Kopecky defends women’s cycling road race world title

ZurichcTypeface:> Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky won back-to-back cycling world titles on Saturday in the women’s road race overshadowed by the previous day’s death of young Swiss rider Muriel Furrer. Kopecky prevailed in a sprint finish of the 154 kilometres race on another wet day in Zurich ahead of American Chloé Dygert and Elisa Longo-Borghini of Italy. Kopecky then paid tribute to Furrer who died at age 18 in a Zurich hospital of head injuries sustained in a crash during the junior road race on Thursday. "There’s a kind of disbelief, but first of all I want to pay my condolences to the family of Muriel,” Kopecky said. "I think the minute of silence at the start, seeing the Swiss riders crying, is something you just don’t want to see. This is also for Muriel.” The victory ceremony was stripped down to the bare minimum, with no national anthem played and flags flown at half mast. The championships are completed on Sunday with the men’s road race where Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel can complete an extraordinary double-double of time trial and road race golds at the Paris Olympics and Zurich worlds but faces Giro d’Italia and Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia. (dpa)