Belgian defies expectations after struggling on final climbs, out-sprints Chloe Dygert, Elisa Longo Borghini, Pieterse wins under-23 title

Lotte Kopecky defended her UCI Road World Championships road race title in Zurich on Saturday. The 28-year-old Belgian rider claimed victory after winning the title for the first time last year. The race took place on Saturday in brutal conditions. The riders had to deal with near-constant rain.

Zürich 154.2 km The big weekend races on what we now know is a leg sapping and grueling circuit. Don’t forget that stupidly the UCI are haning out the U23 medal from this race too. Expected finish : 16:50 CEST Swiss cheese of the Day: Lotte Kopecky Having seen in the U23 what a big power rider can do you probably have to give the edge to Kopecky over Vollering in what could come down to an(other) internal SD Worx battle.