Se viene cumpliendo a esta hora en Bélgica el mundial de gravel y en donde Colombia está representado por el aceveduno Kristian Yustre.
Marianne Vos triumphs over Lotte Kopecky in epic duel at Gravel World Championships
CyclingSaturday, 05 October 2024 at 15:11
Marianne Vos has claimed the Women's Gravel World Championships in Leuven, Belgium, by defeating Lotte Kopecky in a head-to-head battle. The duo rode together at the front for about half the race after the peloton was broken in two in the first half.
First of all: what a splendid starting field it was we saw take off at noon on Saturday for the Gravel World Championships in Leuven, Belgium. Despite the toll taken by the road race in the World Championships in Zürich, which saw riders like Mischa Bredewold, defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma, Justine Ghekiere and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot withdraw, the front row still featured only top-category riders.
Kopecky, who gets to call herself the world champion after Zürich, was the star, but with riders like Vos, Lorena Wiebes, Puck Pieterse, Riejanne Markus, Lucinda Brand, Shirin van Anrooij and Fem van Empel also in the race, it was the Dutch team that made the biggest impact in terms of depth. Add to that a group of top cyclo-cross riders, some successful road cyclists and pure gravel specialists, and you know you're in for a spectacle.
At noon, the riders set off for a loop around Halle, an intermediate section towards Leuven, and a local circuit around the finish line. In the opening phase, the peloton stayed together relatively well, but after just over an hour of racing, a lead group of eleven women emerged. Naturally, Kopecky was up there, along with a strong Dutch contingent featuring Pieterse, Brand, Vos and Wiebes. Also present were Luxembourg's Marie Schreiber and Christine Majerus, Italy's Letizia Borghesi and Soraya Paladin, Denmark's Emma Norsgaard and Germany's Romy Kasper.
In the background, it was all hands on deck. The cooperation at the front wasn't perfect, allowing about thirty women to rejoin, but a crash at the entrance to the Zoniënwoud once again reduced the pack. At 65 kilometers from the finish, when the live TV coverage began, a lead group of four had formed, consisting of Kopecky, Vos, Wiebes and Paladin.
Kopecky and Vos go for long two-rider finale
From four, the group shrank to two: Vos and Kopecky. Wiebes dropped Paladin but had to close the gap to the leaders on her own. Meanwhile, her compatriot Vos was cooperating with Kopecky, who is Wiebes' teammate at SD Worx-Protime. Tactics, tactics, tactics — that’s also part of the Gravel World Championships.
Read more below the video!
🚴🌈 | Wederom een regenboogtrui om voor te strijden vandaag! Dit keer het WK Gravel. Bij de eerste livebeelden zien we twee kampioenen op kop: Lotte Kopecky en Marianne Vos! 💪💪 #Leuven2024 📺 Koers stream je op HBO Max
By the time they reached the finish line, it was clear that the race for the win would be between Vos and Kopecky, as Wiebes was gradually being reeled in by Paladin, Pieterse, Kasper and Australian Nicole Frain. As they entered the local circuit around Leuven, the selection had been made, but that didn’t dampen the excitement on this sunny Saturday in Leuven.
Kopecky tried to make life difficult for her opponent several times in the final 30 kilometers, but Vos held her ground. With 20 kilometers to go, it was the Dutch rider’s turn to launch an attack, but the Belgian was quick to respond with a counter-acceleration. They didn’t have to worry about the chasers, as they had secured a nice lead of three to four minutes.
The two women were evenly matched, but with 1.5 kilometers to go, Vos made another attempt to shake off her rival. The Belgian didn’t budge, leading to a sprint finish in Leuven. Kopecky was forced to take the lead, and Vos launched her sprint first. Kopecky could not match her efforts, and so Vos added a new discipline to her already impressive list of world championships. Wiebes completed the podium by finishing third, ahead of Pieterse.
Results Gravel World Championships 2024 - women
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024