Kopecky continues ascent with home Flanders win

Belgian national champ on Classic form

Lotte Kopecky confirmed her status as a national hero in Belgium as she became the first Belgian woman to win the Tour of Flanders in more than 10 years. The home crowd erupted as she outsprinted Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) and SD Worx team-mate Chantal van den Broek-blaak on Sunday.

In a dynamic that was reminiscent of the men’s race hours earlier Kopecky doggedly stuck to the wheel of superior climber van Vleuten over the final ascents of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg.

“I don’t realise it yet. I just won the race of my dreams,” Kopecky said at the finish. She revealed the team’s DS had told her to force van Vleuten to the front in the closing stages but she ignored the call, leaning on van den Broek-blaak to work and lead out the sprint. “I assumed my own strength. I had beaten Annemiek on her terrain, on mine I believed she would not beat me,” the Belgian national champion said.

Sunday’s win and her victory at Strade Bianche, also against van Vleuten, confirmed the trajectory that Kopecky has been on seems to have reached its height now she has signed for the strong SD Worx team.

Her Dutch rival rued the fact that the race had not been tough enough to allow her to distance the faster finisher Kopecky. “After the Paterberg, I knew my chances, my options, were running out,” she said.

“For me, the race in the middle part was not raced as hard. We arrived at the Koppenberg with too big a group.”

She added that she needed other teams to work for a similar goal but that did not happen. “I cannot blame myself for something. It’s not like when I go back and watch the race tonight I will say that I lost it somewhere.

“The further we get to Liège and Flèche, the more it’s in my favour.”

“I don’t believe it yet – I just won the race of my dreams”