Lotte Kopecky, already a gold medallist on the track in the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome, emphatically won the elite women’s road race, ahead of the Tour de France Femmes champion, Demi Vollering. The 27-year-old Belgian, winner of the points at the Tour de France Femmes, broke clear of the leading group to claim her first road-race rainbow jersey in central Glasgow. Britain’s Lizzie Deignan finished a creditable sixth.
“I thought after those two world titles on the track, it would be almost impossible to win again on Sunday,” Kopecky, winner of both the elimination and points race, said. “Three world championships in seven days is too crazy. I didn’t dream of this when I was a little girl – back then, I just wanted to be competitive on the bike. I never knew I would become this good.”
If Kopecky’s win, given her recent form, was hardly a surprise, the sixth‑place finish of the former world road race champion Deignan, who had her second child less than a year ago, was unexpected. The resurgent Briton, who started the day expecting to race as a team helper, remained a serious contender for the medals until Kopecky’s decisive move, 6km from the finish. “I’m really pleased with my performance and tactically, I think I did what I could,” she said.
Deignan, who had ended the Tour de France Femmes two weeks ago saying she could not tell if she was “really exhausted or coming into fine‑tuned form”, found her best legs on the gruelling circuit. “I gambled on just having loads of rest,” she said of her pre-world championships preparation.
“I think it’s really hard between a massive race like the Tour de France and the world championships to not overcook it. I think a lot of riders are tired. Normally everyone has a bit of a dip and then comes up again for the worlds. And everyone’s just a little bit fatigued.
“As a team, I think we rode really well. We were always with the moves and we were just outgunned in the final. It wasn’t anything other than not having the legs to follow the best in the world.”
While Deignan made peace with her near-miss, the Olympic champion Beth Shriever took gold in the women’s elite BMX race. “It was pretty much the perfect lap,” she said. “I didn’t know who was behind me or how close they were, so I knew to just keep pushing. I’ve done a lot with my psychologist, practising things, and this is the perfect practice leading into Paris. I’ve trained hard, trained well and just trusted myself. I can’t believe it.”
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“All my processes, I’ve stuck to it, and it all worked, so it’s unreal. I’ve literally dreamed of it all week, so to actually do it was next level. I’ll have this memory for the rest of my life.”
In the BMX under-23 women’s race Emily Hutt took silver, while in the under-23 women’s road race Anna Shackley claimed the bronze. “My race was pretty surreal,” Shackley, Great Britain’s 100th medallist in the championships, said. “I’m from Glasgow so it was really nice to do the world championships on home roads.
“It was pretty full gas from early on and as soon as we hit the circuit it all split to bits. I was hanging on for dear life, but I managed to hold on for third place in the under-23.”
Deignan, meanwhile, less than a year from the Paris Olympic road race, is still finding the right way to juggle motherhood and her rekindled career. “But we will find that balance,” she said.
“That’s what it’s all about. And it’s not like every other rider on the start line has perfect preparation, either. You kind of put that to the back of your mind really.
“I’ve definitely got further to go, that’s why I’m optimistic about my performance. I know the ups and downs that have come before this. And like I say, there’s no such thing as perfect preparation, but a solid winter will make all the difference.”
