte Kopecky has the biggest punch
Lotte Kopecky secured the women's world championship title with a final attack in the last few kilometers . The Belgian was part of a small group of favorites that gradually broke apart in the final quarter of the race. Seven kilometers from the finish, she broke away along with Denmark's Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and then dropped her with an irresistible surge on the next climb. The Dutch rider Demi Vollering then used Montrose Street to claim silver, distancing Switzerland's Marlen Reusser and catching Uttrup Ludwig in the process.
Van Vleuten with a breakdown, Vollering with cramps
The race on the 154,1-kilometer course from Loch Lomond to Glasgow saw an early decisive moment when the peloton split and the leading group broke away. Swiss rider Elise Chabbey rode solo for much of the race but was caught 15 kilometers from the finish. Almost simultaneously, last year's winner, Annemiek van Vleuten, suffered a mechanical problem, eliminating the Dutch rider from medal contention. This left the path clear for her compatriot Demi Vollering, who, however, struggled with cramps in the final ten kilometers. Germany's hope, Liane Lippert, was unfortunately unable to stay with the leading group from the outset.