The 2024 UCI Highway World Championships will host the mixed elite-U23 girls’s highway race on the occasion’s penultimate day, September 29, from Uster to Zurich, Switzerland.
The 154.1km race route is predicted to cater to the classics specialists given the hilly terrain, circuit-style remaining loop and quick run-in to Zurich. The race will start in Uster the place the peloton will full a single lap of Greifensee earlier than heading to the town circuit.
There the 2 key climbing sections of the Zürichbergstrasse and Witikon await on every of the 4 27km laps, with 2,384m of elevation acquire alongside the best way to a comparatively flat remaining 5km to take riders to the Sechseläutenplatz end line.
Many countries competing at these World Championships haven’t but confirmed their full rosters, however Cyclingnews highlights 10 elite girls and 5 U23 riders to look at within the hunt for the rainbow jerseys of their respective classes.
Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
Lotte Kopecky will lead the Belgian staff in her world title defence on a course that might see her win a second consecutive rainbow jersey on a Classics-style route in Zurich. A two-time winner of the Tour of Flanders and Strade Bianche, and champion of Paris-Roubaix, Kopecky traces up because the outright favorite.
The route is a difficult one, particularly with the circuit’s ascents, Zürichbergstrasse and Witikon, however Kopecky has already confirmed that she will be able to climb with one of the best throughout Flanders-style punchy ascents, steep climbs like Jabel Hafeet that received her the general title on the UAE Tour, and high-mountain climbs Col du Tourmalet on the 2023 Tour de France Femmes and Blockhaus at this 12 months’s Giro d’Italia.
If her successful efficiency in Glasgow Worlds is something to go by, the place she obliterated the sphere after which rode away from the choice on the ultimate circuit, look ahead to Kopecky to assault this race head-on in her pursuit of one other rainbow jersey
Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)
Elisa Longo Borghini has had an impressive season that got here along with a victory on the Tour of Flanders and podiums at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche, and in all the Ardennes Classics. She additionally secured general podiums at La Vuelta Femenina, and Tour de Suisse after which received the general title on the Giro d’Italia.
Though she completed high 10 in each the time trial and the highway race on the Olympic Video games, she had her eyes set on a medal and so left Paris disillusioned with the outcomes, however she shortly turned her consideration to restoration and coaching for the World Championships.
Longo Borghini will arrive in high kind and we will anticipate her to race with that very same aggressive type that she does all through the season, however her largest asset is her staff. The Italian nationwide staff, Squadra Azzurra, is well-known for his or her cohesion and successful staff ways, which is able to undoubtedly help Longo Borghini in her bid for the world title.
Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
Demi Vollering‘s season did not begin off in addition to she’d hoped however that rotated through the stage racing season the place she received consecutive general titles at La Vuelta Femenina, Itzulia Ladies, Vuelta a Burgos and Tour de Suisse.
She went on to complete fifth within the time trial and supported Marianne Vos to a silver medal on the Olympic Video games, however her primary focus was on defending her title on the Tour de France Femmes in August. That did not occur, and whereas there have been highlights; victories within the stage 3 time trial and stage 8 atop Alpe d’Huez, she misplaced the yellow jersey to rival and general champion Kasia Niewiadoma by simply 4 seconds.
Vollering has taken time to soak up that loss, regroup and goals to come back again to the World Championships with a robust Dutch staff in pursuit of a world title. She’s going to lead the staff, which additionally contains former multi-discipline world champion Vos and reigning mountain bike world champion Puck Pieterse.
Vollering’s all-around strengths lend properly to the sort of course. She is each a successful stage racer and a one-day Classics rider with a robust dash, so look ahead to Vollering to make the choice and play her position within the remaining run-in to Zurich.
Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland)
There seems to be no stopping Kasia Niewiadoma these days. The Polish all-rounder has at all times been a contender for one-day Classics and mountain stage races, at all times ending on the rostrum however not often taking the win. It has been the reason for a lot frustration and disappointment lately, however with onerous work, staff and household help and endurance, she has turned all of that round.
