Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) powered to victory on a tough, uphill drag to take the win on stage four of the Vuelta Femenina.

The bonus seconds also enabled her to take the overall race from Franziska Koch (FDJ United-SUEZ), who is now the runner-up, six seconds in arrears.

The stage was held on a short, hilly day between Monforte de Lemos and Antas de Ulla, and was well suited the powerful Belgian rider.

Kopecky has already finished second on two occasions in this race – and was yellow carded and relegated on one other – but now she has the stage win and the leader's red jersey.

Her SD Worx team made it a one-two on the stage too, with Anna van der Breggen finishing right behind her.

Speaking after the stage, Kopecky said: "We had to be patient; two times second, one time not so great, so… We really believed as a team that we could win, but we had to wait for it.

"It was the easiest stage [so far]," she said. "Some longer climbs but steady, but then this final was really hard. One moment I really thought that we weren't going to catch the break. Then the pace went so high and in the final three kilometres it was attack after attack. But my team-mates were just on fire and they could respond to all of them. I just had to jump from wheel to wheel and in the end we were in the perfect position.

Of her new position as GC leader she added: "It's really nice to wear the red jersey but we're hunting for victories… we passed the intermediate sprint and I saw Franziska going for it and I thought ah, that's two seconds more [Koch was third and gained two seconds]. But I knew if I won the stage I'd win the red jersey so we focused on that."

The day – a short one at just 115.6km – followed a familiar pattern with two riders going clear early on, on the first of two climbs. Annalies Nijssen (Lotto-Intermarché) and Marine Allione (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) were joined by Lauretta Hanson (Lidl-Trek) and Marta Jaskulska (Human Powered Health) not long afterwards. The quartet drew out an advantage of three-and-a-half minutes, where it stayed for much of their tenure, only coming down as the day's second classified climb – the Alto do Hospital – approached.

The peloton kept up a persistent but steady pace and the breakaway survived over the top, eventually splintering with the survivors Hanson and Jaskulska powering on towards the finish. As Kopecky herself admitted, it looked touch and go at one stage, but the pair were finally caught with 2.5km to go. Then it was down to Kopecky and SDWorx-Protime to finally do what they came here to do.

Results

Vuelta Femenina 2026, stage 4: Monforte de Lemos > Antas de Ulla

1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime, 115.6km in 3:07:11
2. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
3. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco
4. Shari Bossuyt (Bel) AG Insurance-Soudal
5. Franziska Koch (Ger) FDJ United-SUEZ
6. Sarah Van Dam (Can) Visma-Lease a Bike
7. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar
8. Arlenis Sierra (Cub) Movistar
9. Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (Pol) Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto
10. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ, all at same time

General Classification after stage 4

1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel), SD Worx-Protime, in 12:10:46
2. Franziska Koch (Ger), FDJ United-SUEZ, +6s
3. Cédrine Kerbaol (Fra), EF Education-Oatly, +12s
4. Anna van der Breggen, SD Worx-Protime, +20s
5. Sarah van Dam (Can), Visma-Lease a Bike, +22s
6. Évita Muzic (Fra), FDJ United-SUEZ, at s.t.
7. Loes Adegeest (Ned), Lidl-Trek, +24s
8. Liane Lippert (Ger), Movistar, +26s
9. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike
10. Paula Blasi (Esp), UAE Team ADQ, both at s.t.

It's Paris-Roubaix with hard, hard hills; a Grand Tour gravel epic on steroids; it's an Ardennes Classic with off-road elements. It's Strade Bianche, and once again it looks set to be a thriller.

It's a race with so many tasty ingredients that many feel it ought to join the list of Monuments that sit at the top of the one-day racing tree.

Both men's and women's races run on the same day, Saturday 7 March, and will feature some of cycling's biggest names. This year's races feature a slightly shorter course and, in the case of the men's event, significantly less gravel with the hope of producing a more competitive event – Tadej Pogačar has one the last two editions with long solo attacks.

Here are a few things we're really looking forward to this weekend, at what will be the second big European Classic of the season. We are salivating at the prospect already.

King vs Pretender: Paul Seixas takes on Tadej Pogačar

The ruler must now face the young pretender. Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will go into the race as favourite, but as many eyes will surely be on French upstart Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CRG), who has been making waves already this season with a series of impressive wins that bely his 19 years.

Neither rider's recent results on paper tell the whole story, for Slovenia's Pogačar has yet to turn a pedal in anger this year and we have little concrete indication of his form. In the case of Seixas – he only took his first pro victory a fortnight ago, and that was at .Pro level – a WorldTour race like Strade Bianche is a step up.

In reality though, we can all be forgiven for presuming when it comes to Tadej Pogačar. The past two seasons have seen him imperious and almost unbeatable in races like this, not to mention he won Strade Bianche in both of those years. As for Seixas, it is his young age and the panache with which he has taken his two wins this season – in particular the one-day Faun Ardèche, where he won solo from long range with a 1:48 gap – that demand we take notice.

Speaking on this week's Watts Occurring podcast with Geraint Thomas, Seixas's DS at Decathlon CMA CGM Luke Rowe had this to say about him:

"He's legit. In the meeting before the race, that's what he said he was going to do. And if you look at the guys he rode off his wheel, if you look at the top 10… they're legit guys. This guy [Seixas] is special… 'F*** me, he's special. He's super professional, lovely bloke – just down to earth. He's still a kid, he's just a jolly kid riding his bike. He doesn't think about the consequences, he just goes and races. He just wants to win everything, smash everyone… he's a special guy."

With a near-190km distance and 11 classified climbs, the Faun Ardèche was not so different to Strade Bianche, minus the strength-sapping white roads, of course. The chances of him riding away from the entire field at Tuscany are slim, but it will be fascinating to watch him go toe to toe with the very best, and on the biggest of stages.

Will Demi Vollering and Lotte Kopecky extend their streak?

The past four editions of the women's race – the Strade Bianche Donne – have seen the spoils shared between Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez). These are arguable the two best riders in the women's peloton and Strade Bianche offers up the perfect platform where either of these riders, with their own particular abilities, can win. Since Kopecky's first win in 2022, they've taken it in turns, with Vollering the current defending champion.

Both women return again, with Dutchwoman Vollering looking in great form following a run of great results at the Setmana Valenciana – where she took two stages and the overall win; and Omloop Nieuwsblad – which she won. Kopecky, on the other hand, suffered a mechanical at Omloop, which is her one race so far this season, and was unable to capitalise on what she said were good feelings.

Vollering and Kopecky are unlikely to have things all their own way of course – see below for some of the other riders who have the ability to challenge for the win at Strade Bianche Donne.

Shorter, smoother, more open, but still brutal

The organiser of Strade Bianche, RCS, has shortened the course for both men and women, and taken gravel sectors out, with the aim of making the race more open. For the men, the distance is reduced from from 215 to 205km, and, in the men's race, removed two-and-a-half sectors of sterrati, bringing the amount of gravel in the event down by 18km. There is less removed in the women's race on both counts, with the distance reduced by just three kilometres to 133km. Two sectors of sterrati have also been removed in the early stages, making for a 16km reduction.

It feels like this was done with half an eye on Pogačar more than anything else, perhaps to rein in those long-range attacks that have become his trademark and can have the effect of nullifying a race after little more than the halfway mark, in extreme cases. However, the changes have been made in the first half, with the tough and hilly finale left in.

Challengers to the throne

Strade Bianche is about far more than just Tadej Pogacar and Paul Seixas, or Demi Vollering and Lotte Kopecky. In the men's event, Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) will be taking the start. The Brit won the race in 2023 and has been among the best of the rest behind Pogačar in the two races since – last year, in fact, he was second. Pidcock loves this race and will be lining up with nothing on his mind but winning.

The provisional startlist also features Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), he of the impressive breakaways at last year's Tour de France; Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), who pushed Pogacar hard in another hilly Classic – Il Lombardia – last year; and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), who will be looking forward to turning the tables on a run of recent bad luck.

In the women's race, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) heads up the challenge from riders whose surname is not Vollering or Kopecky. She has come second here three times (the last time being 2018) but the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner is still more than capable of winning the race. A recent second at Omloop suggests she's in great form.

Elsewhere Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) will make her season debut here. Her third place here last year – not to mention the fact she is the reigning Tour de France Femmes champ – suggests she is well capable of winning on the right day. Finally, Shirin van Anrooij will head up the Lidl-Trek squad. The young Dutch rider is yet to amass many wins but has a previous fifth place here (2024).

Lotte Kopecky has said 'the racing season only really starts with the Omloop Nieuwsblad" as she prepares to make her season debut at Opening Weekend.

The SD Worx-Protime rider, a former winner at Omloop, revealed her spring schedule on Thursday, which concludes with a first appearance since 2022 at the Vuelta España Femenina.

The former world champion will ride Strade Bianche, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Nokere Koerse, Milan-San Remo, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, and then Paris-Roubaix Femmes.

A European champion on the track, she will then head to the UCI World Cup in Hong Kong in April, before appearing back on the road at Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes. She will then tackle the Vuelta in May.

"I've had a trouble-free winter. The signs are good, but this is the first real test. It's only in competition that you know how the level compares," Kopecky said in a press release.

"I'm really looking forward to starting the season. During training camp, I was counting down the days until I could race again. Maybe it's a bit old school, but for me, the racing season only really starts with the Omloop Nieuwsblad.

"Without wanting to detract from the Tour Down Under, UAE Tour or Valencia, for the average racing fan, this is the real start. At the Omloop, it's really all about the big prizes."

"I've always preferred the Classics period," she continued. "Even though I have other goals in the summer, I always think it's important to have a good spring. Just as you need a good winter to be good in the spring, a strong Classics campaign is often the basis for success in the summer. Then you're in the right flow."

Last year, Kopecky went all in on a GC bid for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, that was derailed by knee and lower back pain, and she has ruled out a repeat. She still won the Tour of Flanders for a third time, but it was a mixed 2025; this year, she seems back on track.

"Compared to last year, I will be able to start my season feeling much better," Kopecky said. "It was a winter without too many incidents. I was able to do what I wanted: I completed some great training camps with lots of training hours. The tests were good, although that doesn't fully reflect the race rhythm. But the signs are positive and that gives me confidence to start the season.

"I don't really have one particular race that I absolutely want to win this season. I prefer to go into every race with an open mind. I want to see how the race unfolds, where opportunities arise and where I can force things. The advantage of our team is that we can often play different cards. If you don't necessarily start with the best legs, you don't have to worry because your teammates can finish it off for you."

Saturday 28 February

Men’s
Distance: 207.2km
Start: 10:05 Finish: 14:50 (GMT)

Women’s
Distance: 137.2km
Start: 12:35 Finish: 16:20 (GMT)

Omloop Nieuwsblad is the start of the Classics, one part of Opening Weekend. It heralds the full-on racing season, and the cobbled one-day events which are to come.

The race forms part of a double-header across the weekend, with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne following on the Sunday for the men, and Omloop van het Hageland for the women.

This is the 81st edition of the men's race, and the 21st of the women's, so it has some serious pedigree. Here's everything you need to know for the 2026 race.

Five things to watch out for

1. A sprinter’s race?

The men’s edition of Omloop last year finished in a sprint for the first time since 2021; it is the kind of race which seems to either have a solo winner or quite a large bunch in Ninove. With less of the relentless climbing that other Classics have, it could be a race which favours a rider like Biniam Girmay or Jasper Philipsen.

2. Dutch dominance

Five of the last seven women’s races have been won by the Netherlands; no particular surprise when you think of the Dutch dominance of women’s racing. If there’s a solo attack this year, you’d pin your hopes on Demi Vollering, while if it’s a sprint, Lorena Wiebes seems unbeatable. The record might well be extended.

3. British hopes

The list of top competitors for Omloop is peppered with Union Flags. Cat Ferguson, two-time victor this season already, is a serious contender in a selective sprint, while Tom Pidcock will be looking to beat his previous best result of fifth. That isn’t it though, with Anna Henderson, Matthew Brennan and Fred Wright all down to race.

4. Kuurne time

The younger sibling of Opening Weekend is Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, which takes place on the Sunday. It’sa 1.Pro race, so not all the big stars will turn out, but those that do will fight hard. It is the ultimate opportunity for someone to make up for a disappointing Saturday, if they have the legs. For the women, Omloop van het Hageland provides the same opportunity.

5. Classics narrative

Omloop is just five weeks out from the peak of the Classics season at the Tour of Flanders, followed a week later by Paris-Roubaix, and it might be Opening Weekend, but things that happen here have an impact throughout the rest of the season. If Mathieu van der Poel or Vollering win, then they will increase their favourite status. If there are surprise performances from unheralded riders, then they will be marked for the next few races. Anything could happen, and this is the start.

Focus on Muur van Gerrardsbergen

Omloop Nieuwsblad effectively runs as a mini-Tour of Flanders, but doesn’t include the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg triple. Instead, it uses the old Flanders one-two finish of the Muur van Gerrardsbergen followed by the Bosberg.

The race will be decided on these cobbled climbs, even if there is a lone attacker at this point. De Muur is an iconic climb, and might only be 6.8% over 910 metres, but always has a say in Omloop. Whoever is first to the chapel at the top might just win the race.

How to watch

How to watch

It is on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, accessible via a TV package or a Discovery+ subscription. In the US, it's on FloBikes. Check out our full how to watch guide for more.

Last year's podium

Last year’s podium

Men

1. Søren Wærenskjold (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
2. Paul Magnier (Fra) Soudal Quick-Step
3. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Decuninck

Women

1. Lotte Claes (Bel) Lotto Intermarché
2. Aurela Nerlo (Pol) Winspace Orange Seal
3. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime

Riders to watch

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling) ****

The double-Olympic mountain bike champion has never finished higher than fifth at Omloop, but will be a well-marked rider given his ability to attack from the front. If he gets a clear run from the Muur, he will be hard to drag back.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) *****

Somehow, Vollering has never won Omloop. Last year, she was the best of the rest as a surprise breakaway made it to the finish. She will surely be attempting to make up for missed opportunities. Expect her to try and attack from far out and solo away.

