Top Ten Finish for Justine Ghekiere at the UCI Road World Championships

Top Ten Finish for Justine Ghekiere at the UCI Road World Championships

On Saturday, September 28, AG Insurance – Soudal rider Justine Ghekiere delivered an impressive performance at the UCI Road World Championships for women. On a challenging 154,1 kilometer course, starting in Uster and featuring a grueling circuit around Zurich, Justine completed a remarkable race in harsh weather conditions.

The course, which was tackled four times and included a total of 2,384 meters of elevation gain, demanded the utmost from the riders. With around 100 kilometers to go, Justine launched an attack. In cold and rainy conditions, she managed to break open the race and maintain a high pace. At 42 kilometers from the finish, she attacked again, this time with Dutch rider Riejanne Markus. The two worked excellently together and managed to hold on until 18 kilometers before the finish, where the top favorites rejoined them.

With ten kilometers to go, it was Lotte Kopecky who made the decisive attack, ultimately securing the gold medal in a sprint finish. Justine, who had given her all in a tough battle, crossed the line in seventh place.

After the race, Justine said, “I panicked for a moment when I couldn’t see Lotte anymore and thought I might have to try to finish it myself. They shouted from the sidelines that Lotte was dropped, so I thought, ‘That can’t be.’ I was already on my limit, but then luckily, Lotte came back. Today was simply beyond expectations, and it felt like I had ten lives. The hardest part was at the beginning of the race, with 200 riders still in the bunch. I told myself to stay at the front and keep an eye on every orange jersey. I am extremely happy with today’s performance. When I crossed the finish line and saw that Lotte had won, I was so relieved and happy. It was cold and wet, so now I’m really looking forward to a hot shower.”