Niewiadoma’s successful spell started on the UCI Gravel World Championships final fall the place she secured the victory, an achievement that she mentioned gave her the boldness to imagine in her means to beat one of the best. She capped off a powerful Classics season with a victory at La Flèche Wallonne, her first highway race win in 5 years since successful the 2019 Amstel Gold Race. She then took the final word win through the stage racing the place she secured the general title on the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
She hasn’t raced for the reason that Tour and can arrive on the World Championships contemporary off of particular preparations and coaching for the Zurich highway race. She may not have a staff as highly effective because the Dutch staff, however on a selective course this this one, she will likely be among the many contenders within the remaining.
Grace Brown (Australia)
Grace Brown will lead a robust Australian staff in her remaining World Championships earlier than she retires on the finish of the season.
She is ready to hold up her wheels having had certainly one of her most profitable seasons in her seven-year profession with wins at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and gold medals within the particular person time trials on the Australian Championships and the Paris Olympic Video games.
Brown has mentioned that the ultimate aim of her racing profession is to win the world title within the particular person time trial however she additionally has a shot on the medals within the highway race, too. The route will favour these riders who can deal with the gap and the difficult terrain, of which Brown is one.
She additionally has a powerful staff that features contender Neve Bradbury, together with Brodie Chapman, Sara Gigante, Amanda Spratt and Ruby-Roseman Gannon. Brown indicated, whereas on the Tour de France Femmes, that the highway race route may favour certainly one of her teammates, too, and that she might see herself in a help position, particularly provided that she is retiring on the finish of the 12 months.
Of her teammates, any certainly one of them has the potential to medal within the highway race, so staff ways might play an enormous position within the consequence of the race for the Australian staff.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (France)
The French staff lineup with a number of favourites in Juliette Labous, Évita Muzic and Cédrine Kerbaol, however in addition they have a darkish horse contender in Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
Ferrand-Prévot just lately retired from cross-country mountain biking after successful the gold medal on the Olympic Video games. Her plan now’s to return to highway racing and that begins on the World Championships.
Though she hasn’t raced a full highway season since 2018, outdoors of competing on the French Highway Championships in 2019 and 2021, Ferrand-Prévot will likely be a key rider to look at on account of her all-around power and expertise on the World Championships.
The French rider made historical past within the 2014-2015 season on the age of 23 when she grew to become the primary bike owner to carry world titles within the three disciplines concurrently. She received the elite girls’s highway race world title in 2014 Ponferrada, the XCO cross-country world title in 2015 in Vallnord, and the cyclo-cross world title in 2015 in Tabor.
Since then, she has amassed a complete of 15 elite world titles throughout highway, mountain bike, cyclocross and gravel. As such, she can’t be discounted as a contender for the elite girls’s highway race in Zurich and she or he has the potential to win her first highway world title since Ponferrada.
Blanka Vas (Hungary)
Blanka Vas is likely to be one of the underrated riders within the peloton, however she is starting to point out her strengths extra persistently on the world stage.
The Hungarian Champion is a multi-discipline rider, additionally competing in cyclocross and cross-country mountain bike with achievements within the under-23 class that embody silver and bronze medals on the cyclocross worlds in Dübendorf and Ostend, a silver medal within the mountain bike worlds in Leogang, and she or he received the world title within the under-23 highway race worlds on the Glasgow.
Now 23, Vas will compete for the elite world title as a part of the mixed elite-U23 highway race in Zurich. She arrives on the occasion after a profitable highway season the place she was fourth within the highway race on the Olympic Video games and received a stage on the Tour de France Femmes.
Kristen Faulkner (United States of America)
Kristen Faulkner has had one of the best season of her profession successful the highway race title on the US Professional Highway Championships earlier than happening to win double gold medals on the Olympic Video games within the elite girls’s highway race and within the staff pursuit.
She traces up with a powerful staff that may embody two-time time trial world champion Chloé Dygert and Ruth Edwards. The course of attrition will swimsuit a rider like Faulkner and she or he is one to look at for late-race breakaways.