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) *****

The Dutch sprinter’s record is verging on outrageous. Wiebes essentially hasn’t lost a bunch sprint since 2024, and if it does come down to a large group in Ninove, betting against her would be like betting against it raining in the UK at the moment. Her SD Worx team will try and keep the race together.

Biniam Girmay (NSN Pro Cycling) ***

Four years on from his watershed Gent-Wevelgem victory, Girmay is back in winning form, and he always seemed suited to the tough racing of the Classics. In a new team, NSN will be all-in to back their Eritrean superstar. Expect Lewis Askey to do a lot of work for him.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) ****

The Belgian is no longer world champion, but that will not make her any less marked. Free from targeting GC at stage races, Kopecky is free to do what she is best at, winning one-day races. Expect fireworks.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) *****

Making an appearance at Omloop for the first time is one of the best Classics riders of all time, Mathieu van der Poel. He is yet to race this season, but don't expect that to hold him back – he will be the hot favourite.

Startlist

Men's

*denotes unconfirmed team

Alpecin-Premier Tech
Edward Planckaert
Florian Sénéchal
Jasper Philipsen
Kaden Groves
Lennert Belmans
Mathieu van der Poel
Tobias Bayer

Bahrain Victorious
Alec Segaert
Attila Valter
Kamil Gradek
Matej Mohorič
Pau Miquel
Robert Stannard
Vlad Van Mechelen

Burgos Burpellet BH
Alexandre Mayer
César Macias
Clément Alléno
Daniel Cavia
Georgios Bouglas
Josh Burnett
Vojtěch Kmínek

Cofidis
Alex Kirsch
Alexis Renard
Dylan Teuns
Hugo Page
Jenthe Biermans
Piet Allegaert
Stanisław Aniołkowski

Decathlon CMA CGM
Oliver Naesen
Oscar Chamberlain
Rasmus Søjberg Pedersen
Sander De Pestel
Stan Dewulf
Stefan Bissegger
Tobias Lund Andresen

EF Education-EasyPost
Colby Simmons
Kasper Asgreen
Luke Lamperti
Marijn van den Berg
Mikkel Frølich Honoré
Noah Hobbs
Vincenzo Albanese

Flanders Baloise
Dylan Vandenstorme
Michiel Lambrecht
Milan Lanhove
Siebe Deweirdt
Victor Vercouillie
Vincent Van Hemelen
Ward Vanhoof

Groupama-FDJ United*
Axel Huens
Bastien Tronchon
Clément Russo
Cyril Barthe
Johan Jacobs
Thibaud Gruel
Valentin Madouas

Ineos Grenadiers
Artem Shmidt
Ben Swift
Ben Turner
Kim Heiduk
Magnus Sheffield
Michał Kwiatkowski
Samuel Watson

Jayco Alula
Amaury Capiot
Anders Foldager
Dries De Bondt
Dries De Pooter
Jelte Krijnsen
Kelland O'Brien
Robert Donaldson

Lidl-Trek
Albert Withen Philipsen
Edward Theuns
Mathias Vacek
Otto Vergaerde
Søren Kragh Andersen
Tim Torn Teutenberg
Toms Skujiņš

Lotto Intermarché
Arnaud De Lie
Cédric Beullens
Jenno Berckmoes
Luca Van Boven
Roel van Sintmaartensdijk
Sébastien Grignard
Vito Braet

Movistar
Carlos Canal
Filip Maciejuk
Iván García Cortina
Jon Barrenetxea
Manlio Moro
Orluis Aular
Roger Adrià

NSN Cycling
Biniam Girmay
Guillaume Boivin
Lewis Askey
Matis Louvel
Riley Sheehan
Ryan Mullen
Tom Van Asbroeck

Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling*
Aimé De Gendt
Brent Van Moer
Fred Wright
Frederik Frison
Kamil Małecki
Tom Pidcock
Xandro Meurisse

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
Arne Marit
Gianni Vermeersch
Jarrad Drizners
Jordi Meeus
Laurence Pithie
Mick van Dijke
Tim van Dijke

Soudal Quick-Step
Casper Pedersen
Dries van Gestel
Dylan van Baarle
Jasper Stuyven
Paul Magnier
Pepijn Reinderink
Yves Lampaert

Picnic PostNL
Frank van den Broek
Henri-François Renard-Haquin
John Degenkolb
Julius van den Berg
Sean Flynn
Timo de Jong
Timo Roosen

Visma-Lease a Bike
Axel Zingle
Christophe Laporte
Edoardo Affini
Matthew Brennan
Per Strand Hagenes
Pietro Mattio
Timo Kielich

TotalEnergies
Alexys Brunel
Anthony Turgis
Baptiste Vadic
Samuel Leroux
Sandy Dujardin
Thomas Bonnet
Thomas Gachignard

Tudor Pro Cycling*
Aivaras Mikutis
Luca Mozzato
Marco Haller
Matteo Trentin
Petr Kelemen
Rick Pluimers
Stefan Küng

UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Florian Vermeersch
Juan Sebastián Molano
Julius Johansen
Nils Politt
Rui Oliveira
Rune Herregodts
Tim Wellens

Unibet Rose Rockets
Joren Bloem
Karsten Larsen Feldmann
Lukáš Kubiš
Martijn Rasenberg
Matyáš Kopecký
Niklas Larsen
Tomáš Kopecký

Uno-X Mobility*
Carl-Frederik Bévort
Erik Nordsæter Resell
Jonas Abrahamsen
Markus Hoelgaard
Rasmus Tiller
Søren Wærenskjold
Sven Erik Bystrøm

XDS Astana*
Aaron Gate
Alberto Bettiol
Alessandro Romele
Arjen Livyns
Davide Ballerini
Lev Gonov
Mike Teunissen

Women's

*denotes unconfirmed team

AG Insurance - Soudal Team
Alana Castrique
Gladys Verhulst-Wild
Ilse Pluimers
Letizia Borghesi
Marthe Goossens
Shari Bossuyt

Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto
Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka
Anastasiya Kolesava
Chiara Consonni
Kasia Niewiadoma
Tiffany Cromwell
Zoe Bäckstedt

Citymesh Customm Pro Cycling Team*
Britt De Grave
Britt Knaven
Cleo Kiekens
Eline van Rooijen
Femke Van Goethem
Yonna van Dam

Cofidis
Kristýna Burlová
Malwina Mul
Marion Borras
Martina Alzini
Valentine Fortin
Victoire Berteau

EF Education-Oatly
Alexandra Volstad
Alexis Magner
Babette van der Wolf
Cédrine Kerbaol
Mirre Knaven
Nina Berton

FDJ United-SUEZ*
Demi Vollering
Elise Chabbey
Eva van Agt
Franziska Koch
Juliette Berthet
Vittoria Guazzini

Fenix-Premier Tech
Christina Schweinberger
Evy Kuijpers
Flora Perkins
Lotte Claes
Marthe Truyen
Millie Couzens

Human Powered Health
Daria Pikulik
Kathrin Schweinberger
Lily Williams
Maggie Coles-Lyster
Marta Jaskulska
Thalita de Jong

Laboral Kutxa Fundación Euskadi
Arianna Fidanza
Idoia Eraso
Irati Aranguren
Marjolein van 't Geloof
Naia Amondarain
Sara Fiorin

Lidl-Trek
Anna Henderson
Elisa Balsamo
Fleur Moors
Loes Adegeest
Margot Vanpachtenbeke
Shirin van Anrooij

Liv AlUla Jayco
Caroline Andersson
Jeanne Korevaar
Letizia Paternoster
Noa Jansen
Quinty Ton
Ruby Roseman-Gannon

Lotto Intermarché Ladies
Anna van Wersch
Katrijn De Clercq
Lani Wittervrongel
Lea Lin Teutenberg
Linda Riedmann
Marieke Meert

Ma Petite Entreprise*
Alison Avoine
Clémence Latimier
Ilona Rouat
Margot Marasco
Noémie Abgrall

Mayenne Monbana My Pie*
Allison Mrugal
Constance Valentin
Fiona Mangan
Justine Gegu
Kiara Lylyk
Natalie Quinn

Minimax Cycling Team*
Camilla Rånes Bye
Clara Lundmark
Émilie Fortin
Gwen Nothum
Katja Verkerk
Ursula Linden

Movistar
Arlenis Sierra
Aude Biannic
Carys Lloyd
Cat Ferguson
Liane Lippert
Sheyla Gutiérrez

Picnic PostNL
Audrey De Keersmaeker
Daniela Hezinová
Josie Nelson
Lucie Fityus
Mara Roldan
Mia Griffin

SD Worx-Protime
Anna van der Breggen
Elena Cecchini
Femke Markus
Lorena Wiebes
Lotte Kopecky
Mischa Bredewold

St Michel-Preference Home Auber93
Alicia Gonzalez
Alison Jackson
Caroline Wreszin
Clémence Chéreau
Elyne Roussel
India Grangier

UAE Team ADQ
Brodie Chapman
Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini
Elynor Bäckstedt
Karlijn Swinkels
Lara Gillespie
Megan Jastrab

Uno-X Mobility*
Alessia Vigilia
Ingvild Gåskjenn
Laura Tomasi
Linda Zanetti
Susanne Andersen
Teuntje Beekhuis

Visma-Lease a Bike*
Daniek Hengeveld
Imogen Wolff
Katharina Sadnik
Nienke Veenhoven
Rosita Reijnhout

VolkerWessels Cycling*
Amber van der Hulst
Anne Knijnenburg
Esmée Peperkamp
Maud Rijnbeek
Quinty Schoens
Sophie von Berswordt

Two-time road world champion Lotte Kopecky has already ruled out a tilt at next summer’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and instead hopes to target “as many Classics as possible”.

The SD Worx-Protime rider, who finished second at the Tour in 2023, returned to the race this July and placed 45th, in a season marred by knee and lower back pain.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly two days ahead of this year’s Tour, Kopecky relinquished her yellow jersey dream and said she was “just trying to get the GC out of my head”. The Belgian has now come to the same decision for next year’s race, still more than nine months out.

“I can already say that I'm not thinking about a Tour de France classification in 2026. I think I should mainly do what I love most,” Kopecky told Sporza at the Belgian Track Championships, where she won the omnium title.

“I do have a plan in mind. I'm thinking about the European Track Championships in early February. After that, I want to ride as many Classics as possible, and preferably win them."

Already a Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix winner, Kopecky skipped her usual opening Classics this year – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche – due to a persistent knee injury over the winter.

She returned to racing in late March, and went on to win a third Tour of Flanders, one of three victories this season, alongside the Belgian Time Trial Championships and a stage of the Tour Féminin International de l’Ardèche. She later withdrew from the French race after suffering a fractured vertebrae in a crash.

“I'm someone who does a lot by feeling. But last season I started working with a dietician and that was a big burden for me,” she said of her performances this year.

“Now the numbers came in and you expect huge changes. But they didn't happen. It was already too much mentally during the preparation.”

Kopecky’s appearance at last weekend's Belgian Track Championships came two months after her crash at the Tour de l’Ardèche. She chose to skip her UCI Road World Championships defence in September, and the UCI Track World Championships last month, which she said was “the best decision to give myself a rest and immediately think about next season”.

Casting her mind ahead to 2026, she said: “It's still a long way off, but I’m already looking forward to it.

“I hope to be back there in the spring. I'm really looking forward to what's to come, that's the most important thing.”

Lotte Kopecky will not defend her rainbow jersey at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda this month, it has been revealed, as Belgium announced their five-woman squad.

The Belgian, road race champion in 2023 and 2024, would have been one of the favourites in Kigali, but there will be no hat-trick for the 29-year-old. In her place, there will likely be a new world champion, although not if Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has anything to do with it.

"She had hoped for a turnaround in the final weeks, but now she's decided to skip the World Championships because she's not convinced she's 100% ready. It's largely a mental issue," national coach Ludwig Willems told WielerFlits.

"She made it known this week ... As a federation, we're not going to put pressure on Lotte to participate. She's already achieved so much, and we have far too much respect for her."

Kopecky has not her usual high level of success in 2025, winning twice, although one of those victories came at the Tour of Flanders in April. Comparatively, she won 15 races in 2023, and 16 in 2024, including the World Championships road race in both seasons.

A persistent knee issue over the winter derailed the world champion's early-year training, meaning she didn't start her season until San Remo Donne. Then, after aiming for success at the Giro d'Italia Women, she abandoned with lower back pain.

This then derailed her bid for GC success at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, where she finished 45th overall.

"We're grateful for what Lotte has achieved. But we have to give her time to recharge, rest, and take stock. Then we'll see a better version of Lotte in the foreseeable future," Willems said.

Kopecky is not the only rider to skip the World Championships, with Mathieu van der Poel, Matteo Jorgenson, Kristen Faulkner and Wout van Aert all missing.

Kopecky will return to competition at the Tour de l'Ardèche next week, and possibly will take part at the European Championships in early October. She will then focus on track racing, with the Track World Championships taking place in Santiago, Chile, at the end of the month.

The Belgian elite women's team set to compete at the road Worlds is: Marthe Goossens, Julie Van de Velde, Margot Vanpachtenbeke, Marieke Meerts, and Justine Ghekiere.

Lotte Kopecky was hard to miss over the last couple of years. Partly because often as not you'll see her around the front of any race she rides, and partly because she was wearing the rainbow bands of world champion.

Her palmarès is shot through with major victories, especially in the biggest one-day races but also in stage races too: Paris-Roubaix Femmes, the Tour of Flanders and Strade Bianche – she has ticked them all off and many more besides.

No longer world champion, Kopecky will be in trade kit in 2026 for the first time in years.

