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≡ WORLD ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
/Updated/The week-long UCI World Road Championships in and around Zurich, Switzerland neared its finish on Saturday with a brilliant win for defending women’s champion Lotte Kopecky of Belgium.
But it was also marred by a tragic death of Swiss teen rider Muriel Furrer on Friday, following her Thursday crash in the women’s World Junior Worlds race.
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Kopecky came into the 2024 Women’s Worlds Roads Championship as the 2023 winner, after finishing second in 2023. The rainy, 154.1 km race included five laps of a course which included a modest, 250 m rise on each lap.
Kopecky moved up to the leading group of almost 50 riders by the end of the third lap, but was 58 seconds back of a lead pack of four going into the final, fifth lap. She and others closed the gap and the race was down to eight with 13 km left.
Dutch star Demi Vollering, second last year, attacked with 10 km to go, with Kopecky on her wheel, then Italy’s Giro d’Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini took the lead with just 5 km left. But she was quickly caught by Vollering, with American Chloe Dygert and Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS) coming up to challenge.
It was finally a six-way sprint to the line and Kopecky got there first in 4:05:26, with Dygert – a two-time Worlds Time Trial winner – getting second by a wheel-length with Longo Borghini third, Liane Lippert (GER) fourth and Vollering fifth. Kopecky said later:
“From three laps to go, I was actually freezing.
“But I tried to keep my head as cool as possible and I didn’t have any troubles but on the longer [climb], when Demi went, I had some difficulties but I tried to keep my own pace and come back. In the end, it was a lot of mind games. A rider [Longo Borghini] came from the back with speed and Demi replied immediately, which was perfect for me.”
Kopecky is the repeat winner of the women’s Worlds since Marianne Vos (NED) in 2012 and 2013.
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The men’s race concluded the Worlds on Sunday, with Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar capping off a brilliant year with a sensational attack from 100 km out to take his first Worlds victory.
The seven-lap, 273.9 km ride from Winterthur to Zurich saw Pogacar surge from the peloton with about 100 km to go and pick off the breakaway leaders, finally passing France’s Pavel Sivakov with 51.7 km remaining.
From there, he was clear and won in 6:27:30, 34 seconds up on Australian Ben O’Connor and 58 seconds ahead of a group of four: defending champ Mathieu van der Poel (NED), Toms Skujins (LAT), 2022 World Champion and 2024 Worlds Time Trial winner Remco Evenepoel (BEL) and Swiss Marc Hirschi. Quinn Simmons was the top American, in ninth (+2:18).
Pogacar won the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and now the Worlds Roads Championship, fulfilling all of his goals on the season. The only other to achieve the feat were Eddy Merckx (BEL: 1974) and Stephen Roche (IRL: 1987); Dutch women’s star Annemiek van Vleuten also did it in 2022.
And Pogacar is still just 26.
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On Thursday, the route for the women’s Junior Road Race was 73.6 km with rainy conditions, and the UCI said in a statement:
“Swiss rider Muriel Furrer fell heavily today, Thursday 26 September, during the Women Junior road race at the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich (Switzerland) for reasons still to be determined. Muriel Furrer was taken to hospital by an emergency helicopter. She suffered a serious head injury and is in a very critical condition.”
On Friday, the news was tragic:
“It is with great sadness that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the Organising Committee of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich (Switzerland) today learned the tragic news of the death of young Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer.
“With the passing of Muriel Furrer, the international cycling community loses a rider with a bright future ahead of her. The 18-year-old rider fell heavily yesterday, Thursday 26 September, during the Women Junior road race, and suffered a serious head injury before being flown to hospital by helicopter in a very critical condition. Muriel Furrer sadly passed away today at Zurich University Hospital.”
A police investigation is underway. Friday evening and Saturday ceremonies and an end-of-event party for Saturday were canceled. Friday’s medal ceremonies were trimmed and did not include anthems and flags were flown only at half-mast.
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