Wollongong's hidden gems: the best spots to eat

 Lotte Kopeckys world time trial champion in Wollongong

After the arrival, she didn't even seem tired. Lotte Kopecky rode the time trial in function of the road Wollongong race, looking for a stimulus. 

That incentive was more than fine. The ninth place in her first Wollongong Championship time trial with the elite was quite unexpected. “My time trial bike usually stays in the garage.”

A podium place? “Unfeasible.” The top ten? “I don't want to put a result on it. I mainly ride the time trial in function of the road Wollongong race. We'll see where the ship runs aground," Lotte Kopecky said beforehand. The ship ran aground quite far.

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 Kopecky sat in the hot seat for a long time - she hadn't planned that - and even seemed to dream of a top eight for a while. It eventually became ninth place, albeit more than a minute from the podium. “

I had looked at the list of participants on Saturday evening and secretly I was hoping for ten, so I'm really satisfied. Especially because I haven't trained on the time trial bike after an hour of free riding after the past few weeks. That time trial bike usually just stays in the garage," says Kopecky after her first World Championship time trial with the elite.

In 2014 Ann-Sophie Duyck finished fifth at the Wollongong Championships in Ponferrada. Can Kopecky improve on that if she did focus on time trial? “Right now my mind is not on that. I am a road racer, but also on the slopes and in the winter I sometimes ride crosses. That's a lot to focus on. If I would now also add time trialling, it might be too much of a good thing.

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 Moreover, the difference with the winner is still 1'50". To bridge that, a lot of time will have to creep in, but I'm glad I did this time trial. After the long journey and jet lag I still wanted my body let it run at full throttle and it worked fine.

Kopecky hoped for a good incentive for the road trip and she felt that incentive. “I had a good Wollongong feeling. In the beginning I feared that I had started too cautiously,

Indeed, when Kopecky just crossed the finish line in Wollongong, she didn't seem tired. "Correct. In the time trial you have to constantly flirt with the limit of acidification. I've stayed just below that line because I may not have that experience on this kind of endeavor. I haven't ridden enough time trials yet because I know the feeling, but I only have a positive feeling about this time trial.”

Tiesj Benoot (28) should have driven his sixth World Championship with the pros in Wollongong as Wout van Aert's right hand, but a serious traffic accident at altitude training in Livigno decided otherwise. We caught up with Benoot in our World Cup team, as a columnist. "Evenepoel is also ready to become world champion."

At the World Time Trial Championships, Belgium has to make peace with a bronze medal for Remco Evenepoel. The other compatriot, teammate Yves Lampaert, eventually set the ninth fastest time on the difficult course in Wollongong. "Being the ninth in the world, then I can be satisfied", the 31-year-old West Fleming said afterwards.

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Ninth, I think I'm in the right place," says a sober Yves Lampaert. “I don't think I did my best time trial, especially in terms of wattages. It was tough for everyone. Being the ninth in the world, then I can be satisfied.”

Along the way, the strong wind also played a major role, according to Lampie: “We had already noticed in recent days that the wind really picks up here. One moment there is no wind, the next there is a lot of wind. That could definitely be the deciding factor for the winner. But all in all,

 Foss is a nice winner. Nobody had taken into account before, but he clearly drove a very strong race. He has already won the future round, then you are a great talent”, Lampaert sprinkled praise to the Norwegian winner. “It is a big surprise. For us, but I don't think he saw this coming either."

“I had the impression that I had started too soon. It seemed as if I fell silent afterwards, but compared to others it was not that bad. That it wasn't my best time trial is just the shape of the day. I may not have had the best preparation either. I've had better time trials", the West Fleming puts it into perspective with a laugh.

Ellen van Dijk has won the World Time Trial Championships for the second year in a row. The Dutch beats home driver Grace Brown and European champion Marlen Reusser. Brown's time held for a long time, but Van Dijk is ultimately 12 seconds faster than the Australian. The Dutch conquers her 3rd world title. Favorite Annemiek van Vleuten disappointed

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The women kicked off the World Cycling Championships in Wollongong with the time trial. The same route was set out for the men and the women. It promised to be an exciting and tough race against the clock. The time trial specialists had to complete 34.2 kilometers and were presented with the Mount Ousley twice along the way. For some a gift, for others a culprit.

After the overall win in the Giro Donne, the Tour de France Femmes and the Vuelta, the Dutch Annemiek van Vleuten was looked at with suspicion. The course was tailored to the 39-year-old rider, but then she had to deal with the other time trial guns. Riders like Ellen van Dijk, Marlen Reusser and Grace Brown would not give it to her.

The latter set, loudly encouraged by the audience, a first good target time at the finish. Lotte Kopecky stranded at 1'37” from the Australian.

Grace Brown also dominated at the 2 intermediate points. Even climbing goat Annemiek van Vleuten could not sharpen Brown's time at the intermediate points on Mount Ousley. After her second pass, it became clear that an impressive season is taking its toll on the Dutchman. She had an off day in Wollongong.

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Brown held her breath for speed skaters Marlen Reusser and Ellen van Dijk. It soon became clear why, because the Australian saw her good time at the first intermediate point being swept away by Reusser. The Swiss quickly lost that best time to Van Dijk. This gave us tension in the battle for the world title.

At the 2nd intermediate point Ellen van Dijk completely smashed the opposition. She did 22 seconds better than Brown and then the Australian knew what time it was. Reusser dropped a bit in the second part and had to be content with a 3rd place.

Van Dijk still had to give up some time, but she had enough left to conquer the world title for the second year in a row. In Wollongong she wins the World Time Trial Championships for the 3rd time. Lotte Kopecky finishes in 9th place.

Vittoria Guazzini cleverly crowns herself as world champion among the promises.