Somewhat introverted but also somewhat quirky, the Belgian has tried her hand at a few left-field endeavours in her time. Find out about those and more in our 21 things below.

1. Belgian born Lotte Kopecky is proud of her Czech heritage, which comes from her great-grandfather.

2. She is probably the best Classics rider in the world, with three Tour of Flanders wins, a Paris-Roubaix and two World Championships road races. She can also turn her hand to stage races and has a number in her palmarès, but can lose out on the biggest climbs.

3. She has her own clothing line, LoKo, which is a wordplay on not just her name, but also the fact that she is just a little bit crazy from time to time. "People who know me know I'm sometimes a bit loco," she says.

4. As if to confirm the above claim, Kopecky was once seen to jump aboard a multi-seated 'beer bike' pedalled by fans, just for the fun of it.

5. Perhaps even more emphatically, last year at the UAE Tour she took some time out to get what is surely the best view of the place – by doing a tandem skydive.

6. Kopecky's cycling journey began aged nine, when she followed her brother into the youth cyclo-cross ranks.

7. Cycling was not her only sport though – she loved to play football and was also keen on basketball, skiing and gymnastics.

8. While she is possibly best known globally for her road racing endeavours, Kopecky remains a talented cross-discipline rider, winning the elimination and points races at last year's European Track Championships, and a silver medal at last year's World Cyclo-Cross Championships.

9. Continuing that theme, she has ridden the past three Olympic Games, mixing up track and road. Her best result was a bronze medal in the Paris 2024 road race.

10. Kopecky's favourite race is her home one – the Tour of Flanders. She has won it a record three times, most recently this season, outsprinting Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Liane Lippert in Oudenaarde.

11. Having ridden in the pro ranks since she turned 18, she already has 11 seasons under her belt and is signed with SD Worx-Protime up until the end of 2028.

12. She currently coaches herself, having split with her previous trainer back in 2023.

13. Earlier this year she read a heartfelt message to her younger self as part of a campaign video for the Always period product brand. It addressed the idea of girls giving up sports in puberty and included the lines, "They've called you 'too much' so many times, haven't they? But… those things are what make you powerful, unstoppable, great."

14. Kopecky is one of the highest paid riders in the women's peloton, with reported estimates of a €900,000 annual salary.

15. In 2023 Kopecky and her family were devastated by the loss of her older brother Seppe to suicide. Just days afterwards, she paid homage to him by taking an emotional victory at the Nokere Koerse race.

16. A huge star in Belgium, she was voted the nation's sportswoman of the year in 2023, becoming the first cyclist ever to take the honour.

17. Kopecky has found that being such a big star comes with its downsides – such as everyone weighing in with an opinion. After the 2025 Classics season she spoke out on social media, saying: "I was really done with the opinions, high expectations, and really had the feeling I am just not good enough any more."

18. She has a golden retriever called Ollie.

19. 2022 was her breakthrough year. She had won the Tour of Belgium overall and a Vuelta stage the year before – plus some smaller races. But in '22 she announced herself loud and proud with victories in Strade Bianche and Ronde van Vlaanderen, plus second place at Paris-Roubaix and a silver in the World Championship road race.

20. Her win at the 2023 World Championship was historic – she became the first Belgian to achieve the feat in the women's event in 50 years. The last rider to have done so was Nicole van den Broeck in 1973.

21. Kopecky is nothing if not persistent. After finishing second in her national road championship four years in a row (2014-2017), she finally stood on the top step of the podium in 2020 and has won three further times since.

There’s a weightlessness about Lotte Kopecky as she plants herself into a wicker chair in the garden of her team hotel. Behind her, in the bay beside the Breton town of Vannes, boat masts sway gently in the wind. There’s little noise, save for the sound of water lapping against the hulls, and the faint joy of families playing on the small beach next door.

It’s a serene atmosphere, and with just two sleeps until the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, where Kopecky was expected to mount a GC bid, the world champion is calm, too. The pressure, she says, is off. The idea of winning the yellow jersey has been relinquished, at least for this year. And she is at peace with it.

“At this moment, I’m just trying to get the GC out of my head,” she tells Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. “The team is saying GC is, if we are really honest, quite a hard task. We just need to dare to say we let it go. We are here with a really strong team who can win a lot of stages, so I think it’s only fair to say that you just need to change cards and not put all the eggs in one basket.”

When Kopecky last rode the Tour, in 2023, she wore yellow for six days and finished second to her then SD Worx team-mate Demi Vollering. The following year, the Belgian placed runner-up at the Giro d’Italia Women, a result, she says, that was “confirmation” of her stage-racing credentials. “There were some thoughts and some possibilities.”

Already a bona fide Classics rider, this year’s Tour was set to be Kopecky’s breakthrough as a GC contender. But then the injuries took over. A persistent knee issue over the winter derailed the world champion's early-season training and, just two weeks ago, she abandoned the Giro with lower back pain.

Has she fully recovered for the Tour? “I hope so,” she laughs. “At the moment, it’s pretty good, but training and racing are two different things.

“I didn’t have the most easy season, let’s say. I had a really hard winter with the injury. Maybe [the back pain] is coming from the knee, having a little bit of a different position. I cannot say how it started. I just hope it disappears like it started.”

The doubt over her condition, and the hiccups in her preparation, mean Kopecky has now ruled out a targeted GC bid.

“You need to be fair with yourself and with your teammates,” she says. “I don’t want them to sacrifice or to ride everyday full gas for me, and I say after six days, ‘Sorry, but my back is hurting and I cannot do this.’ I also don’t want to disappoint them. It takes off a lot of pressure for me. I think, for this year, it’s the best thing to do.

“It is what it is now at the moment and I cannot change anything about it, so we’ll just try to make the best of it.”

What that involves is stage hunting, and as early as day one. The opening two stages in Brittany both finish on punchy, uphill drags – "they're perfect for me," Kopecky says. The focus will then turn to SD Worx-Protime's sprinter, Lorena Wiebes, who is primed for the flatter days three and four.

“We’re going to see day by day, but at this moment, I would be really happy to win a stage,” says Kopecky. “If I can, let’s say, win the first stage or the second one – we have to see – once the climbs are going up, for sure I’m really going to try to hang on and see where I can get. But that’s only on the fifth day. We have to wait. Let’s see.”

For now, Kopecky is relaxed and ready. Over her left shoulder, as Anna van der Breggen is about begin a television interview, the world champion dashes across and slaps her hands together in front of her team-mate's face.

The overall victory might be out of reach, but the playfulness is a sign it's time to have fun.

World champion Lotte Kopecky abandoned the Giro d'Italia Women ahead of stage six in order to recover for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

The SD Worx-Protime rider reportedly has lower back pain, but her team remain confident that she will be back to her best for the Tour, which begins on 26 July in Vannes.

The 29-year-old, who finished second at the Giro last year, lost time on the two mountain stages so far at this race, stage two to Aprica and stage four to Pianezze. This under-performance was due to that back issue, her team said.

“Lotte has pain in her lower back; that’s why things didn’t go as they should on the climbs. Under these circumstances, there was little point in going all-out on the finishing climb, and Lotte chose to take it easy," SD Worx sports director Danny Stam told Het Laatste Nieuws on Wednesday.

"Lotte Kopecky will not start tomorrow's sixth stage of the Giro d'Italia Women. The world champion is still experiencing some discomfort in her lower back. As a precaution ahead of the Tour de France Femmes, she is leaving the Giro d'Italia Women to take three to four days of complete rest," her team said in a statement on Thursday evening.

"According to the medical staff of Team SD Worx–Protime, the discomfort in her lower back should heal completely with a few days of rest. She will then be able to resume her preparations for the Tour de France Femmes as planned."

Kopecky had come into this race with the focus squarely on the Tour later this summer, which has been her big goal all season. The world champion has only won twice so far this year, at the Tour of Flanders and the Belgian national time trial championships.

"Kopecky will ride the Giro d’Italia in preparation for the Tour de France Femmes. The overall classification in France is her main goal," Stam said pre-race.

However, the Belgian has come close to results in this Giro, finishing second on the opening time trial, third behind teammate Lorena Wiebes on stage three, and fourth behind Wiebes on stage five.

SD Worx's Anna van der Breggen moved up to third overall on Thursday, 1:53 behind race leader Marlen Reusser (Movistar), ahead of three more hard stages in Italy.

18 teams are set to participate in the second edition of the Tour of Britain Women in June, with 12 Women's WorldTour squads set to headline the start list, British Cycling announced on Thursday afternoon.

According to a release from the national governing body, 108 riders will take part in what is set to be the largest field in the event’s history. SD Worx-Protime - the team of last year’s winner, Lotte Kopecky - are one of the 12 WorldTour teams set to race, along with FDJ-Suez and a host of other major teams.

As well as SD Worx and FDJ-Suez, the other teams from the top level of women’s professional cycling on the startlist are AG Insurance-Soudal, Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, Ceratizit, Lidl-Trek, Movistar, Picnic PostNL, Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team ADQ and Uno-X Mobility. All five of the British registered UCI Continental teams - Smurfit Westrock, Hess Cycling, Das Hutchinson, Handsling Alba Development and CJ O'Shea Racing are set to compete, along with EF Education-Oatly, and a Great Britain squad.

After racing in the last two editions of the race, UAE Team ADQ's Elynor Bäckstedt said she would relish the opportunity to race in front of the British crowds once more: "The UK crowds are incredible, seeing all the kids come out from schools to watch are so special.

"For us as a team it’ll be super important, the course is varied so there is an opportunity for everyone and it will be a great race for us to do and showcase to the world what the UK has to offer."

Taking place between 5 and 8 June, the race will take place in northern England and Scotland, with the southernmost point on the course being North Yorkshire. The final stage will be held in Glasgow on a city centre circuit.

"We are delighted to be bringing some of the world’s best teams and riders to our communities this June as a part of the UCI Women's WorldTour and to showcase the very best of their character and terrain on what will be four challenging stages," Jonathan Day, managing director of British Cycling Events, previously said.

"On behalf of British Cycling Events I would like to pay thanks to our partners across the four stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this summer's race and enabling us to bring another memorable and action packed four days of world class racing to their communities."

It was hard to escape Lotte Kopecky in Belgium on Sunday. The world champion was followed everywhere by one chant - “ohhhh Lotte Kopecky” - there were hats handed out with her name on them, she was tracked by adoring fans. She was on national news, still in her kit, two hours on from her victory.

"It was enormous,” she said post-race on Sporza. “Sometimes I think the other riders can't hear my name anymore. But it's fantastic."

The world champion delivered what the people wanted on Sunday, winning her third Tour of Flanders, a record at three, and proving once again that she’s the woman to beat in the Classics.

She stuck with the attacks on the Oude Kwaremont, forming a group of four Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), Liane Lippert (Movistar), and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), before out-sprinting the three inside the final 300m to make history.

“That [the record] doesn't mean that much,” Kopecky said post-race, however. “I am super happy that I was able to win today in the white jersey and white shorts. That means more to me than that third time."

Despite all her prowess, this was the SD Worx-Protime rider’s first win of the season, one which followed disappointment at Dwars door Vlaanderen last week, and leadout duties at both San Remo Women and Gent-Wevelgem, where her teammate Lorena Wiebes won.

Of Dwars, she said: That wasn't a nice feeling. That plays in your head and I had doubts. But I trusted my experience."

"Last year I also had a bad feeling in the Tour and I won Paris-Roubaix the week after,” she continued. Now I hope that there are more great races to come."

Kopecky is a champion, the winner of so many races, but it took a while for her to warm into the race. It was not a particularly attacking affair, with it taking a long time for the break to come back, with very few teams wanting to take charge. However, the Belgian was tenacious, and stuck with it, to taste victory again.

“This feels really good,” she said. “It was a crazy race, with a lot of crashes in the opening phase. That was really nervous. At first I didn’t have the best feeling, but I stayed calm and my legs started to feel better. Then I knew I had a good chance. Once we were four up, I was really confident about winning.”

“Mentally, the Kruisberg was a crucial moment, I felt that the group was getting thinner and thinner,” she continued, explaining her perfect race. “When we were four after the Kwaremont, I knew that I only had to survive the Paterberg. Then we could go to the finish with four. Then I knew that I could win again.”

Next up is Paris-Roubaix Femmes, and another shot at history, as the Belgian could become the first to win both races in the same season. No pressure.

Lotte Kopecky has hit back at “completely unnecessary” comments made by her former SD Worx-Protime teammate Demi Vollering, after the Dutchwoman said the pair had become evasive of each other.

In an interview with NRC last month, Vollering said that Kopecky “tried to avoid me a bit” during her final year with SD Worx-Protime. “She was more focused on herself,” said the 28-year-old, who has since signed for FDJ-Suez.

“I can understand that, with all the expectations they have of her in Belgium. But she was very focused on next year when I am no longer there.”

According to Vollering, the pair’s relationship came to a head at the Tour de Romandie in September, where they sprinted against each other on stage two, as they did at Strade Bianche in 2023. Vollering won the stage, but lost out on the overall to Kopecky by six seconds.

“I noticed that the communication was only one-sided. In Romandie we avoided each other a bit," the Dutchwoman told NRC. "Then I thought, 'Now it's just over.'"

Responding to Vollering’s comments in an interview with HLN, Kopecky said it was “completely unnecessary to start kicking people now”.

“I think Demi should remember that this team has given her a lot. Demi is a really good rider, but this team has brought her to where she is now and I hope she is very grateful for that and then she should show a bit more respect for that,” the world champion said.

This season, the two leaders competed together in eight races for SD Worx-Protime, seven of which came in the spring.

“Things didn’t go great for Demi,” Kopecky said of the early-season races. “She was fortunately able to make up for that in the Spanish races afterwards, but I think it’s not my fault that she didn’t perform well in the spring. Afterwards we rode separate programs. She aimed for the Tour, I for the Giro and the Games.”

