Kopecky Vanquishes Vollering, Williams Wallops in Worlds Tune Up

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Lotte Kopecky, Stevie Williams, Marc Hirschi, and neo-pro sensation Paul Magnier scooped top results this weekend while the world was watching the Vuelta a España.

The Tour de Romandie Féminin, Tour of Britain, and one-day racing through Europe saw intra-team drama, new sprint sensations, and top stars tuning up for the late-September Zurich road world championships.

Kopecky was outsprinted by SD Worx-Protime teammate-turned-rival Demi Vollering in Romandie’s climbing stage Saturday but did enough to earn GC victory on Sunday as the Belgian builds toward her rainbow jersey defense.

Israel Premier Tech’s understated star of the season Williams won again with a big GC victory on home soil at Tour of Britain to stake his claim as GB’s best chance in Zurich.

Remco Evenepoel was on leadout duty at the British tour in his world championship warm-up and helped his Soudal Quick-Step teammate Magnier stake his claim at the peloton’s fastest neo-pro.

Meanwhile, Hirshi galloped to a third win in three races Sunday at GP Industria & Artigianato to stoke Swiss hopes of a home winner in Zurich.

Also this weekend, Olav Kooij outkicked the world’s fastest sprinters in Hamburg to mark himself as a double threat for the Dutch alongside Mathieu van der Poel at this weekend’s European championships.

Tour de Romandie: Lotte Kopecky rules the roost at SD Worx

Lotte Kopecky put the finishing touches on her form last week ahead of the European and world championships with a narrow GC win over SD Worx “frenemy” Demi Vollering.

The Belgian megastar beat Vollering by just six seconds over the three-stage race to put yet another “W” in the column ahead of her rainbow jersey defense in Zurich.

Classics wins all through the spring as well as GC titles at the UAE Tour, Tour of Britain Women, and now Romandie make Kopecky an A* favorite for the hilly course in Zurich and confirms her status as the future of SD Worx-Protime.

“I came to see what the form is. I’m happy with it. A win would have been nice, but we got the overall victory,” Kopecky said after she wrapped up the win Sunday. “Demi won a nice stage, so we can’t complain.”

Romandie’s “queen stage” on Saturday saw something of a 2023 Strade Bianche redux.

Vollering and Kopecky rode to the final mountaintop sprint together and unlike last year in Siena, Vollering did enough to blast past the Belgian.

Intriguingly, Vollering, who leaves SD Worx this winter, hinted Saturday in her stage-winner’s conference that the team may not “worx” in her favor during Sunday’s final stage.

“I don’t know. It’s a strange situation because I will leave the team, so I hope my team will be neutral on this. We will see tomorrow,” Vollering told the press Saturday of the expected team stategy for Romandie’s final stage.

“Probably they will go for her [ie., Kopecky – ed],” Vollering said.

Ending the day with this bad-ass sprint between the SD Worx teammates, Vollering and Kopecky in @TourDeRomandie Feminin. Demi won. Hand-in-hand arrivals and rock, paper, scissors are for the weak. This is the real deal. Good night! #TDRF2024pic.twitter.com/mukZDSOX6W

— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) September 7, 2024

There was no chance for any intra-team polemic the next day Sunday when Vollering was caught in a late crash that prevented her trying to overturn her GC deficit.

GC victory this weekend in Romandie puts a tailwind behind Kopecky after she missed the medals at the Olympics last month.

“I am happy with where I am at the moment with a view to the world championships in Zurich in three weeks’ time,” she said Sunday.

“After the European time trial championships there will be another tough training block,” Kopecky said. “But I am very happy with this final victory in the Tour of Romandie.”

Tour of Britain: Stevie Williams wallops, a new sprint star is born

Israel Premier Tech’s “Welsh Wizard” Stevie Williams cast his spell once more Sunday by scooping his third GC victory in 13 months and becoming the first home winner of Tour of Britain since Steve Cummings in 2016.

The 28-year-old punched to the top of GC by outsprinting breakaway rival Julian Alaphilippe on stage 2 of the British tour and was never out of the leader’s jersey for the rest of the week.

“It doesn’t get much better than winning your home race,” William said Sunday. “My name will always have this race underneath it. I’m really proud to have been part of this team this week – the riders and staff have been amazing.

“It has been a great week.”

It’s been some season for Williams.

The under-the-radar star started with a bang by winning the overall at Tour Down Under and followed it up with another marquee victory at La Flèche Wallonne.

The Welshman is now touted for a leadership role for Team GB alongside Tom Pidcock at the Zurich worlds road race.

“After the Olympics, it was definitely a target of mine to get back into racing and I knew I was coming here in decent form,” Williams said Sunday.

“Luckily I had the legs to show it and pull it off but at the end of the day everything has to go right and everything did go right so I’m really happy,” he said.

A @PaulMagnier1 hat-trick at the #TourOfBritain!

The Wolfpack celebrates its 30th victory of the season!

Photo: SWpix pic.twitter.com/E414AzKZ1j

— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) September 7, 2024

Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel took headliner status ahead of the Tour of Britain last week, but spent much of the race in the shadows.

Evenepoel spent the week hunting world championship form and piloting his rising teammate Paul Magnier to a breakout hat-trick of stage wins.

“It was a matter of building up and getting back into it,” Evenepoel said of his low-key ride through Britain. “I couldn’t do more than that.”

20-year-old Magnier was touted for big things as soon as he joined Soudal Quick-Step this winter.

The fast Frenchman lived up to the hype by winning the points jersey of the “Baby Giro” this summer and went one level higher by scooping three sprint wins in five days last week in Britain.

Magnier was a favorite for the final fast finish Sunday until he crashed out and was later diagnosed with concussion.

Evenepoel now heads back to his training base in Spain to fine-tune his engine for the time trial and road race in Zurich later this month.

“I just have to improve everything and get better,” Evenepoel said. “Going on an altitude training camp is not an option. I will be training at sea level.”

Hirschi hoovers a hat trick in Italy, Kooij confirms in Hamburg

Marc Hirschi sent Swiss hopes sky-high Sunday by winning his third straight one-day race at the Tuscan GP Industria & Artigianato.

UAE Team Emirates’ prime puncheur is on a tear this summer with a GC win at the Czech Tour and blockbuster victories at the WorldTour-rated Clásica San Sebastián and Bretagne Classic / GP Plouay.

The 26-year-old Swissman races a handful more times this month before he will take a top-favorite status for the Zurich road race.

Hirschi also has a shot at history later this month with the chance to be the first home winner of a world championship road race since Alessandro Ballan won the bands in Varese in 2008.

Meanwhile, Olav Kooij – who’s not racing the hilly world championships but does line up alongside Mathieu van der Poel this weekend at the Euros – beat back a who’s-who of sprinters at Hamburg’s Bemer Cyclassics.

The 22-year-old topper left Jonathan Milan, Biniam Girmay, Jasper Philipsen and many more in his wheeltracks for his eighth win of 2024 to confirm his status as the fastest-rising speedster in pro cycling.