Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky Claims Historic World Championship Victory in Women’s Elite Race

2023-08-13 15:11:15

Lotte Kopecky was crowned world champion following her victory in the women’s elite race of the world cycling championships run on Sunday over 154.1 km between Loch Lomond and Glasgow in Scotland. Demi Vollering of the Netherlands and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig of Denmark completed the podium.

Second in the last Tour de France, the Antwerp woman offered Belgium a first world title since that of Nicole Van den Broeck in 1973. Kopecky is the fourth Belgian to become world champion following Yvonne Reynders (1959, 1961, 1963, 1966 ), Marie-Rose Gaillard (1962) and Van den Broeck. Behind, Demi Vollering won the sprint for 2nd place ahead of Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, 7 seconds behind Kopecky.

After a lively start to the race, the race settled down 74 km from the finish with an attack by the Swiss Elise Chabbey. A counter group formed behind with Lotte Kopecky, the Dutch Riejanne Markus, the Italian Silvia Persico, the Polish Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka, the Swiss Marlen Reusser and the German Liane Lippert but this group was taken back 58 km of the line.

With 34 km to go, Kopecky put in another acceleration, followed by Vollering and her compatriot and defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten, Reusser, Briton Elizabeth Deignan, Ludwig and Austria’s Christina Schweinberger. During the penultimate crossing of the finish line 28 km from the finish, the seven riders were 17 seconds behind Chabbey.

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