Team SD Worx has eleven delegates present to defend their country’s colours in the various disciplines of the super world cycling championships in Glasgow. With Lotte Kopecky, Demi Vollering and Lorena Wiebes, Team SD Worx has some of the favourites for the world road title. Marlen Reusser hopes to become time trial world champion this time after three honorary medals. In their favoured disciplines, the Team’s riders will be chasing the coveted rainbow jersey.
Belgium: Lotte Kopecky (27)
After finishing second and winning the green jersey in the Tour de France Femmes, Lotte Kopecky flew from Bordeaux straight to Glasgow. The 27-year-old Belgian is combining track and road at this super World Championships. On Sunday, she was immediately successful and extended her world title in the elimination. Her programme still includes the points race, the omnium and the road race. The world road title is her big goal. After her second place last year at the World Championships in Wollongong, she is now the favourite for the rainbow jersey. In preparation for this, she rode races with the men’s juniors in order to prepare herself for the many twists and turns on the local circuit in Glasgow. She hopes to exploit her explosiveness from the track and to come home a champion.
Great Britain: Anna Shackley (22)
For no one is this more of a home race than for Anna Shackley. The 22-year-old Scot was born in Milgnovie, a suburb of Glasgow. Her training roads have now become the setting for the biggest one-day race in the world. There, she has a chance of winning the U23 world title. “To ride a World Championships in our own city is going to be super special. It’s a tough course. It’s like a big criterium where it will be continuous acceleration. For me, Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes are the top favourites for the world title.” Shackley will ride the mixed relay on Tuesday and the road race on Sunday.
Italy: Elena Cecchini (31)
Elena Cecchini is riding her twelfth World Championship for Italy. Cecchini is considered a road captain at Team SD Worx and also fulfils that role for Italy. She will be in action in the road race and will try to assist Elisa Balsamo, or Silvia Persico to the world title. She is strong at positioning, which could help the Italian team on the circuit in Glasgow.
Italy: Barbara Guarischi (32)
Barbara Guarischi will travel to Glasgow for the road race. The Italian selection still has one name too many, therefore someone will be designated as a reserve. Consequently, it is not yet clear whether Guarischi will be in action in Scotland.
The Netherlands – Mischa Bredewold (23)
Mischa Bredewold has ridden a strong first year with Team SD Worx. She was an important part of the team that took the Tour win this year. For that, she is rewarded with a first selection at the World Championships on the road for the elites with the Netherlands. In a serving role, she will try to assist the leading women to have a shot at the world title with the Netherlands.
The Netherlands – Demi Vollering (26)
Another top favourite for the world title, Demi Vollering overwhelmingly won the Tour de France Femmes. With the 2023 yellow jersey dream achieved, she will now go for a jersey with rainbow stripes. Both the time trial and the road race are on her programme. Last year, she was already a contender for the world title race in Wollongong, Australia, but missed that World Championships because she contracted a Covid infection. After the Tour, she enjoyed a few days off with her family, before setting her sights on Glasgow. On Monday, she travelled to join the Dutch selection. In both the time trial and the road race, she is certainly among the contenders for the world title.
The Netherlands – Lorena Wiebes (24)
Lorena Wiebes has also made the World Championships one of her main goals. The European champion will ride the mixed relay and the road race. Wiebes proved to have made strides in 2023 and has become a more complete rider. In Glasgow, she would like to trade her European jersey for that of the World Champion. She anticipates a course where she can unleash her explosiveness. Lorena has no lack of motivation, after she had to leave the Tour de France Femmes early with stomach problems.
Switzerland: Marlen Reusser (31)
In the absence of the pregnant reigning World Champion Ellen van Dijk, Marlen Reusser is considered the top favourite for the time trial world title. She faces competition from a reborn Chloe Dygert (United States) and Demi Vollering (Netherlands). The Swiss won two time trials at WorldTour level in 2023 ahead of her teammate Demi Vollering. In the last three World Championships, she was invariably on the podium. 2023 could be the year she grabs the rainbow jersey individually for the first time. Last year, she successfully became World Champion in the mixed relay with Switzerland. She hopes to successfully defend that title on Tuesday. On Sunday, she concludes her World Championships with the road race.
New Zealand: Niamh Fisher-Black (22)
Niamh Fisher-Black will be in action for the first time after her performance at the Giro Donne. The New Zealand rider became the first ever U23 World Champion in Wollongong. However, the New Zealander is just short of defending that title, as she turns 23 a day before the road race. She hopes to give herself a nice birthday present with a good performance in the streets of Glasgow.
Hungary: Blanka Vas (21)
Blanka Vas is a multi-talent. Back in 2021, she finished fourth at the Olympic mountain bike competition and later that year also fourth at the elite World Road Championships in Leuven. In 2023, she confirmed her status as a talented road rider by taking two WorldTour victories in the Tour de Suisse and the Giro Donne. The 21-year-old Hungarian will compete in the mountain bike cross country U23 in Glasgow on Friday, hoping to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris. On Sunday, she will ride the road race, where she would also qualify for the U23 world title. She will be taking on a course that is fast and explosive in both disciplines.
Luxembourg: Christine Majerus (36)
Christine Majerus has the assistance of the two talented Luxembourg riders, Marie Schreiber and Nina Berton in the Luxembourg selection. Majerus rode a strong stage race in an assist role at the last Tour de France Femmes and is now hoping for a great result herself in the road race in Glasgow. She also trained with the men’s juniors in Luxembourg on twisty circuits to prepare for the braking and accelerating required on the World Cup course in Glasgow.
Luxembourg: Marie Schreiber (20)
Marie Schreiber is riding her first road World Championships. The young Luxembourg rider will mainly gain experience at the highest level. She also rides the road race as an U23 qualifier.
Track
Lotte Kopecky (Belgium, elimination, points race, omnium)
Mixed-relay
Anna Shackley (Great Britain)
Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands)Marlen Reusser (Switzerland)
Cross-country mountain bike U23
Blanka Vas (Hungary)
Time trial
Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
Marlen Reusser (Switzerland)
Road race elite
Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
Mischa Bredewold (Netherlands)
Demi Vollering (Netherlands)
Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands)
Christine Majerus (Luxembourg)
Elena Cecchini (Italy)
Niamh Fisher-Black (New Zealand)
Marlen Reusser (Switzerland)
Barbara Guarischi (reserve Italy)
Road race elite (U23)
Anna Shackley (Great Britain)
Marie Schreiber (Luxembourg)
Blanka Vas (Hungary)
OVERVIEW PER RIDER
Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
Elimination
Points race
Omnium
Road race
Anna Shackley (Great-Britain)
Mixed relay
Road race elite (U23)
Mischa Bredewold (The Netherlands)
Road race
Demi Vollering (The Netherlands)
Individual Time Trial
Road race
Lorena Wiebes (The Netherlands):
Mixed Relay
Road race
Christine Majerus (Luxembourg)
Road Race
Marie Schreiber (Luxembourg)
Road race elite (U23)
Blanka Vas (Hungary)
Crosscountry mountainbike U23
Road race elite (U23)
Elena Cecchini (Italy)
Road race
Barbara Guarischi (Italy) (?)
Reserve for the road race
Niamh Fisher-Black (New-Zealand)
Road race
Marlen Reusser (Switzerland)
Mixed Relay
Individual time trial
Road race
