Kopecky Capitalizes on Dutch Blunders, Tadej Pogačar Pulls Off ‘Impossible’ Solo Victory
A cold, rain-soaked weekend in Zürich saw Kopecky claim victory as the Dutch women’s team faltered, while Pogačar’s daring solo attack secured him a place in the Triple Crown club.
The 2024 UCI Road World Championships in Zürich, Switzerland, delivered both the expected and unexpected.
Lotte Kopecky outsmarted a disjointed Dutch team to claim her second world title, while Tadej Pogačar’s audacious solo breakaway secured him the Rainbow Jersey and a spot in cycling history. Here is how the race for the iconic rainbow stripes turned out.
Kopecky Takes Advantage of Dutch Team’s Internal Struggles
On a bitterly cold and wet Saturday, the elite women tackled the course in weather that seemed ideal for a hardy British rider or a cyclocross racer. But after 200 kilometres of misery, Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky prevailed, crossing the line with puffy eyes, blue lips, and chattering teeth. She claimed her second Road World Championship title, ahead of the U.S.’s Chloé Dygert in second and Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini in third. Race favourite Demi Vollering of the Netherlands finished in fifth.
“They have a very strong team, but it’s been shown several times that they don’t always get along,” 28-year-old Kopecky had predicted on the eve of the race. “On paper, there’s one clear leader, but there are others who also want the world title.”
Vollering was confident in her Dutch squad. “I trust my teammates. We’ll make it a great race,” she told Wielerflits. But what unfolded on race day suggested otherwise. Without race radios, the Dutch squad lacked the instincts and cohesion that numbers alone can’t replace.
To say the Dutch underperformed is an understatement. Tactical errors and poor coordination left Vollering unable to capitalise on her team’s strong position. Despite appearing well-placed for a win, her approach—accelerating on climbs without breaking away—ultimately dropped her last remaining teammates. This disjointed strategy opened the door for Kopecky to take her second Rainbow Jersey on the road event.
This wasn’t the first time Dutch internal competition and lack of coordination have cost them. Despite having several strong riders at the 2019 World Championships in Yorkshire, the team failed to work together effectively. Annemiek van Vleuten’s solo victory came more from individual brilliance than teamwork. Poor communication in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics led to confusion about the race situation, costing them a potential gold medal. And in the 2021 World Championships in Flanders, their lack of synergy was again on display.
So, while hindsight is 20/20, the Dutch women’s squad isn’t known for its synergy.
“It’s hard to analyse right now. I’m so cold, I don’t know what to think,” Vollering said in the mixed zone post-race. “We fought all day, but the finale wasn’t tough enough to make a difference.”
“Maybe I should have started attacking earlier. Of course, I have to shoot my own arrows somewhere, and I may have done that too late. But it is always easy to say something after the race.”
Riejanne Markus, one of Vollering’s teammates, reflected on the race: “We were in a great position with Marianne [Vos] and me in the breakaway, but we just couldn’t hold on. If all three of us had made it, it would’ve been a different game. But Demi was left on her own.”
“It was unfavourable for me that we had Marianne and Riejanne in front on that last climb,” Vollering said. “In my group, it wasn’t going fast enough, and there was no one who made an attack. That was disadvantageous for me. You end up in a situation where you can’t do much.”
Chloé Dygert offered a candid assessment: “The Dutch can work well together sometimes, but their biggest strength—the desire of every rider to win—can also be their biggest weakness.”
While the Dutch team’s blunders provided much of the drama, it’s important not to overlook Lotte Kopecky’s remarkable 2024 season. With victories at the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Britain, and more, Kopecky has evolved from a punchy sprinter into a complete all-arounder. Her sharp race smarts and tactical prowess now give her an edge in both stage races and one-day events, solidifying her as one of the sport’s most versatile riders.
Tadej Pogačar Amazes Again
As Kopecky’s tactical brilliance triumphed amidst Dutch disarray, the men’s race delivered its own share of surprises. In a bold, self-described “stupid move,” Tadej Pogačar claimed the highest honour in professional road cycling on Sunday, snatching the Rainbow Jersey from the shoulders of a stoic Mathieu van der Poel to complete the “Triple Crown” after his victories at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. Australia’s Ben O’Connor launched a stealthy attack from the chase group to secure silver, while Van der Poel outsprinted the rest to take bronze.
“I experienced all the emotions today; it was like a rollercoaster,” Pogačar said, still in disbelief after crossing the finish line. “It was a crazy race, and then I saw my teammates and Urška at the finish—I almost cried.”
Pogačar’s first move came with 100 km to go in a race that no one expected him to win from such an early attack. “You don’t plan stupid moves,” he joked. “You just attacked, and this time it worked.”
Yes, it was a reckless, even panicky move—but one flawlessly executed. Realising his mistake, Pogačar made correction after correction, recovering from his poor timing.
Without race radios, Pogačar’s head was clear, relying on any bits of information he could gather to stay ahead and measure his effort. His mistake forced him to dig deeper and use every ounce of Pogačar to right his wrongs. He nailed every corner, ensured he didn’t miss the second chance for a fresh bidon at the feed zone, and took advantage of every aero gain and opportunity to make up his losses.
Pogačar bridged to the breakaway, but he quickly realised that the group’s quality didn’t rise to meet his own and couldn’t afford to slow down. So, in one smooth acceleration that barely resembled an attack, he went solo with 88 km of the Zürich city circuit left. Was Pogačar aware that his ride echoed his heroic long-range attack at Strade Bianche in the spring?
He then lifted his head and searched for the big screens through the circuit, hoping to glimpse the chasing group—though perhaps he only saw himself. But when the dark blue Shimano support car gave a gentle honk as it passed, the Slovenian knew precisely what that meant: his gap was closing. Pogačar, concern flashing across his face (a rare sight), kicked it up a notch in a final effort to salvage his premature attack.
On the final lap through the city circuit, he looked up at the screen again. This time, his expression was one of surprised relief: the gap had grown to forty-seven seconds. Less than a kilometre to go, he finally eased off, letting the enormity of what he had just done sink in. He crossed the line as the new World Champion—the same year he’d won Strade Bianche, Volta a Catalunya, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Giro d’Italia, and the Tour de France. Pogačar is the most recent rider to complete the “Triple Crown,” following Belgian Eddy Merckx in 1974, Stephen Roche in 1987, and Annemiek van Vleuten in 2022.
In a bold, self-admitted misstep, Pogačar turned a tactical error into a masterclass performance, breaking away with 88 kilometres to go and claiming the coveted Rainbow Jersey. Now that the 26-year-old has everything he wanted, what’s next for Tadej Pogačar after a near-perfect season?
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