Kopecky added that it was September’s Tour de Romandie where she believes “it went wrong for Demi”.

“Demi said she was aiming for the general classification and I also said I wanted to go for the overall victory,” the Belgian said, adding of the recent comments: "I think it's a shame that she makes these statements.”

“I've always had a good relationship with Demi,” Kopecky continued. “I hope that we can still treat each other with respect in the future, at least that is certainly the case for me. I hope that Demi will do that, too.”

There are a lot of demands on the new world champion. Endless media duties, television from all over the world, the podium, another press conference, signing rainbow jerseys, getting stopped for autographs and selfies, and even someone accosting you to join a video call on their phone. It doesn't end.

Lotte Kopecky is used to this though, as the best female rider in the world, and as someone who has already won the World Championships. It doesn't seem to faze her, she knows the drill. After her powerful attack to win the title in Glasgow last year, this time around the Belgian kept her powder dry, followed the right moves, and then launched her victorious sprint at the right time to defend the bands.

Perhaps surprisingly, it isn't that rare in elite women's cycling for the World Championships road race title to be defended by one rider. It has happened nine times in the race's history, including the three separate defences of her crown that Jeannie Longo made in the 1990s. This is a different era from then, though, even a different era from when Marianne Vos did the same in 2013, with a much deeper pool of potential winners, and a much more competitive race. It doesn't matter to Kopecky, who seems to thrive under the pressure.

"For me it was the perfect day again, so I can’t really say much more," she said post-race.

There was a moment where it looked like the 28-year-old might be dropped on a tough course, as two of her rivals in the leading group - Demi Vollering (Netherlands) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) - are ostensibly better climbers, and tried to take it to her on the ramps, while Liane Lippert (Germany) followed.

"Not really actually," Kopecky responded, however, when asked if she thought the race might slip away from her. "I had really hard moments on the climb where Elisa attacked, but I tried not to explode, because I knew it was quite far to the finish. I tried to come back at my own pace."

That she did, and once she was in the winning move, it seemed like there would only be one victor in a sprint. There was one moment of doubt when Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Australia) and Chloé Dygert (USA) returned, but the danger was quickly snuffed out.

"I was looking back but because of the weather I could only see the light of the motos, I could not see where they were or who was coming back," Kopecky said. "They attacked immediately, which you expect, but I don’t think it changed anything and maybe it was good that the speed was high."

She was helped by Justine Ghekiere, with the Tour de France Femmes stage winner spending time up front in the break to stretch the race, a ride which was invaluable.

"I think she was really important," Kopecky explained. "She was there in the break with two Dutch riders. It gave me the opportunity to stay calm in the bunch, and when there were five of us I didn’t have to do the majority of the work so that was really nice. When Elisa attacked I didn’t have the answer, so it was good to know there was somebody."

It was a grim day in Zürich, with rain following incessantly, with the evidence being the many riders who passed through the mixed zone post-race with chattering teeth and visible goosebumps.

"I started with a rain jacket, but on the climbs it was just really warm, and then on the descent I got really cold, so I just kept my leg warmers for as long as possible," Kopecky explained of her wet weather attire. "I just knew I needed to get rid of them before the last climbs, because it gives a bad feeling to your legs."

As for Kopecky, our new and old world champion, she next heads to the UCI Gravel World Championships, with her sights set on another rainbow jersey. This one might be more difficult, though.

"I’ve never ridden a gravel race in my entire life, so it’s going to be a fun discovery," she explained "I’m going to do a recon next week, but I think there’s a lot of tarmac. The win is the goal, but it’s hard to say how I’ll go."

It's just another step on the road for Kopecky, the double world champion, the rider who is at her best on these tough days. More duties, more obligations, but she won't mind if she keeps winning.

It should not be be a surprise when Lotte Kopecky wins a bike race. The 28-year-old has won 47 of them across her career, including seven individual time trials before Wednesday. However, to win so dominantly at an elite TT, as she did this week at the European Championships, hints that there are bigger things to come for the Belgian.

She was not the favourite coming into the race, with former world champion Ellen van Dijk and Riejanne Markus both on the start list, but ended up winning from Van Dijk by 43 seconds on an incredibly flat course. It was a statement win, and one that puts her into the equation for victory at the World Championships in a fortnight.

Likewise, victory at the Tour de Romandie last weekend was not Kopecky's first general classification victory - she has six now, including the UAE Tour and the Tour of Britain Women this year - but it was the first with a properly tough route, and a properly tough field, including her teammate (soon to be ex-teammate), Demi Vollering.

In the three-stage race, Kopecky did not win a stage, but picked up bonus seconds on each day to top the GC by six seconds from Vollering. On stage two, we were treated to the sight of Vollering and Kopecky sprinting against each other, two teammates apparently forgoing all sense of collective work in the aim of individual glory. It's not the first time this has happened, if you cast your mind back to Strade Bianche in 2023, but it was the most stark evidence of the budding rivalry which will burst into action next year.

Kopecky is a rider who can pretty much do everything, apart from win a pure bunch sprint. It has seemed like Vollering and Kopecky are different kinds of riders, the former more of a climber, the latter more of a puncheur, but there is not as much specialisation in women's cycling, and so, more than often, the pair are fighting for the same wins. Free of the shackles of being on the same team, the duel might be all the more common, which is an enticing prospect. The same pair could be one-two at the Tour of Flanders or the Tour de France.

While Vollering has more GC experience, with victories at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and La Vuelta Femenina, among others, Kopecky is not a million miles behind. She finished second at this year's Giro d'Italia Women, just 21 seconds behind Elisa Longo Borghini, and was second at the Tour last year, behind Vollering, although the gap was bigger at 3:03. Vollering remains the rider to beat in the mountains, on those Alpine or Pyrenean lengthy climbs at altitude, but it is not beyond Kopecky to improve. There is little that she has proved herself incapable of to date.

That is where the results at the Europeans and the Tour de Romandie leave us. Kopecky should have full backing at SD Worx-Protime next year, despite the return of Anna van der Breggen, and her change into a GC rider is a tantalising prospect. Vollering, wherever she ends up, stands in her way, but one should never bet against Kopecky. Roll on 2025.

Lotte Kopecky outsprinted Letizia Paternoster (Liv ALUla Jayco) to win stage one of the Tour of Britain Women in Llandudno in North Wales. 

Paternoster punched the air in celebration, believing she had taken the victory on the seafront ahead of the reigning World Champion, but a photo finish later declared Kopecky the winner. 

A nine rider strong breakaway - including Lizzie Deignan and Anna Henderson of the Great Britain Cycling team - formed at the top of the day’s final climb, Ty’n y Llidiart, and soon built up an advantage of more than two minutes which meant they would contest the finish. 

Henderson led the break into the final kilometre, but Kopecky opened the sprint for the line after Henderson had peeled off. Paternoster was straight onto the World Champion’s back wheel and lunged for the line alongside Kopecky. The Belgian ended up winning by a matter of millimetres ahead of Paternoster. 

The current British national champion, Pfeiffer Georgi, took third place behind them. Deignan came in fourth. 

Speaking after eventually being declared the winner, Kopecky said that she felt it was impossible to call between her and Paternoster at first. 

"I made a couple of mistakes in the sprint myself," Kopecky said. "But then when it came to the line it was like ok I can only do one more thing and just make the best jump I can. Once we crossed the finish line, Letizia raised her hands but I was thinking ‘I'm not sure I won, but then I’m also not sure you won.'" 

"We had a really good group in the front," Kopecky added. "I was also happy to have [Christine] Majerus with me in the first group. But you know in the last five kilometres when you go to the finish, for sure when there’s two riders from another team they start playing games but yeah, it was a nice final for me I think."

"It was a nice stage actually, pretty hilly but never flat, also with a lot of headwind. So it made it pretty slow at times because of the wind, but in the end I’m happy we could get in the break on the last climb, it was a nice race."  

Deignan later said that the headwinds had impacted the race late on. 

"I was happy with my form today," she said. "It was a strange race, almost nothing and everything. We would have liked moments of attack in the final finish, but with the headwinds stretch and the launchpads, we just had to do what we could. 

"I think moving forward it will be a really open race, so hopefully a big breakaway could go, and we can use some of our other ideas and take other opportunities."

How it happened

The opening stage of the inaugural edition of the race was a largely hilly affair, but with a flat run into the finish in the coastal town of Llandudno. 

A handful of small breakaway groups briefly had their moment in the spotlight at the head of the action, but as the race reached crunch time it all came back together. 

With 36 kilometres to go, the race really started to open up on the final categorised climb of the day, Ty’n y Llidart. A group of nine riders, containing the likes of Lizzie Deignan and Anna Henderson (Great Britain Cycling team), Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm firmenich Post NL) and Letizia Paternoster (Liv ALUla Jayco), broke clear as they fought for the Queen of the Mountains points on offer. 

The nine riders rapidly built up a two minute time gap as the pace ramped up on the descent back down towards the flatter terrain. Cofidis, who had been very active in the first half of the day’s racing, attempted to form some cohesion in the chasing peloton, but it would be to no avail due to the strength of the nine rider group that had formed. 

Paternoster swept up the points on offer at the intermediate sprint at Dolgarrog. 

With three kilometres to go the likes of Kopecky began to tighten her shoes as the group started to prepare for a sprint finish to the line alongside the seafront. Henderson launched a move solo looking to disrupt any attempt from SD Worx to control the finish. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv ALUla Jayco) pulled Henderson back, but it had evidently unsettled the nine riders as the tension began to rise. 

As the riders tore under the kilometre to go marker, Majerus started to lead out Kopecky but the two Jayco riders were straight onto the move. Kopecky launched her sprint with Paternoster locked into her wheel and the duo appeared to cross the line together. 

Paternoster punched the air thinking she had won, but Kopecky would later be declared the winner after a photo finish showed that the Belgian had edged the sprint by a handful of millimetres. 

Results

Tour of Britain Women 2024, stage one: Welshpool > Llandudno (142km)

1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime, in 04:04:18
2. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv ALUla Jayco,
3. Pfeiffer Gerogi (Gbr) dsm-firmenich PostNL,
4. Lizzie Deignan (Gbr) great Britain Cycling team,
5. Eline Jansen (Ned) Volker Wessels,
6. Anna Henderson (Gbr) Great Britain Cycling team,
7. Victorie Guilman (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93,
8. Christine Majerus (Ned) SD Worx-Protime,
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv ALUla Jayco, all at same time
10. Lucy Lee (Gbr) DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK +3:49

General classification after stage one 

1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime, in 04:04:06
2. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv ALUla Jayco, +3s
3. Pfeiffer Gerogi (Gbr) dsm-firmenich PostNL, +7s
4. Lizzie Deignan (Gbr) great Britain Cycling team, +12s
5. Eline Jansen (Ned) Volker Wessels,
6. Anna Henderson (Gbr) Great Britain Cycling team,
7. Victorie Guilman (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93,
8. Christine Majerus (Ned) SD Worx-Protime,
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv ALUla Jayco, all at same time
10. Lucy Lee (Gbr) DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK +4:01

Lotte Kopecky will skip the Tour de France Femmes this year due to the race starting straight after the Paris Olympics. 

Her SD Worx-Protime DS Danny Stam told Sporza that the timings between the end of the games and the start of the race in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will make participation impossible. The Olympics wrap up in the French capital just one day before the Rotterdam Grand Départ. 

"The omnium ends on Sunday afternoon, the Tour starts on Monday morning. It is almost impossible to do that properly," Stam said. "Combining those two events would also be a very difficult task mentally."

After ticking off victory at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, the Olympic Games are now the big target for Kopecky this summer. The Belgian will be a favourite for the gold medal in the women’s road race as well as in other events on the track, including the Omnium. 

Kopecky wore the race leader's yellow jersey for much of last year’s Tour de France Femmes. The Belgian won the opening stage and then held the race lead up until the closing stages before the race was won by her teammate, Demi Vollering. She eventually finished second.

Kopecky was thought to have an eye on this year's edition after it was revealed at the route presentation that the course would include sections on her home roads of Belgium. Stage three uses part of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège course and stage four departs from Bastogne.

However, she hinted at the time that there was a chance she could miss the race due to the significance of the Olympics and her commitments in the Omnium. 

"When I see the course, I definitely want to ride. The fact that it goes through Belgium is also a very nice thing. On the other hand, the Tour is every year while the Olympic Games are only once every four years. There are also very nice goals coming up after the Tour, so it is very unclear at the moment," she said

"The switch from track to road is not a problem in itself, that is not my biggest fear. The Tour in itself is simply very tough and after such an omnium you have not only been physically very deep, but also mentally."

As well as winning Roubaix this Spring, Kopecky also won Strade Bianche in early March. She is set to ride the Tour of Britain Women in June and the Giro d’Italia Donne before the Olympics get started. 

It was announced on Monday that SD Worx and Protime had extended their sponsorship of the team to 2028, with Lorena Wiebes also signing a new contract with the team that would keep her there to the same year. Specialized will continue until 2028 too, while Vollering will leave the team at the end of this year.

This feature originally appeared in Cycling Weekly magazine on 7 March 2024. Subscribe now and never miss an issue.

It is an overcast afternoon in the medieval Belgian city of Ghent, and a racket is beginning to stir. Throngs of people have gathered in Kouter Square, usually a tranquil flower market, for the homecoming of their hero. Suddenly, a wooden cart appears. It trundles past the crowds, who turn to stare. On it, two rows of raucous men face each other, each turning their own set of pedals as they slosh their drinks and sing along. It is a beer bike, a staple stag do activity, and the revellers have just spotted someone important. 