She will not be thought to be one of many primary contenders through the Classics season however she has had highly effective performances in powerful races like Strade Bianche, that, mixed together with her latest success on the Olympic Video games, make her a favorite for the elite girls’s highway race in Zurich.
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark)
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig hasn’t needed to most excellent season and she or he has struggled with accidents, however there have been glimmers of success with a stage win on the Tour Down Beneath and a podium end in a stage on the Giro d’Italia the place she completed eighth general.
However she had the same season final 12 months after which ended up placing forth a large efficiency at Glasgow Worlds, creating the choice through the highway race after which ending with the bronze medal.
She is without doubt one of the contenders through the Classics season, and the hilly parcour fits her strengths, so look ahead to her to, as soon as once more, shock on the World Championships.
Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
After almost 20 years of world-class competitors, Marianne Vos continues to be performing on the highest degree with wins this season at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Amstel Gold Race, a stage at La Vuelta Femenina, an general win at Catalunya, and she or he received the silver medal on the Paris Olympic Video games and the factors jersey on the Tour de France Femmes.
Vos now has a profession whole of 255 elite highway race victories and she or he has additionally amassed 13 world titles; eight in cyclocross, two in monitor racing, and three in highway racing. She has additionally earned three Olympic medals; a gold medal within the factors race in 2008 Beijing, a gold medal within the highway race in 2012 London and a silver medal within the highway race in Paris this 12 months.
Though Vollering was introduced because the staff chief, Vos will kind a part of a robust Dutch staff that additionally contains Mischa Bredewold, Riejanne Markus, Puck Pieterse, Pauliena Rooiakkers, and Shirin van Anrooij.
The Classics-style course would swimsuit any of the riders on this staff, however the world will likely be watching a ready to see if Vos will win her first rainbow jersey within the highway race since Firenze.
Beneath-23 favourites
Puck Pieterse and Shirin van Anrooij (Netherlands)
The Dutch staff will likely be all-in for Vollering and Vos to win the elite title through the mixed elite-U23 girls’s highway race, however in addition they have two contenders for the under-23 class with Puck Pieterse and Shirin van Anrooij.
Pieterse is the reigning cross-country mountain bike World Champion, who want to add cyclocross, highway race and gravel world titles to her palmares, too. She has already proven her strengths on the highway, and this summer time, she received the stage into Liége on the Tour de France Femmes.
Van Anrooij, additionally a multi-discipline racer, has extra expertise on the highway with a win at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and podiums in different main races at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold Race.
Antonia Niedermaier (Germany)
Antonia Niedermaier had a breakout season final 12 months with a stage win on the Giro d’Italia and continued her success into this season with sturdy general classification efficiency at La Vuelta Femenina (eleventh), Tour de Suisse (sixth), Giro d’Italia (sixth). the hilly course might play in her favour, and whereas she may not be a contender for the elite rainbow jersey, she is powerful sufficient to play a job within the remaining among the many elite discipline and safe the under-23 title.
Neve Bradbury (Australia)
Neve Bradbury secured her first two WorldTour wins this season in phases on the Tour de Suisse after which atop Blockhaus on the Giro d’Italia. She has additionally been a podium finisher within the main stage races this 12 months; Tour Down Beneath (third), UAE Tour (2nd), Tour de Suisse (2nd), and Giro d’Italia (third). She has clearly earned her place on Australia’s elite girls’s staff and she or he can also be a contender for the under-23 world title.
Anniina Ahtosalo (Finland)
Anniina Ahtosalo is a six-time Finnish nationwide champion; three within the highway race and three within the time trial, however she continues to be solely 21 years outdated. Her strengths are in one-day racing a sprinting, however an eighth place at Traditional Brugge-De Panne and up to date second place within the opening stage on the Tour de France Femmes, and quite a few different top-10 performances this 12 months, put her on the radar for the under-23 title on the World Championships.
