There was no mistaking Lotte Kopecký's frustration. With key sprint rivals such as Elisa Balsamo (ITA) and Marianne Vos (NL) falling, and given the composition of the 12-man lead group, Kopecký had every reason to think she could gain an advantage in the sprint.

And while she won the sprint, it was not a sprint to victory. The injured Annemiek van Vleuten (NL), unexpectedly the domestique, was the star of the show when she launched a late attack, narrowly holding off a sprint group and crossing the line just ahead of Kopecky for the win. As Van Vleuten crossed the finish line with a look of disbelief on his face, Kopecky was in second place, pounding the bar in frustration.

"It actually hurt a little bit," Kopecký said in a post-race media conference. 'I was so close to the world title, and second place just wasn't enough.'

After a powerful start to the season with a tenacious victory over Van Hulten at Strade Bianche, a Tour of Flanders win, a Vuelta a Burgos stage win, and the Belgian title, Kopecky's steady stream of first place finishes came to a came to a halt. There were still plenty of podiums to go around, but the pinnacle was not reached, and perhaps winning a silver medal in the 164.3-km road race was more difficult to achieve.

Kopecký left the Belgian team, which he felt was "super bad" at the Tour de France Fam, and wondered for a while whether he should come to the road world championships. But after taking a break and getting back on track at the European track championships (where she won gold in both the points and elimination races), she raised her hand again for the world championships.

The 2,433-meter elevation gain was perfectly suited for Kopecky, a 26-year-old sprint and climbing talent. In particular, the short, sharp Mount Pleasant climb, repeated six times on the urban circuit, was sure to separate her from many of the faster finishers and leave her with an advantage.

In addition, Kopecky took on the World Championship time trial for the first time and finished a respectable ninth.

"Annemiek picked the perfect time. We couldn't react fast enough, but she came from behind at speed and it was a very smart, quick attack."