They cannot believe their luck. There, in the square, is the new cycling world champion, Lotte Kopecky, greeting the masses on a specially organised fan day. “I was just standing there taking photos with fans,” she remembers. Until, all of a sudden, she was not. Summoned by chants of her name, a slur in unison to the tune of The White Stripes anthem ‘Seven Nation Army’, Kopecky did something none of the men expected: she vaulted over the metal barriers to join them. “It looked funny, so I ran to the bike and I jumped on it,” she laughs. “The guys really liked it. Afterwards, I got a lot of messages from them. They even asked me to come to the wedding. I couldn’t go, but it was a very funny moment.”

It is a side to the world champion that cycling fans might not recognise. On the road and track, the 28-year-old Belgian is a straight-faced assassin, admired for her pedal-thrashing panache that has earned her world titles, three national road race titles, Monument victories and six days in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femmes. And yet, for all the working hard, there is time to play hard, too. 

As she sits opposite Cycling Weekly, video-calling from a training camp in Spain, she emits a demeanour of professionalism, her hair in a ponytail and wearing a coral pink t-shirt. Aware that the 28-year-old has recently launched her own clothing brand, I ask what is behind the ‘LoKo’ concept. “People who know me know I’m sometimes a bit loco. It comes from my name. Lotte, Kopecky – Lo, Ko,” she explains. “I like to do, not extreme, but crazy things. That’s why the name of this brand just really suited me.” 

The beer bike incident would appear to support her claim. Had there not been a video of it, the stag party might have struggled to convince people of their encounter. But there Kopecky is, in high definition on Instagram, serenaded and swigging cola from a plastic cup, dressed in bib-shorts and a rainbow jersey. 

When she won those stripes in Glasgow last summer, the first Belgian woman in 50 years to become road world champion, she knew her life was about to change. She joked to the press that she would need to barricade her doors when she returned home to Flanders. There was a hint of seriousness in it, too. 

“Now, everybody is recognising me,” the SD Worx-Protime rider says. “It’s not that easy to go outside without getting recognised, or without people asking me for a selfie. Even when I’m riding on my bike, people ask me to stop to get a selfie. I’m like, ‘You can ride alongside me and take a photo, but I’m not going to stop for a selfie.’ It’s part of the job. At this moment, my life is so busy that I’m not at home much, so it’s OK.”

It is a phenomena that female cyclists have never really faced previously. When Kopecky was a child, her role models were men, with little coverage of women’s cycling on the television. “There was nothing,” she says bluntly. “The only races I watched were the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, but it was for men. When I was younger, I didn’t have any female examples. It was the time of Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara, and if there was one woman I knew, it was Marianne Vos. She was the only one who got a bit of attention. But that was it, actually.” 

Now, particularly in her native Belgium, Kopecky is a star. Such a star, in fact, that she has been credited with the ‘Kopecky Effect’, inspiring a whole generation to take up cycling. Last spring, it was revealed that the number of girls registering for a race licence in Flanders had quadrupled since 2020, a figure attributed largely to Kopecky, and one that will no doubt have increased after her glory at the World Championships in August. 

Still, for a woman in her 20s, being a role model to so many is a heavy responsibility. “In the beginning, it was not that easy for me,” she explains. “When I started, I was like, ‘I just want to ride my bike and that’s it.’ Now there’s so much more behind it. It’s nice to be an example for those young girls. If, in the future, we can have lots of Belgian girls, or even from other countries, who start riding a bike because of me, because of us, I think it’s only nice. I’m proud to have them watching and to inspire them.” 

As a child herself, Kopecky did “every kind of sport,” she recalls. She skied and played basketball, but the sport she did for the longest time was football, spending several years of her childhood as a striker for FC Schelle, the local team named after the town where she grew up. “I don’t remember that much anymore from my youth,” she says, “but when I hear my parents talking about it, it sounds like I was a pretty wild player. I liked to play with the boys and…” The Belgian karate chops her right hand into her left palm. “I just went full-on in games,” she adds with a smile. 

At nine years old, Kopecky discovered cycling, inspired by her older brother Seppe, one of her first role models in life. “Just by seeing him doing it, I was like, ‘Maybe I also want to try this’,” she says. “I really liked it. Back then, I just wanted to race, from weekend to weekend. In the week, I was not riding my bike. I got to love it more and more. In the end, it looks like it was the right decision.” Seppe Kopecky died suddenly and unexpectedly last March, aged just 29. Only a few days later, Lotte raced and won Nokere Koerse, commenting afterwards that she had “raced with two”. 

As she gained experience, Kopecky’s potential soon shone through. She enrolled as a teenager in the TopSport School in Gent, an institution reserved for Flanders’ most promising young athletes, and a feeder programme for the Olympics. There, lessons were entwined in the timetable with training sessions, each student receiving their own plan. 

It might come as a surprise that now, as a fully fledged professional in the world’s best team, Kopecky takes care of that timetabling herself. She does not have a coach, and since the beginning of 2023, has been constructing all of her own training plans, last season forging her own path to three world titles: one on the road and two on the track. “My normal day looks a bit like everybody’s normal day,” she says, playing down her hard work. “I make my own plans for races. I have the plan in my head and then discuss it with the team, looking at what we can do and what may be better not to do. It means I can make a plan and adjust it more easily based on how I feel at that moment, or that period.”

The independence, she explains, is serving her well. “If some trainings aren’t working out, it’s easier to say, ‘OK, I’m not doing it’, and also the other way around, like, ‘Today I can do a bit more’ or, ‘I have to do a little bit less.’ I don’t need to call my coach and say, ‘This is how I feel. This is what I want. This is how I see it.’ For me, it works, and I think, mentally, I like to have the control.” She pauses. “It’s nice to be able to have control over my own body.”

When planning out her season, Kopecky runs a tight ship. The only slot she had for this interview was first thing on a Saturday morning, between breakfast and training. Still, she makes sure to find time for pleasure among the business. Last month, in the days leading up to the UAE Tour, the Belgian turned to her bucket list and skydived over Dubai. 

“I like to do some adventurous thing as well,” she says, “sports with a lot of adrenaline. I saw it already before I went to the UAE that they had skydiving in Dubai, and I was like, ‘Maybe if we have time, we can go and do it.’ I did it together with my team-mate Barbara Guarischi. I was not scared. I wondered how I would feel when I jumped out the plane, and I smiled with excitement.”

In the days that followed, the Belgian went on to win the overall at the race, claiming a stage atop the mountain of Jebel Hafeet. It was a significant victory, her first on a summit finish, and one that cemented her place as the strongest all-round talent in the peloton. 

Asked for the secret to her versatility, Kopecky takes no time to stop and ponder. “I think it’s all about the power,” she replies. “I mean, I’m not the lightest rider. Compared to the climbers, I have a lot more weight to carry up the climbs. In that way, if I compare myself, I’m going to be surprised, but luckily there’s enough power. I think it’s also because, over the years, compared to before, I’ve been going more and more to Spain. You spend almost the whole winter climbing.” What this all means is that, today, she can sprint with the best, float over the cobbles, and scale climbs faster than the mountain goats. 

Winning, however, did not always come so easily. After claiming her first national road title five years ago, aged 23, she waited over a year for her breakthrough WorldTour victory. Mentions of her name multiplied in the Belgian press at the time as she was billed as the country’s next big hope. “Every week, you’re in the newspaper, or your head is on the TV,” she says. “I used to have more problems with it, maybe before Covid. People had some expectations. I was a good rider, but not the top rider, and they wanted me to win but I was not able to yet.” What made the difference? “Now, I’m really relaxed with these things. I think I’ve proved what kind of rider I am and what I’m capable of. I don’t put this pressure on myself anymore.” 

When everyone around her expects her to succeed, she shrugs her shoulders, and deals back a que será, será. She feels the same way about her next six months in the rainbow jersey. “I really want to try and enjoy it a lot,” she says. “I hope I can win as much as possible, but that will not be the easiest thing to do. After this year, if I never win the rainbow jersey again, I just want to be happy about my year and know that I enjoyed it - hopefully with a few nice victories and some nice finish line photos that I get to keep for the memories.”

It is an unexpectedly relaxed attitude from the world champion. She is, at the same time, devoted to racing her bike, and carefree in her take on life. Loco, as she might put it. How would her friends describe her? “You’re asking me to describe myself,” Kopecky laughs, quickly decoding the question. She then shifts to a more serious tone and obliges. “For me, the most important thing is that everyone feels respected,” she says. “I want to always feel respected. I also want to be a fun friend who they can make memories with. I think I’m an easygoing person. It doesn’t need to be too hard all the time.”

In the aftermath of her Paris-Roubaix Femmes victory, Lotte Kopecky praised her SD Worx teammates and said they had helped ensure she kept a calm and level head going into the cobbled Monument. 

The Belgian narrowly missed out on another Tour of Flanders victory last weekend which she explained only added extra determination to succeed this time out. 

Kopecky told the media post-race that the build up to Roubaix had been mixed with both nerves and excitement. She said that once the race started, that changed to confidence in her own ability as she could feel the faith that her teammates had in her and credited them for their part in the win. 

"I tried to stay as calm as possible today," she said. "After Sunday, the feeling was not what I wanted it to be but luckily I have really good friends, and a really good team behind me who really tried to keep me calm and gave me confidence. 

"They helped me try to spend these last few days with not too many worries…This morning of course, I was nervous but I was relaxed. I could really feel the confidence they had in me and I tried to take that good feeling with me into the race."

Kopecky was full of energy throughout the Monument and was regularly on the attack as each cobbled sector of the course arrived. In the end it came down to a dramatic sprint on the velodrome in which she got the better of Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Balsamo and Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm–firmenich PostNL). 

When asked whether her initial pre-race plan had worked, Kopecky said that everything had gone exactly as she expected, both on a personal level and for her team as a group. 

"It was exactly as we planned," she said. "We wanted to try to stay out of trouble in the first 60 kilometres and be right in front in the first three sectors… Before the first sector that I attacked on, I had Elena Cecchini who tried to position me and I knew I wanted to go there and see what happened."

The Dutch team, she explained, had the added bonus of having their star sprinter, Lorena Wiebes, in the chasing pack for if the race had come back together on the run in to the finish. 

"Of course going ahead with Marianne was not ideal for me," Kopecky said. "When I was with Marianne, I was just thinking that we still had the card to play with Lorena [Wiebes]. Today I really wanted to win myself but I was also really motivated that if there was a situation where we needed to go for it for Lorena, I was 110% committed to that."

As the lead group tore into the velodrome, the crowd erupted with delight at the sight of the world champion firmly in contention for the win. As well as her road world title, Kopecky holds multiple world titles on the track which led to some assuming she held the upper hand. 

Kopecky said that her track background hadn’t crossed her mind as she got ready to launch her sprint for the line. 

"Pfeiffer and Marianne also have track backgrounds," she said. "We all knew what we were doing. It's an advantage but I didn't think about it as they had this advantage too. It didn't really change anything for me, no."

"Before we came on the track it was already a big fight to try and get in position," she added. "Of course I knew that Marianne [Vos] and Elisa [Balsamo] would try to fight against each other and on the other side of the track there was a headwind. 

"They had to start the sprint pretty early so I tried to stay calm and start sprinting at the right moment. That was a long sprint but that's to my advantage and I did what I needed to do."

The latest issue of Cycling Weekly magazine, out today, is led by an eight-page interview with world champion Lotte Kopecky.

I had the pleasure of conducting and writing it. Some of you may have already received your copy, but whether you have read it yet or not, I thought it apt to share more from behind the scenes. 

Our conversation took place the week after Kopecky won the UAE Tour, and - despite having spent the last few years quizzing everyone from pro riders to company executives - I have never been so nervous for an interview in my life. In the past eight months alone, I have watched the Belgian claim three world titles, two European titles in a 19-minute window on the track, and a milestone first mountaintop victory on Jebel Hafeet, dropping some of the strongest climbers in the peloton. 

As her rainbow jersey testifies, Kopecky is the best cyclist in the world. And it is not often, rare in fact, that you get half an hour to chat exclusively with the world champion. My nerves, I felt, were justified. 

All my correspondence in the lead-up to the interview was with Gretel, the press officer at SD Worx-Protime. After two weeks of back and forth, she sent me an email one evening to say that Kopecky had made time for a call with me on Saturday morning, at 8am. 

I don’t tend to see that hour on a Saturday. So, wanting to be punctual, I set three alarms before 7am, and slept terribly. I woke up hourly throughout the night, like an anxious traveller nervous about missing an early flight. I was then at my desk before the sun was in the sky. 

Two minutes before 8am, I received an email. "Lotte Kopecky has joined your Zoom meeting," it said. The nerves rose sharply to a crescendo. I booted up the call, and there she was, dialling in from a training camp in Spain, wearing AirPods and a coral pink t-shirt. 

I said hello, but my greeting was met with silence. Her eyes darted around the screen, she fiddled with the buttons, then turned to the text box to type. "Can you hear me?" the world champion wrote. I shook my head. She smiled and, sussing out the problem, took out her AirPods. The audio connected. "Ok good," she said. My nerves disappeared. 

Last summer, Kopecky’s stardom ballooned when she won the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and held the yellow jersey for six days. She went on to finish second overall, behind her team-mate Demi Vollering. During the race, though, something else caught my eye: Kopecky released her own clothing line, called ‘LoKo’. 

The brand name, it turned out, was a clever bit of world play - a mash-up of her first and last names, and a nod to the Spanish word for crazy. I asked her about it. “People who know me know I’m sometimes a bit loco,” she told me. It’s a side to the world champion, known for her ruthlessness on the bike, that most cycling fans won’t have seen.

The feature I wrote is titled ‘Going Loko’, and explores Kopecky’s free-spirited nature. Yes, she's a serial winner of bike races, but she's also a thrill-seeker, using her day off in Dubai to skydive, and joining a group of merry men on a beer bike in Gent. 

We spoke about the importance of having fun, her impact on the next generation, and how handling fame has affected her life. "I used to have more problems with it," she said. "Maybe before Covid, people had some expectations. I was a good rider, but not the top rider, and they wanted me to win but I was not able to yet."

