On Saturday, September 28th, Lotte Kopecky of Belgium successfully defended her 2023 title in the Women’s Elite Road Race, securing back-to-back World Championship victories. Unfolding in undeniably miserable weather from Ulster to Zürich, Switzerland, the 2024 World Road Race featured a continuously climbing and descending circuit over 155km. With all the riders wrapped up in their wet weather gear, it was difficult to see who was where on the road. In the opening kilometres, many of the main contenders were visible towards the front, staying safe and keeping an eye on the moves.
Thanks in part to the horrendous weather conditions — the peloton, which began with 197 riders, was immediately whittled down as conditions intensified and the pace quickened. Despite this, the race quickly became a tactical contest with several breakaway attempts that ultimately failed to stick. Early on, a three-rider breakaway formed, featuring Caroline Baur of Switzerland, Sara Martin of Spain, and Luxembourg’s Nina Berton. This group managed to pull ahead by 30 seconds as they crossed the finish line for the first time, but their gap was short-lived. The elite teams, especially the Netherlands, who played a major role throughout the race, ensured that the trio was reeled back in.
The Dutch, with their stacked talent and strength, dominated much of the race. Their leader, Demi Vollering, a formidable climber and a favorite for the title, orchestrated several key moments, driving the pace in the final laps. Vollering, supported by her teammates including Riejanne Markus and Marianne Vos, repeatedly attempted to fracture the peloton with aggressive surges on the climbs, notably on the second-to-last lap, where the pace exploded. However, the race was far from predictable. Just when it seemed that Vollering’s dominance would secure a Dutch victory, the race took an unexpected turn.
Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy launched a powerful attack in the final kilometres, forcing the elite contenders into a high-speed chase. Chloé Dygert of the United States, who had battled tenaciously throughout the day, managed to bridge back to the leaders after being briefly distanced, bringing a small group of six riders together for the final showdown. The race for the rainbow jersey would come down to a sprint.
In the end, it was Kopecky who timed her effort to perfection, launching her sprint at the last possible moment to surge past Vollering, Longo Borghini, and Dygert, becoming the first rider since Marianne Vos in 2012-2013 to win consecutive elite women’s World Championship titles. Kopecky’s victory was a testament to her physical strength, of course, but also her tactical astuteness in a race that saw multiple shifts in momentum.
However, the triumph was tinged with sorrow. Just days before, Swiss junior rider Muriel Furrer tragically passed away from injuries sustained in a crash during the U23 women’s race. The tragedy cast a sombre mood over the championship, and Kopecky dedicated her win to Furrer’s memory. “There’s a kind of disbelief, but first of all, I want to pay my condolences to the family of Muriel,” Kopecky said after the race. “I think the minute of silence at the start, seeing the Swiss riders crying, is something you just don’t want to see. It’s a very hard moment for them as well.”
Ultimately — Furrer’s death serves as a sobering reminder of the inherent risks that are also present in the sport involving fierce competition at high speeds. Before the Women’s Elite Road Race, a minute of silence was observed in Furrer’s memory, with the Swiss team standing at the front of the peloton in a deeply emotional tribute. Swiss rider Noemi Ruegg captured the sentiment of the moment when she told Eurosport, “We are trying to do our best, and we will race with Muriel in our hearts.”
The Women’s Time Trial: Grace Brown’s golden moment
The Women’s Elite Time Trial, which took place earlier in the week on Sunday, September 22nd, saw another significant achievement, with Australia’s Grace Brown claiming the rainbow jersey. Already an Olympic champion from Paris 2024, Brown added the world title to her list of accolades, completing a stunning career double just before her planned retirement at the end of the year.
On a 29.9-kilometre course that stretched from Gossau to Zurich, the Australian rider faced plenty of rivals, including Demi Vollering, who had been vying for redemption after finishing second to Brown in the Paris Olympic time trial. As Brown sped through the first intermediate checkpoint, she set the fastest split time, but by the second checkpoint, Vollering had edged ahead by a fraction of a second.
It was in the final stretch that Brown’s experience and determination came to the fore. She found an extra burst of speed in the latter stages, crossing the finish line in a time of 39 minutes and 16.04 seconds, securing the title by a 17-second margin over Vollering. Defending champion Chloé Dygert, who had been the final rider off the ramp, rounded out the podium in third place. Brown’s victory was not only a personal triumph but a historic moment, as she became one of the few women to hold both Olympic and World Championship titles simultaneously.
Reflecting on her victory, Brown said, “As I was riding the last couple of kilometres, I kept telling myself I can be world champion, and that gave me the strength to push all the way to the end.”
