At the World Championships in Glasgow last year, Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering earned gold and silver medals respectively, reinforcing what had already become the consensus: that these two riders were the best in the world, a head and shoulders above the rest of the peloton.
The 2023 season has, however, not seen the pair quite so dominant, with many of the biggest titles being shared around between other riders. Kasia Niewiadoma won the Tour de France Femmes, Elisa Longo Borghini the Giro d'Italia Women and Tour of Flanders, Grace Brown the major time trial titles and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the rest of the spring classics saw a variety of different riders on the top step of the podium.
Although SD Worx-Protime teammates Kopecky and Vollering will once again turn to rivals as two of the major favourites for Belgium and the Netherlands respectively, this year’s Worlds road race still looks set to be an open affair. Rouleur picks out the main contenders for the rainbow jersey.
CONTENDERS
LOTTE KOPECKY
Can Lotte Kopecky achieve what no woman has done since Marianne Vos in 2013 and defend her Worlds road race title? There is little doubt now that she is the best rider in the world - she has spent her season in the rainbow jersey winning major classics like Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix, competing in stage races to triumph at the Women's Tour of Britain and Tour de Romandie, and she even won a time trial gold at the European Championships. But although these results do indicate that she is now so much more than a sprinting Classics specialist, there is an awful lot of climbing to contend with in this course in Zurich, and she’ll also have to rely on her Belgian teammates to control attacks from the more natural climbers.
DEMI VOLLERING
Since being beaten into second place by trade teammate and international rival Lotte Kopecky at last year’s World Championship road race, runner-up finishes have become frustratingly familiar to Demi Vollering. A silver medal at last weekend’s elite time trial follows similar recent near misses at both the Tour de France Femmes and Tour de Romandie, as well as four podium finishes during the spring Classics. She’s in need of a big win, and the hilly parcours in Zurich, as well as a typically strong Dutch line-up to support her, might be exactly what she needs to earn what would be a first ever rainbow jersey.
ELISA LONGO BORGHINI
As has often been the case in recent years, the Italians look the best equipped to take on the Dutch supremacy. However, despite frequently bringing strong line-ups, they’ve only won the gold once since 2011 courtesy of Elisa Balsamo. For a course more suited to climbers than sprinters, the Italians have backed Borghini over Balsamo to lead this year’s challenge, and she’s well-positioned to do so in a season that has already brought her a maiden Giro title as well as the Tour of Flanders victory. Whether or not she can also at last add Worlds gold to her palmares might depend on her fitness, but a runner-up finish at the recent GP de Wallonie suggests she’s coming into form just in time.
KASIA NIEWIADOMA
From eternal bridesmaid to champion of the biggest stage race in the sport, Kasia Niewiadoma’s career will never be the same after her Tour de France Femmes triumph last month. Any issue with confidence she might have due her seemingly unbreakable habit of failing to convert strong legs into wins must surely now have dissipated, and the result might just open the floodgates for more success — starting with Saturday's Worlds road race. She hasn’t raced at all since the Tour though, so her form is uncertain and a victory like that is undoubtedly emotionally as well as physically draining.
GRACE BROWN
Might there be one last twist in this fairytale final season for Grace Brown? The Australian last weekend added the Worlds time trial title to the one she won at the Olympics, and will now represent her nation one last time for the road race. Though she’s said she will have a more shared leadership role in the Australian squad, she’s not a rider anyone can afford to slip clear like she did during the spring to win Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
KRISTEN FAULKNER
The pedigree of Kristen Faulkner has rocketed since her surprise victory at the Olympics road race in Paris, so much so that she must now be counted among the favourites for the Worlds road race too. On one hand, a repeat of the late attack that saw her slip clear for victory that day is more unlikely, now she’ll be more heavily marked; but the fact she had the legs to both stay with the favourites and attack them shows how strong she is, and this course in Zurich likely suits her even better than the one in Paris.
OTHER CONTENDERS
While Demi Vollering will lead the Dutch contingent, their line-up contains multiple other potential winners. Expect Marianne Vos to ride a quiet, savvy race, staying in contention to be ready to strike in the event that Vollering is neutralised, while Puck Pieterse provides a wildcard option that could be difficult for other teams to control. The French also have multiple options: Juliette Labous and Évita Muzic both likely to enjoy the hilly parcours, plus their line-up includes Tour de France stage winner Cédrine Kerbaol and a rare Pauline Ferrand-Prévot appearance on the road.
The home fans will be relying on Elise Chabbey to put on a show, and don’t put it past the indefatigable Swisswoman to attempt a similar move to her long-range attack from Glasgow last year. Hungarian Blanka Vas has a habit of riding to the occasion on the biggest races, and will be hoping for the legs that saw her place fourth at the Olympics in Paris; Liane Lippert’s fast finish makes her a threat in the event of a small group sprint; and veterans Mavi García and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio are hoping favourable parcours can help them earn what would for both be a first ever World title.
PREDICTION
Strength in numbers always gives the Dutch an advantage at the Worlds, reflected in the fact that they’ve won five of the last seven editions. That, as well as the suitable parcours, is why we’re backing Demi Vollering to go one better than last year and take the gold medal.