Now, the 28-year-old wins at will, her exploits vaunted across the media. “Every week, you’re in the newspaper, or your head is on the TV,” she said. This week is no different. Kopecky is our cover star. 

To read the interview, you can buy a copy of this week’s Cycling Weekly in store for £3.25, or online for £4.50, including delivery. It’s a special issue for International Women’s Day, and one we are very proud of. Within the pages, you'll also find an exploration of the physiological differences between men and women, and the story of one inspiring woman's journey from novice to ultra endurance rider. 

Demi Vollering believes that the revamped Strade Bianche course could give SD Work-Protime an advantage on Saturday, as they look to defend the title that Vollering won last year. 

The Dutch team head into the Italian Classic after already landing seven victories this season, including an overall win at the UAE Tour through the current world champion, Lotte Kopecky. However, they did not win on Opening Weekend, after winning both Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Omloop van het Hageland in 2023.

Vollering won Strade last season after dramatically outsprinting Kopecky in Siena’s Piazza del Campo. A photo finish was required to declare Vollering the winner, after some apparent frostiness between the pair. The day had already been dramatic, with a horse running onto the course in front of Vollering.  

"The revamped course of Strade Bianche might play into our hands," Vollering said. "We are doing the last three steep final strips twice. That means more kilometres, more altimeters and more gravel. So it will be spicy. It makes the race a lot tougher.” 

In 2023, the women’s race consisted of 136 kilometres and covered eight of the famous gravel sectors. This year, the organiser has added more gravel to the route meaning that the riders will now face 12 sectors instead. 

"It feels like Strade Bianche [last year] brought us closer together," Vollering said of the relationship between her and Kopecky. "It has strengthened our collaboration. I really enjoyed going for the highest possible result together with Lotte every race last season. 

“It also never felt like we had to 'divide' races. It went very naturally. She won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, I was the best in the Strade Bianche. She won Ronde van Vlaanderen, after which I triumphed again in the Amstel Gold Race."

“What stays with me most of all is how we dominated as a team. That's why I don't see it as my victory, but that of the whole team,” she added.

Heading into Saturday’s action in Tuscany, Vollering said that she feels comparisons with last season are fruitless and that missing out at Omloop had put the team “on edge” as they look to pick up their first victory in Europe this year.

"Everyone is starting from scratch again," she said. "We shouldn't make comparisons with last year. The goal remains the same: to improve myself and try to be the best. In the Strade Bianche, Team SD Worx-Protime will be looking for its first classic win of 2024. 

“In Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, we just missed out. If I was in the first group, it might have been different. But still we showed a strong race. So I don't feel we are weak now. We are as strong as ever.”

Opening Weekend brought some enthralling action, as it always does, to kickstart the Classics season, and it was once again dominated by team Visma-Lease a Bike. 

In a gripping two days of racing, Jan Tratnik was a semi-surprise winner in the men's edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Slovenian saved the day for the Dutch super team with a late attack to secure the win in the closing stages of the race. 

Tratnik's teammate, Wout van Aert, took the honours at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday after outsprinting fellow Belgian Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) to the line. 

Arguably, the biggest result of them all was Marianne Vos' return to winning ways in the women's edition of Omloop. The Dutchwoman secured her 259th career victory on the cobbles, her first win since having surgery on the iliac artery in her left leg last year. 

Here are five things we learned from Opening Weekend before the Classics season continues at Strade Bianche on Saturday. 

Elisa Longo Borghini has the legs for Classics success

The Italian national champion was one of the stand out performers in the women’s edition of Omloop and rightfully managed to secure a spot on the podium. 

As the race reached its finale, it was clear that Longo Borghini had the legs when it mattered and could still look to dictate the way the conclusion would go with some aggressive, attacking riding. Ultimately, it wasn’t to be, as an attack from the Lidl-Trek rider was thwarted by a group containing eventual winner, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), who reeled her back in as the finish line approached. 

But the Italian still had enough in the tank to secure third in the final sprint. Based on this impressive start, Longo Borghini could be set to return to the top spot of the podium in a major Classic in the weeks ahead. 

Matteo Jorgenson has added further Classics firepower to Visma-Lease a bike 

If his performance on Saturday is anything to go on, Matteo Jorgenson could be set to become the next Christophe Laporte at Visma-Lease a Bike and continue the team’s run of astute signings.

The American was outstanding for Visma, regularly at the sharp end of the race, and he completely decimated the lead group on the climbs in the latter half of the cobbled Classic, particularly the Wolvenberg. 

At one stage, he even looked like he might solo to victory himself were it not for the high class chasing group breathing down his neck. 

Laporte has had a huge impact since he joined Richard Plugge’s team, winning a Tour de France stage as well as Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen last year. If Jorgenson continues on with the form he displayed on Saturday, he could be in for his best year yet. 

Soudal Quick-Step still some way off Classics-winning form 

Soudal Quick-Step were once a force to be reckoned with in the Belgian Classics, although based on Saturday, the team still appears to be some way off winning form. 

After Jumbo-Visma (now Visma-Lease a Bike) decimated the field to win both races on Opening Weekend last year, a change was very much afoot in the Classics hierarchy. Based on Saturday in particular, Quick-Step seem to still be nowhere near returning to their former dominant selves. 

The best placed rider for the team was Yves Lampaert who came in 21st. Despite Patrick Lefevere’s latest outburst, much of the team’s hopes were placed on the shoulders of Julian Alaphilippe prior to the action getting underway. 

However, Alaphilippe was involved in a crash and didn’t finish the race. 

The team vastly improved on Sunday with newbie Luke Lamperti taking seventh at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, but will it be down the Remco Evenepoel once again to save the team’s spring at Liège–Bastogne–Liège? 

Tom Pidcock on the right path to winning form  

Tom Pidcock was optimistic after his Opening Weekend performance, and rightly so. 

The British star was in the thick of the action for the majority of the day at Omloop but, in his own words, “ran out of legs” in the final moments. Nevertheless, there were some huge positives to take away from the weekend as Pidcock built for an attempt at defending his Strade Bianche title.

“You can’t be surprised at anything nowadays,” Pidcock said as he reflected on the race. “But when the race split at the start, you kind of hope in your mind that that's it, right there is going to be 25 guys racing the final.

“But then you come to the finish and there are two guys away that you hadn't seen all day. It's mad how it can play out and you don't give up in these races.”

“It was of course a hard day and the wind played a big part,” he added. “The race was open after 30-40 km. We spent the day in the wind. 

“I ran out of legs a little at the finish. I think I'm quite happy in the front and we did a good job as a team at the start of the race and got ourselves in the right position with four in front. We can build on that.”

SD Worx are beatable 

After their incredible dominance in the Classics last year, it was understandable that many envisaged SD Worx-Protime dominating Opening Weekend. 

The strength in depth, in terms of potential race winners, at the Dutch team is formidable and equal to that at Visma-Lease a Bike in the men’s WorldTour.

Last year, Kopecky got the ball rolling for her hugely successful year with victory at Omloop. But this time out, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) had other ideas. 

No matter how much world champion Lotte Kopecky tried to get away in the closing stages of the action, her rivals were alert to it and managed to bring her back in each time. Expect SD Worx to come out swinging at Strade Bianche on Saturday as they look to get back to winning ways, but it appears that teams are ready to challenge the Dutch squad. Let's hope it continues.

SD Worx-Protime, the team of Demi Vollering, Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky, will return to the Ford RideLondon Classique in 2024. 

The Dutch team has not participated in the event since 2022 and, according to the race director, their return will “inspire excellence among future generations of young cyclists” in Britain. 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, RideLondon’s Scott Sunderland said SD Worx’s return will instantly elevate the level of competition in the women’s WorldTour event. 

He said: “SD Worx-Protime has shown again and again that they are the team to beat on the pro-circuit and they have started the season in domineering fashion. 

“The bar it takes to win has just gone up, but we know that there are a host of teams who come to the Classique with a sole purpose – to win. 

“I expect the quality of the racing to be enhanced by the quality of this elite field – all of whom want to be part of the Classique’s story.” 

At the end of last year, former Tour of Britain race director Mick Bennett told Cycling Weekly that Brexit had meant large numbers of teams had skipped events in Britain due to logistical issues associated with the UK leaving the EU. 

Sunderland told CW that teams are finding ways to navigate potential travel issues around getting to Britain and that many teams see RideLondon as key preparation for major races later on in the season. 

“The Women’s WorldTour calendar is very congested and that is ultimately a challenge we have had to navigate,” he explained. “Attending the Classique means significantly more travel for teams, but they recognise the benefits of doing so. With La Vuelta Femenina moving from September to May in 2023, we found ourselves stuck between two major stage races. 

“But the teams have adjusted and they want the Classique to be part of their programme. They see this as a major preparatory race for what is to come in the summer months, as well as a prestigious standalone event.”

As well as SD Worx, major Women’s WorldTour squads Lidl-Trek, Canyon-SRAM, UAE Team ADQ and dsm-firmenich PostNL will also be present. 

Like other race organisers in the UK, Sunderland explained that getting RideLondon on requires a mammoth effort each year. However, buoyed by additional support, he explained that the intention is for the race to continue to grow in the years ahead. 

He said: “We are in the fourth year of a ten-year agreement with the Mayor of London and Transport for London to run Ford RideLondon and growing the event and getting the best teams to attend the Classique is part of that project. We aren’t going anywhere, and we want to get bigger.

“Organising a race in the UK is not easy, but it is made possible with great partners and stakeholders. We have shown it can be done. Teams recognise that this is a well-run race with high safety standards and many return year after year, for a multitude of reasons.”

After the collapse of former race organiser, SweetSpot, British Cycling recently announced that it would look to stage a women’s Tour of Britain which will occupy the former UCI calendar spot held by the SweetSpot run Women’s Tour in 2024. 

At the time, BC CEO Jon Dutton told the media that the national governing body would not rule out collaboration with other UK race organisers, including those behind RideLondon, to make the Tour of Britain for women happen. 

He said: “Ride London is a fantastic race and London Marathon Events have done an absolutely incredible job. 

“We are very open to how we move forward in delivering sustainable cycling events. That might mean collaboration, it might mean co-creation, we're completely open to that, our focus is on ensuring we do everything we can in 2024 but then it’s about growth from 25 onwards. So we're really open to that in the future.”

Lotte Kopecky’s weekend victory at the UAE Tour Women put forward a strong case for her being cycling’s best all-round talent. 

The Belgian, world champion on the road and track, sealed the overall victory in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, after fending off some of the peloton’s strongest climbers on the 10km ascent of Jebel Hafeet the day before. 

Kopecky rode a unique race in the UAE. She guided SD Worx-Protime team-mate Lorena Wiebes to victories in the opening two stages, acting as the final cog in the lead-out train, before setting out for the leader’s jersey herself. On stage three’s tough ramps, she dropped Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini, a first-rate climbing duo, as well as Canyon Sram’s Neve Bradbury, to take the race lead.   

Rarely, if ever, do fans see a rider assume such diverse roles within a team, and excel at them all. 

“This is my first mountain victory ever. This is crazy,” Kopecky said after stage three. 

"I was very motivated. I felt the team had a lot of confidence in me and I had also studied the climb well in terms of the gradients. Of course I had hoped for this beforehand, but to live up to it… This is very good for confidence.

“On a climb, you can feel good one minute and practically explode thirty seconds later. That's why I wasn't thinking about the victory and just watched kilometre by kilometre how I felt.”

On the fourth and final stage, a breakaway win for Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez) halted an SD Worx-Protime clean sweep, but left Kopecky's lead unchallenged.

The world champion's victory at the UAE Tour, her second WorldTour stage race win after last year’s Simac Ladies Tour, followed a remarkable start to the season on the track. She earned two titles at the European Track Championships in January, taking them both in a tight 19-minute window.  

The 28-year-old will target medals in both the velodrome and on the road at the Paris Olympics this summer. Before that, though, her sights are on the Classics.

“My condition is obviously good,” she said in the UAE. “If you don’t have a certain level now, you won’t be there for the Spring Classics. The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are still far away, but I do think I’m well on track given the training build-up I’ve had and the training sessions that are still to come.” 

Sprint, mountaintop finish, cobbled one-day or bunch race on the track, Kopecky is proving she can do everything. A jack of all trades, and master of them all, too. 

Lotte Kopecky is unsure as to whether she will ride the Tour de France Femmes this year due to its close proximity to the Paris Olympics. 

The Belgian will target a combination of track events and the road race in Paris meaning that she may not make the start line for the Tour de France which begins in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in early August. 

After getting her season underway at the women’s UAE Tour next month, Kopecky will then take aim at the Classics once again. Kopecky won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Opening Weekend last year before going on to triumph for a second time at the Tour of Flanders in April. 

Speaking to the press ahead of the 2024 season, she explained that a decision on her Tour de France Femmes participation is likely to come once the Classics are out of the way. 

She said: "First I focus on the Classics because those are also very important to me. I just hope that I can make a good Classics season and just go with good vibes towards this build-up to the Olympics. 

“And then I think with the combination of track and road I already proved that this is something I can do, and it doesn't really affect track or road races for me. 

"So I'll finish the classics season in Liège and after that, I'll really make a completely detailed programme towards the Olympics. And also the Tour de France is just right after. That's also something we will discuss later if I will do the Tour de France or not."

"That's something I really want to start to really get completely planned or organised after the Classics,” she added. “Then we have a full vision of how I am at that moment. I think it's best for me to plan it pretty late."

Kopecky explained that one of her main targets this spring is to peak in time for Paris-Roubaix, a race she is yet to win. When asked whether Roubaix was an outright target, the 28-year-old wouldn’t be drawn either way. But the message was clear, if the form is there when the race comes around then Kopecky will certainly look to take it on. 

