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Cycling Weekly
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Jack Elton-Walters

UCI World Championships Elite Women's Road Race live: Kopecky wins – how it happened

Lotte Kopecky celebrates after winning the 2023 World Championships

Live coverage from the UCI World Championships Elite Women's Road Race

(Image credit: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com)

Welcome to Cycling Weekly's live coverage of the UCI World Championships Elite Women's Road Race, 154.1km from Loch Lomond to Glasgow

We've got 112.3km to go and there's a breakaway ahead with 14 seconds 

111.4km to go

GB's Lizzie Deignan is in the breakaway but the group is about to be swept up

The early climb saw some big names in trouble, but perhaps they'll cope better once the race reaches the circuits

Bike change for Lotte Kopecky, looks like a rear puncture

Teniel Campbell has forced a move and her group has grown to six riders, but the peloton is still within reach 

That group's been caught 

Marianne Vos was one of the riders seen off the pace early on, perhaps she can ride herself into the day once the city centre circuits begin

The front group looks relaxed. The group of dropped riders behind has made up a minute or so but isn't back on yet

98.2km to go

The chase group is almost back on but the pace has gone up again in the lead group

97.7km to go

The front group's pace has decreased enough to let the second group, finally, make contact 

Crash on a corner. A Swiss rider got her own chain back on, remounted about to set off... then her own team car trapped her in by the crowd barrier 

92.4km to go 

A select group looks like it could be going clear

Lorena Wiebes (NL) has been dropped – or might be waiting for a teammate. A possible surprise winner if she could hold on until a sprint, it might not be her day but she may be able to make a team contribution in the meantime 

Crash at the back of the bunch, looks like day over for a number of riders 

Marlen Reusser is off the front solo with a British rider chasing 

It's Anna Henderson chasing

Deignan on the front

80.7km to go

The peloton is in a single line going round the twists and turns of the circuit 

Lorena Wiebes has abandoned 

75.3km to go

Henderson on the attack, Kopecky wise to it

Kopecky annoyed with the lack of riding from the Italian who followed her across the gap

All back together in the feed zone 

Read about today's contenders... overlook that one has abandoned already

Vollering, Kopecky, or another? Five contenders for the women's World Championships road race

Chabbey (Switzerland) on the attack

An upset Brodie Chapman (Aus) has abandoned, the camera lingering on her for about three times longer than was necessary 

Annemiek van Vleuten took her bike computer off and dismounted... then got given a new front wheel; doesn't look like that's what she was after 

The Dutchwoman will have to chase back on now

It looks like Van Vleuten got the bike change she wanted in the end but she'll have a lot to do to get back in touch 

Kopecky could be pulling a group clear here 

Chabbey is still on her own, followed by a glut of motorcycles for the chasers to close in on 

A sedate pace as the riders cross the finish line for the start of the next lap

Van Vleuten has put in a huge effort to get back to the main group

51.6km to go

Crash on a corner involving two Canadians and GB's Anna Henderson 

They'll be waiting a while for new bikes... touch and go whether they'll be able to rejoin the group

Anna Henderson is on a new bike. No riders in sight ahead of her 

Chabbey's got 1:21 over the group of favourites: has she been forgotten about? 

Chabbey's under-saddle transponder is loose and swinging around, which must be very irritating for the race leader 

47.7km to go

Lizzie Deignan showing herself to the front of the main group on a short climb

Elena Cecchini (Italy) has been dangling solo between the lead rider and chase group for a long time but looks like she's going to be caught 

Cecchini's been caught and the pace in the group has dropped: do they think they've caught the leader? Chabbey's away at around 1:20

44.8km to go

A Dutch-Italian pairing has gone off the front of the chase group

It's Riejanne Markus and Elisa Balsamo. The latter was the 2021 winner 

Team GB well represented in the chase group of around 30. Unfortunately, Anna Henderson has stepped off: it was a big ask for her to get back on after her crash and bike change 

Markus and Balsamo was soon brought back so the situation with 40.3km to go is Chabbey (Switzerland) away on her own with a gap of 1:23, while around 30 riders chase her down (if they've remembered she's out there)

The pace has gone up and gaps are forming 

Kopecky is pushing on and appears to be getting annoyed that no one will ride with her 

33.2km to go

Van Vleuten is on the move, countering once Kopecky slowed down

All the while, Elise Chabbey is still 23 seconds up the road 

There's a lot of looking around... Van Vleuten could be going clear here

Kopecky accelerating through the feed zone, Deignan in the chase behind the Dutch 

Vollering looks like she might get back to Kopecky, but risks dragging the group back to her Dutch teammate Van Vleuten

Kopecky pushing hard on a ramp with Van Vleuten in sight, but not caught 

Van Vleuten pushing again as the group comes towards her 

Van Vleuten caught

Marlen Reusser hanging around on the back of the chase group: not contributing but looking ready to counter if Chabbey is caught 

27.6km to go

A group of seven is following the lone leader, with an Italian-led group over a minute behind them. We are probably looking at this seven or eight for the medals 

22.9km to go

Chabbey is still clear

Van Vleuten is doing the majority of the pulling on the front of the chase group, to the benefit of her teammate Vollering (and the rest)

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark) leading up a climb until Deignan took it up 

20.7km to go

Chabbey has been away for almost 50km and still has 23 seconds over the chase group 

Uttrup Ludwig is having a go

The group came back together and Kopecky launched 

Chabbey's gap is down to around 10 seconds with 18km to go 

Vollering did a seated acceleration off the front of the group but the others were alive to it

Christina Schweinberger (Austria) is present in the group and is looking quite fresh whenever she comes to the front

The Dutch are on the move!

Van Vleuten went first and then Vollering went on the other side of the road. Kopecky chased Vollering over the top of a climb 

Puncture for Van Vleuten 

In all that excitement, Chabbey got caught 

13.4km to go

Van Vleuten was 39 seconds to go as she crossed the line to start the final lap

Chabbey has stuck with the group that caught her: after such a long time on her own she may have been expected to go straight out the back 

Deignan just did a little dig but sat up and looked at the others 

12.5km to go

Van Vleuten at 40 seconds but is chasing hard 

Deignan and Schweinberger are off the front and riding away 

Reusser has sensed the danger and is trying to cross the gap

Vollering looks to be struggling, which could count her and Kopecky out as the latter (along with Chabbey) are glued to Vollering's wheel and not reacting to anyone else 

Kopecky has woken up and dropped the rest; she's now trying to ride across 

Uttrup Ludwig, Vollering and Chabbey look to be out of contention 

Vollering looks like she's found a second wind and might be bringing her trip back to the lead quartet

As soon as Vollering got back to the lead group she attacked round them and took Kopecky with her 

Deignan looked a bit out of sorts as Vollering's attack got underway. Vollering then got cramp and had to slow down to stretch it out 

Kopecky looks the strongest 

6.9km to go 

Uttrip Ludwig has gone clear, Kopecky's caught and passed her, Deignan couldn't hold the wheel

Deignan looking very fatigued 

Vollering looks resigned to the gold medal having gone up the road. The situation is ripe for a counter from Reusser to get the last step on the podium 

5.6km to go

Huge attack from Kopecky on an uphill, Uttrup Ludwig has got nothing to say about it 

Kopecky should be on for the win here

Silver is not a foregone conclusion 

Lotte Kopecky wins the UCI Women's Elite World Championships Road Race

Sprint behind... 

It looks like Vollering may have just grabbed second there 

Here's the full report from the race:

Lotte Kopecky wins Women's Elite World Championships Road Race with searing uphill attack late in the race

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