Cycling: Lotte Kopecky lived up to her role as favorite and defended her title of world champion in the road race. The Belgian benefited from a tactically extremely weak performance by the Dutch. Antonia Niedermaier can also be happy. The German won bronze in the U23 class.
Kopecky wins in the rain in Zurich
Who would have thought? The Dutch women come away empty-handed from the World Championship road race in Zurich. Despite numerical superiority, the Oranje did not manage to place a rider on the podium. After 154,1 kilometers, Demi Vollering as the best Dutch woman in fifth place. But the catastrophic result is not a coincidence. The Dutch women attacked each other several times and rode out of the group. Around 20 kilometers from the finish, the Dutch women even had all the cards in their own hands, as they had two riders in a four-person leading group. Behind them, however, the women in orange also rode at a fast pace, so that they caught up with their own teammates. The laughing winner is the defending champion Lotte Kopecky. The Belgian did not look good all day in the pouring rain, but was the strongest in the sprint to the finish. She was able to win ahead of the American Chloe Dygert and Elisa Longo Borghini from Italy. The German just missed the fourth place Liana Lippert a medal after an enormously strong race.
Niedermaier wins U23 bronze
After gold in the time trial and silver in the relay, Antonia Niedermaier has completed her set of medals in the U23 road race. Behind U23 World Champion Puck Pieterse from the Netherlands and Neve Bradbury from Australia, the talented German came third in her age group. The medals for the U23 women were awarded in the elite race. Pieterse, Bradburry and Niedermaier finished in 13th, 15th and 18th place.
Lotte Kopecky ylittää maaliviivan ensimmäisenä jännittävän loppusuoran jälkeen yes voittaa naisten maantieajon MM-kultaa! #maantiepyöräily #pyöräily pic.twitter.com/f1ctqU9EXS
— Sports on Max (@sportsonmaxfi) September 28, 2024