"Last year, I managed to get actually on a very high level through the whole spring but now I try to maybe peak a little bit later, more in the period of Paris-Roubaix, Amstel, Liège," she said. "Because if you are already at the real top of your game in Omloop then it's hard to keep this form for two months. 

"So yeah, I took things a little bit easier this winter, to get in my best form at the beginning of April and try to hold it the whole month."

"It's a race I just really like,” she explained when elaborating on Paris-Roubaix. “I mean, it's fighting through to every cobbled section… It's a very cool race and I just hope I can win it one day. But I also realise that it's really hard to say or dangerous to say I want to win Paris-Roubaix or put all my cards on that race because the race can be over before you know it.”

"That's why I say the month of April is for me the most important because then you know, I mean, if you're good in the Tour of Flanders then you're also good at Paris-Roubaix and you're also good in Amstel. 

"So it's more of a period I try to target and not really just that one race, although it would be nice if I can just win that race. 

"But we'll see. It's a special race, it's a nice race and I just try to go there without too much pressure. And I think that still works the best for me."

It was prom night this week on the WorldTour. You remember your school prom, don’t you? The one where you got all dolled up with your mates, split a few pre-game Budweisers, and headed down to a local events hall - usually inside a two-star hotel - for a night of boozing, supervised by your teachers. 

For pro cyclists, it’s basically the same format, except they hold it inside a wind tunnel, apparently. 

You’ve probably already seen the photo: Specialized’s class of 2024. It was shared mercilessly across the socials this week. And we absolutely love it. 

It’s classy, quite clearly photoshopped, and made us nostalgic for that post-exams night of teenage revelry. Let me run you through the classmates. 

First there’s Jai Hindley. He’s the one who brought the Budweisers. He also brought a small tub of hair gel, and has spent 30 minutes coiffuring himself in the bathroom. 

Wedged between cool kids Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering is Primož Roglič. He told his mum he didn’t want to go. He doesn’t like the music, he said, and besides, he’s only just moved to this school, he barely knows anyone. 

His pleas were met with a blunt response. “Go make some friends, Primož.” So he went down to Moss Bros, rented a suit, and here he is, hands in his pockets, wishing he was at home on his Xbox. 

Julian Alaphilippe, by the way, is the only one who actually owns his suit. He got it for his 18th birthday, as well as a very smart watch you just have to see. 

In front of the Frenchman is Remco Evenepoel. He’s playing in the band. He’s a skilled percussionist, sat poised on his cajón, ready to drum out the rhythm to some Arctic Monkeys covers. Roglič doesn’t know any of the words. 

Finally there’s Kasper Asgeen. Lorena Wiebes, the saint that she is, has been put in charge of looking after him. At the drinks reception, the headmaster said it was strictly one glass of prosecco each, but Asgreen helped himself to more. He then called one of the teachers by their first name. 

Anyway… Elsewhere on social media this week, Geraint Thomas has been to the cinema, Katy Marchant stars in School of Rock, and the content keeps flowing out of Australia. 

1. Here they are: the class of 2024

2. You didn't really think they photographed all the riders together, did you? 

3. The afterparty never ends for showman Julian Alaphilippe

4. EF's remake is less school prom and more Teletubbies

5. Australians, please excuse our terrible Northern Hemisphere humour, but this gag never gets old

6. Crikey, mate!

7. Sam Welsford has picked up three wins so far at the Tour Down Under, and two extra arms

8. Don't mess with Mat Hayman

9. There are 22 fist bumps in this video. Who remembers when we used to bump elbows during Covid?

10. It looks like dsm-firmenich PostNL have been working on their lead-out train for Charlotte Kool

11. Introducing Arnaud de whee-Lie

12. Here's 6ft4 Alex Kirsch doing a Lidl bit of drafting

13. What did you make of the bath scene, Geraint? 

14. Cam Mason has great cyclo-cross skills, but even better taste in fizzy drinks

15. If Jack Black commentated on track cycling...

16. I like to think that if I ever won a European title, I'd celebrate with finger guns too

It took Lotte Kopecky just 19 minutes to double up on gold medals at the European Track Championships on Saturday evening. 

The Belgian won the points race in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, before immediately taking the start line in the elimination race, and winning that too. 

“When I saw the programme, I was not happy with the points race and the elimination race right after each other,” she said afterwards. 

“Fortunately, I managed to convince the coach to do both disciplines. With these two European titles within half an hour, it turned out to be a very special day.”

Kopecky crossed the line to win the points race at 19:55 local time. She then warmed down briefly on her rollers, before starting the elimination race at 20:02. 

World champion in both events, the 28-year-old conserved energy in the elimination race, and stretched out a large gap against Germany’s Lea Lin Teutenberg in the final lap. Her victory was confirmed at 20:14.

The gold medals marked Kopecky’s career fifth and sixth at the European Championships. The SD Worx rider is also the road world champion, and will target both the track events and the road race at the Paris Olympics this summer. 

Hayter and Marchant strike gold

It was a golden night for Great Britain in Apeldoorn, too, with success for Ethan Hayter in the Omnium and Katy Marchant in the 500m time trial. 

Hayter, who had not raced track since 2022 prior to the competition, went into the final Omnium event, the points race, in fourth place. He then scored regularly, leapfrogging his way up the leaderboard, and sealing the title in the final moments. 

"I didn't plan for it to be that close," the 25-year-old said. "Today I wasn't the best me that I've been either, so it was nice to still somehow pull it off in the end. Hopefully I can keep getting better."

Earlier in the evening, Marchant won the two-lap time trial by under four hundredths of a second. 

The 30-year-old Olympic bronze medallist finished top in qualifying, and then clocked a time of 33.319 seconds in the final to beat France’s Marie-Divine Kouamé, the former world champion, and take GB’s first title in the event. 

“That’s so special. I’m so so happy,” Marchant said afterwards. “Watching Emma [Finucane] win yesterday was inspiring. The younger girls are inspiring me. This is my first senior European title and I think that just goes to show the level that we’re at every day. 

“You need to be winning European titles to get a space in the team [for the Olympics], and hopefully I’m showing I’m capable.” 

GB’s Jess Roberts took bronze in the elimination race, while Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) added an 11th European title to his collection, winning the match sprint. 

Belgian rider Shari Bossuyt has said she will not appeal the likely two-year suspension she is facing after she returned a positive anti-doping test result for letrozole last year.

In a statement shared on X, Bossuyt explained she has the opportunity to appeal, but will not be doing so. “I simply don’t have the strength or the money for this,” she wrote. 

The track rider had hoped to compete alongside Lotte Kopecky in the Madison at the Paris Olympics this summer. The duo were world champions together in 2022. 

Kopecky previously told Cyclingnews that her own participation in the event in Paris would depend on the outcome of Bossuyt’s case. 

Despite Bossuyt’s announcement, a statement from the French anti-doping agency AFLD, shared with Cycling Weekly, said that an official decision on Bossuyt’s case would be announced in due course. 

It said: "The AFLD will publish its decision regarding Ms Bossuyt on its website once the disciplinary process is officially closed."

Bossuyt was racing at the Tour de Normandie for Canyon-Sram when she returned her initial positive result. The 23-year-old won the third stage of the race and finished sixth overall but she then tested positive for letrozole. 

It is the same drug that resulted in fellow Belgian racer Toon Aerts being handed a two-year ban in August last year. Coincidentally both Bossuyt and Aerts share the same management.

In her latest post on social media, Bossuyt continued to plead her innocence and said the affair was taking a toll on her. 

She said: "No one seems to realise what an impact this has on someone's mental health. My Olympic dream is destroyed and having to walk around every day with the 'stamp' of a doper. 

“It's almost unbearable. Fortunately, I find support from people who really listen to me, believe in me, and I also just keep doing sports because it does me good. I will prove that I will come back stronger!”

"I am a 23-year-old girl who happened to be able to make her hobby her profession. I am not a doper and have never considered this for any day. I will also keep repeating this until it all comes out one day."

Letrozole is used by people who take anabolic steroids. It is strictly prohibited in and out of competition and banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). 

Similarly to Aerts, Bossuyt and her team have tried to argue that her positive test was the result of a contaminated food product but they have been unable to prove it. 

She said that the AFLD accepted that contaminated milk could produce a doping positive result but would not back down on the proposed suspension. Bossuyt also wrote that she had been given no support from the CPA rider’s union, the UCI or the Belgian federation. 

“They [AFLD] confirm and acknowledge the fact that the contamination was not intentional,” she explained. “But we cannot, as in the case of Toon Aerts, prove the source of the contamination exactly, as a result of which the legal framework does not allow them to give us further sentence reduction.

"Unfortunately, such studies cost tons of money and take a very long time. After consulting the food agencies, it turns out they don't even test for letrozole... No food safety risk or no knowledge that letrozole is used in Europe because it is banned here."

Bossuyt added: "As an athlete, you are just completely on your own. I now have the chance to still appeal but I simply don't have the strength or money for this. 

“The feeling of having to fight a losing battle, the nights of sleeplessness due to continuous worrying and hurting me financially by having to spend another tens of thousands of euros on an already lost case made me decide to leave it at that."

As 2023 draws to a close, we thought it was time to reflect on an exciting 2021 of professional cycling, by looking back at our favourite riders of that year, as we looked at our races of the year a couple of days ago. There are no real parameters for any of our choices, it's just down to personal opinion. If you vehemently agree, disagree, or want to suggest something, feel free to email adam.becket@futurenet.com.

Demi Vollering - Adam Becket

There have been times this year where it simply didn’t look like SD Worx could lose a race. The tactic the team used seemed simple enough: one of their star riders would attack, whether that was Demi Vollering, Lotte Kopecky or Marlen Reusser, and the presence of one of these names - or Lorena Wiebes - in the chasing group would muck any coordination or collaboration up, and the attacker would win. It happened at the Tour of Flanders, when Kopecky won, and it also happened at the Amstel Gold Race, when Vollering won. 

Amstel was part of an historic week for Vollering, the first point in the Ardennes Triple, which she completed by also winning La Flèche Wallonne and then Liège-Bastogne-Liège, becoming only the fourth person, and second woman, to do so in the process. To win any three races in a row is outrageous, but to win three of the hardest one-day races the women’s peloton tackle with in a week is something even more special.

Vollering’s year was not limited to the Ardennes, though, it was a year of dominance, from Strade Bianche all the way to the Tour de Romandie. She proved that she is very much the heir to Annemiek van Vleuten with her triumph at the second Tour de France Femmes, and if the road up to the Lagos de Covadonga had been just a bit longer, she would have won La Vuelta Femenina too. As it is, becoming the first rider to win the Ardennes triple and the Tour in the same year is the kind of thing that makes a rider of the year. And she was second at the World Championships too.

Mathieu van der Poel - Tom Thewlis

The men’s peloton has been blessed with so many wonderful displays of panache this year although one man has consistently performed at the highest of levels throughout. Mathieu van der Poel. 

The road world title that he now holds after his win in the streets of Glasgow was the crowning moment of his year. However, his Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo wins were exceptional in their own right, particularly the latter, although his performance in Scotland was on another level. 

His late attack summed him up perfectly. It was delivered with brute force and fury which forced a seemingly unassailable gap. The following crash - which left him with a broken shoe - should have been devastating but it was in fact the opposite. It seemed to fill the flying Dutchman with a burning inner rage to turn misfortune into triumph as he remounted his bike, thundered up Montrose Street and powered to victory. 

There are only a handful of riders who could turn that sort of situation into something positive in a matter of just seconds. Van der Poel is one of them, and that performance perfectly encapsulated why he’s my choice for rider of the year. 

Lotte Kopecky - Tom Davidson

No rider has had a season like Lotte Kopecky’s. She won flagship one-day races in the World Championships and the Tour of Flanders, finished second at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, won her first WorldTour stage race at the Simac Ladies Tour, and took two rainbow jerseys on the track. 

Her consistency has been staggering, from winning her opening race day at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in February, to finishing on the podium at the European Championships in September.  

Still, it was her performance at the Tour de France Femmes that stands out most to me. Yes, her SD Worx teammate Demi Vollering won, but Kopecky was the star of the week. She took the yellow jersey on stage one, and fought for it all the way to the top of the Col du Tourmalet on the penultimate day. She then crushed the closing time trial to jump from fourth to second on GC. 

For most riders, that race would have been career-defining. For Kopecky, it was merely an amuse-bouche for the three world titles she would claim over the next fortnight. 

Sepp Kuss - James Shrubsall

Backing the underdog is, apparently, a very British thing. But judging by the support for Sepp Kuss as he attempted to hold off his two, more feted co-leaders for GC victory in this year's Vuelta a España, it's much more widespread than that.

Suffice to say, I was one of the many urging on the US rider as he attempted to follow one attack or another from Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard – the team-mates he had so loyally protected and worked for over the years. 

I had a certain level of sympathy for Roglič's view that the road should decide. After all, he had trained very hard to be able to win in moments like these. But, cycling is also about relationships and give and take, and Roglič had, after all, already won one Grand Tour this season.

No one would want to see an obviously weaker rider take the win just for the optics. But Kuss's eventual victory was not that. He was strong till the end – often without the unwavering team support a GC leader would usually be afforded – to take a memorable win. 

As his hero's welcome back in Colorado would attest, it was well earned, well deserved.

Honourable mention: Tadej Pogačar - Adam Becket

How could we have a rider of the year list and not mention Tadej Pogačar? Sure, the Slovenian might not have won the Tour de France for the second year running, but he still won 17 races. If he hadn’t broken his hand at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, an incident that definitely impact his tilt at the Tour, it might have been even more of an historic year. As it is, who else but him could win Paris-Nice, the Tour of Flanders, and finish second at the Tour in the same season? And he won his third Il Lombardia in a row.

Road world champion Lotte Kopecky was in Paris, France at the weekend, riding on streets that will be used for the road race at the Olympics next summer. 

