After defending her rainbow jersey, Lotte Kopecky reflected on the tragedy of junior cyclist Muriel Furrer, who died following a crash during the road race. The elite women and under-23 worlds began with a minute of silence for Furrer, casting a shadow over the event.
Kopecky expressed her disbelief and condolences to Furrer’s family, stating, “The minute of silence at the start and the emotions of all the riders were very intense. This is also a title for her.”
On a rainy Saturday filled with attacks, Kopecky won a six-rider sprint in Zürich. The Dutch team missed out on elite medals but secured the U23 championship through Puck Pieterse. Magdeleine Vallieres was the top Canadian in 14th, while Ava Holmgren finished 22nd, placing fourth in the under-23 category.
A tough race in Zurich
Breakaways struggled on the challenging Lake Greifen circuit. A strong group with two Australians formed on the first climb of Wilikon but fell apart on the next ascent, dropping Elisa Balsamo. Kopecky noted, “It was a very irritating day. The rain made it cold, and three laps from the end, I was freezing. I tried to keep my head cool.”
As the Dutch team set the pace, 40 riders remained entering the final two laps, including Holmgren, Baril, and Vallieres. On the penultimate climb, the Dutch shattered the group, leaving Kristen Faulkner, Holmgren, and Tour de France winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma dropped.
Kopecky commented, “On the steep climbs, I had less trouble, but on the longer climb, I struggled to follow Demi. It was mentally very difficult; I had to use my energy wisely.”
After a final climb leading to a flatter stretch, an Italian rider created a gap, but Vollering helped bring Kopecky and Lippert back. With 3.5 km remaining, it became a battle among the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and Germany. Dygert and Roseman-Gannon rejoined the mix, with Longo-Borghini attacking first. Dygert surged past to claim silver, while the Italian rounded out the podium.
The last race of the 2024 UCI Road Worlds, the men’s elite road race, takes place on Sunday and you can watch it on FloBikes.com.
The post Lotte Kopecky on Muriel Furrer: ‘This is also a title for her’ appeared first on Canadian Cycling Magazine.
