Belgian Lotte Kopecky doubles her golden share in Zurich – Libération

2024-09-28 15:54:06

The 28-year-old rider retained his title as road cycling champion on Saturday in Zurich by winning under strong winds ahead of American Chloé Dygert and Italian Elisa Longo Borghini.

Already crowned last year in Glasgow, Lotte Kopecky received a new charm at home. The 28-year-old Flemish woman won on Saturday September 28 in Zurich, defeating a group of six riders in the sprint, to crown a great year during which she won in particular the Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de Romandie.

Another great favorite, the Dutchwoman Demi Vollering finished in fifth place, the latest disappointment in the world championship for who has already lost the Tour de France by four seconds this summer, beaten after a stunning finish by the Polish Katarzyna Niewiadoma. Frustration all the more important as Vollering was undoubtedly the strongest on Saturday. But it paid off for sometimes unwise team tactics on the part of the Netherlands and its own efforts to lose Kopecky.

Belgium sometimes lets it go, as during the last ascent of Witikon, a 1.4 km high altitude at 7.2%, on the last circuit in and around Zurich. But he showed amazing composure and skill to come back on each of his opponents and pass them by sprinting in extreme weather conditions.

Sad for France

“It’s raining, it’s cold. With three laps to go I was freezing, but I tried to stay calm. When Demi attacked for a long time, I struggled but I got back to my rhythm, and in the end it came down to the body. “You have to keep it cool and use your energy at the right time,” announced now double world champion.

He also wanted to offer condolences to the family of Muriel Furrer, the 18-year-old Swiss who died after a fall in a junior race on Wednesday. “Seeing the Swiss champions crying during the minute of silence at the start is not something you want to see. It’s a very difficult time for them too,” he said.

The great return to the track of the Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who was eagerly waiting ten years after her world title, was cut short. At the speed he left, the Olympic mountain bike champion in Paris, who must retrain himself to long distances, was cut around fifty kilometers from the goal. The French team, very enthusiastic at the beginning, as a whole endured the race, unable to influence the events. His leader Juliette Labous finished 12th, exactly three minutes behind Kopecky.