The 27-year-old donned full race kit, wearing her rainbow bands, in what looked to be a recon of the route. 

Accompanying Kopecky was her SD Worx teammate Christine Majerus, who shared a picture of the Belgian on her Instagram with the caption “A good day for the memories”.

In the image, Kopecky is shown cycling on Rue Norvins in Montmartre, one of the cobbled streets that will be used in the finishing circuit at the Olympics. 

The world champion has spoken openly about her ambitions for the Games, and recently told Sporza that her main target is the Omnium. “Of course it is in my mind to win the Games, but I know how difficult it is to win even a normal race,” she said. 

“I dream of a medal. I really hope my training goes as well as possible [because] if it goes perfectly, you will normally be in your best shape at the Games."

At the Tokyo Olympics, Kopecky combined road and track, finishing fourth in the road race, before lining up in the Madison and the Omnium in the velodrome. 

She swapped disciplines again at this year’s UCI World Championships in Glasgow, and took home three rainbow jerseys, winning the points race, the elimination race and finally the elite women’s road race. 

The cycling events at next year’s Games in Paris will run from 27 July to 11 August, with the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift beginning the following day. 

Kopecky’s priorities, she made clear to Sporza, lie with the Olympics. “Not doing the Olympics Omnium will not be an option,” she said. “We will soon find out with the team and the federation and we will have to find a compromise.”

The women’s road race will take place on 4 August, with the track events beginning the following day in the suburb of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. 

It is uncertain whether Kopecky will compete in the Madison at the Games, after her partner, Shari Bossuyt, tested positive for the banned substance Letrozole in June this year. The 23-year-old is currently suspended from racing. 

The road races will begin and end at Trocadéro, near the Eiffel Tower, with the men riding 273km, and the women 158km. 

For Majerus, the event will mark her last as a professional cyclist, as she plans to retire from her 17-year career. 

After a standout year on the bike, Lotte Kopecky is finally letting her hair down. 

Last weekend, the recently crowned road world champion hosted a 'fan day' in Ghent, Belgium. There was music, a bouncy castle and a cycling agility course, all of which Kopecky herself enjoyed. 

So jubilant were the festivities, in fact, that at one point, the SD Worx rider broke away and joined a float of cycling beer-drinkers. 

The move looked instinctive. She ran through the metal safety barriers, and hopped into a seat on the moving carriage. Once there, she was served a dark liquid in a plastic cup; the contents have not been confirmed, but Cycling Weekly's keen eye thinks it’s either coca cola or a bold red wine. 

If you think this revelling is out of character for Kopecky, think again. During this summer’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the Belgian launched her own clothing line called Loko - a clever double entendre which is a mash-up of her first and last names and, crucially, a nod to the Spanish word for crazy. 

“It says it all. ‘A bit crazy’. We all have to be a bit like that,” Kopecky herself writes on the website. 

That attitude came to the fore after the final stage of the Tour. Lurking in the press conference room, Kopecky seized the microphone and posed a question to her teammate Marlen Reusser, the winner of the closing time trial. “Who is your favourite teammate?” she asked. A wave of laughing then rippled around the room. 

See if you can deduce her tipple of choice from the Loko fan day in the video below. 

Elsewhere on social media this week, plans are drafted for Mark Cavendish's special farewell Tour de France, a Jumbo-Visma rider gets his maths wrong, and Demi Vollering clocks up the kilometres with her off-season companion. 

1. Long live Loko

2. Ineos Grenadiers rider Michał Kwiatkowski has also been on a session

3. He can win Grand Tours, he can win Monuments, but can Tadej Pogačar ride a uni-cycle? Yes, yes he can

4. A man and his feline friend stole the show at the Urban Hill Climb. "She seems to enjoy cycling," Travis Nelson told Cycling Weekly of his cat, Sigrid

5. Demi Vollering's got a special training partner, too. Meet the Tour de France Femmes champion's dog Flo

6. Flo's not the only dog in SD Worx's "paw support squad" 

7. More dogs, you say? 

8. Never miss a chance to dunk on your rival football team. Even if that means doing so on your work's X account

9. Peter Sagan retired last week, calling time on an illustrious 15-year career. Note retired, not died

10. Mark Cavendish, on the other hand, pulled the old switcheroo on his planned retirement

11. If Cav is to break the all-time Tour de France stage wins record, he'll need a few decent chances. How about 21? 

12. Jumbo-Visma's Per Strand Hagenes didn't celebrate his victory in the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro. Why? Well, he thought there was another lap

13. Here's what Shimano is going to do with all those recalled cranks

14. I crashed and broke my bike frame last weekend. Wish Trek would send me a new bike, too *cough cough* 

Lotte Kopecky said that the pre-race pressure of being labelled as the favourite for the elite women’s road race at the World Championships didn’t affect her once the race got underway.  

The Belgian stormed to victory in the streets of Glasgow with a powerful late attack which was simply unanswerable as the gruelling race took its toll on her rivals.

By landing the gold medal, she became the first Belgian woman since 1973 to win the world title.

Kopecky told the media, including Cycling Weekly, that after being labelled as the favourite at multiple other races this season - which she then won - the tag simply did not impact her.

“I knew I was the favourite before the race but I can't change anything about it,” she said. “So I can start to get stressed and that could get me into a downward spiral or something. But yeah, it's just how it is, it's not something that is the first time this year and the more you get into these situations, the better you can handle them.”

Earlier this year, Kopecky won both the Tour of Flanders and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in the spring. She also took second behind SD Worx team-mate Demi Vollering at Strade Bianche.

After wrapping up her Classics campaign she explained that she then rode some of the Worlds course in order to get a closer look at the Glasgow circuit. Kopecky said that her recon ride had confirmed to her that the race was very much one that suited her attributes as a rider.

“When I saw this course and did the recon at the beginning of May I just started to believe more and more in it,” she said. “So it's amazing to be in this shape for this World Championships and to go home with this gold medal.”

Kopecky’s late attack to seal the win came just before the tough Montrose Street climb. She said that once she had crested the steep ramp, she knew the rainbow jersey was in the bag.

“I was very nervous in the beginning when we had the climb and then on the descent towards the Glasgow lap you could feel the peloton was pretty nervous," she said. "It was also a bit dangerous but then once we were in the lap, I managed to hold the position pretty well in front.

“When I got over the last climb on Montrose street [I knew the race was won]... but that was pretty painful as the race was exhausting. Once I was over the final climb with about 1.6 kilometres to the finish, I knew I just had to stay upright and the gap would grow.

“It was not easy racing, but I was happy that at the end of the day I could manage the gold.”

Last year Kopecky went close to the rainbow bands in Wollongong, Australia but was ultimately beaten by a rampant Annemiek van Vleuten. She explained that her second place in Australia wasn’t on her mind in the closing stages of the women’s road race in Glasgow.

“I was not the strongest last year in the race, it was due to circumstance that I got into the position to race for the world title, then Annemiek attacked with a very smart move to take it.

"But today I felt really good and also felt like I was one of the strongest riders in the race.

“I really feel like I've earned this because of how the race was going tactically.”

There was a feeling of frustration after the finish line of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on Sunday. As the riders gasped for air, breathless in the humidity of Clermont-Ferrand, many were left wondering what could have been. After all, there was a yellow jersey on the line, and all but one of them missed out. 

The honours, in the end, went to Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), the winner of the race’s first stage with a 10km solo attack. When the Belgian launched her move, she took the rest of the field by surprise, leaving some of the GC favourites with a sour taste in their mouths. 

“I think I really messed up when Lotte went,” Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-Sram) told Cycling Weekly after the race. “I just lost a couple of seconds. I was trying to get out of Ashleigh Moolman [Pasio]’s wheel because she was kind of blocking me. It’s a pity for us it ended up like this because I think we could have had a better result.”

On the road into Clermont-Ferrand, chaos reigned in the group that followed Kopecky. “Sometimes it feels like no-one wants to work together because everyone has a different tactic or strategy in mind,” Niewiadoma explained. And with little organisation between the chasers, the time gap blew out. 

A few seconds over the top of the Côte de Durtol soon turned into 20, and ultimately 41 over the line. 

Speaking to the media, Moolman Pasio, the sole AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-Step rider in the group, said: "It wasn't actually my job to chase.

“There were multiple riders from other teams. But at the same time, I didn’t want to just sit up, so I tried to keep things going," she explained. "I don’t understand the mentality to attack, counter attack, because if we work together we could bring her back.” 

For Moolman Pasio, the disorder came when Kopecky's attack caught the GC contenders off guard. “She just came with speed from behind,” the South African said. “It was the element of surprise. In hindsight, maybe I’m kicking myself because I knew she was going to go, so why didn’t I just sit on her wheel? Why did I get caught up sitting on Demi [Vollering]’s wheel? 

“But I suppose that doesn’t make sense. Demi’s here to ride the GC, I’m here to ride GC. So nothing is lost today.” 

This, perhaps, is where the crux of it all lay. By virtue of not being a GC contender, the favourites did not deem Kopecky to be a threat, and so gave her licence to draw out an advantage. 

The SD Worx rider’s team-mate Marlen Reusser knew that would always be the case. “It was all the GC riders behind, not the sprinters, and that’s always the game,” she told Cycling Weekly. “They look at each other, and Lotte isn’t a GC rider, so that’s the big advantage that she had there.

“It went perfect,” Reusser added with a smile. 

Over the past few weeks, Lotte Kopecky has had a running joke with her best friend. 

“It started like three or four weeks ago,” she told the press after stage one of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. “We were joking that I would take on this final climb, and then do a solo for 10km."

Every day, Kopecky explained, she and her friend would wake up and send a text to the other’s phone. “We just said, ‘10 kilometres’,” she smiled, “with a yellow heart beside it.”

The joke, of course, came with a heavy dose of seriousness. Not only was there a possibility Kopecky would win, some said it was likely. The first stage suited the Belgian, with its punchy final climb and fast run-in to the line, and the bookmakers had her as the favourite for the first yellow jersey. 

They weren’t wrong. 

On Sunday in Clermont-Ferrand, Kopecky's texts became a reality. She broke loose over the third-category Côte de Durtol, and soloed to victory, having drawn out a 40-second gap on the descent. Taking nothing for granted, she waited until the very last moment to sit up, when she raised her fists in a cross, and brought them together to deliver a thunderous clap.

“Sport is an emotional thing,” the 27-year-old said afterwards. “When you cross the finish line, there’s so much pressure falling off your shoulders, and so much relief. This is the Tour de France, and winning this first stage, wearing yellow tomorrow, and being able to do this in one of the best women’s teams, for me is special.” 

Going into the stage, SD Worx had planned two cards to play. First they’d try with Kopecky over the climb, and if that strategy failed, they’d sprint with Lorena Wiebes. In the end, plan B was never needed. 

“When I saw [the climb] on VeloViewer a few months ago, I thought this first stage was for sprinters,” Kopecky explained. “But then the team director went for a recon of this race, and he texted me, ‘this first stage suits you very well.’ When we did the recon two days ago, I was really happy to see this final climb.” 

Kopecky's victory now sets a different tone for her to last year’s Tour de France Femmes, which grew evermore frustrating with each day's racing. Third on the first stage was followed by three further top 10s, with a win ultimately eluding her. 

“I just had the worst week on the bike,” she said. “But, just because last year didn’t go as I wanted, doesn’t mean this year would be the same. I really did not look back to last year, and I was convinced that my preparation this year had been better. 

“I just had to believe in the team and myself.” 

In Clermont-Ferrand, with the yellow jersey on the line, that belief was there. It had always been there, of course, whether she knew it or not. For in every text she sent to her friend, and every yellow heart that punctuated them, there was a belief that the jersey was destined to be hers. 

At 4.05pm on Sunday, Tadej Pogačar powered up the Oude Kwaremont, racing away from his rivals on the fabled cobbled climb near the end of the Tour of Flanders. As he was catching Mads Pedersen and taking the race away from Mathieu van der Poel, the Slovenian was hemmed in by thousands of fans screaming his name, cheering him on, desperate to catch a glimpse - and it was a glimpse, as he flew by - celebrating the biggest Belgian race of the year.

As soon as the 100 or so riders still in the race passed, the crowds surged towards the big screen to watch the denouement of the men's race, which happened at about 4.27pm, to see the UAE Team Emirates rider make history, watch the sprint for third place, and refill their glasses.

Just over half an hour later, at 5.16pm, Lotte Kopecky flew up the same hellish cobbled road, going on to make history as the first ever Belgian to win twice, let alone twice in a row. This time, however, the SD Worx rider was hemmed in by tens, maybe hundreds, not the thousands that had been there for the men's race. 

This time, there was no surge towards the big screen, just a dribble. There were less than twenty people watching the sprint for second place in the women's race, despite it being just an hour later. Entertainment seemed to be provided more by the two topless Flemings chugging beers than the elite athletes racing for their lives in front of us.

Safe to say, this was disappointing, and must have been a different experience for the riders. 

The CEO of Flanders Classics, the organisers of the Tour of Flanders, Tomas Van Den Spiegel, took to Twitter on Monday morning to boast of the women's race's TV viewing figures - 1,030,099 - a record for De Ronde, which is no doubt impressive, and good for the business side of the sport. 

His point was that this has increased massively since the race occurred before the men's race, which one assumes they have tested to ensure the most eyeballs stay on screens for the women. It makes sense - if you are watching the end of the men's race in a bar or at home, why wouldn't you simply carry on watching for the women's race? It's the same thing.

The TV viewing figures might be strong, but the roadside scenes were very depressing. For so-called cycling fans, some of whom had been on the Kwaremont for hours, the exodus that followed the men's race was baffling.

The women might not quite be at the same level of fame as the men, but they are just as impressive, and the spectacle is more or less exactly the same, just with different team colours and more hair.

What could possibly be more important than sticking around for 45 minutes to show support for some of the best cyclists in the world? Desperately needing to get to the Europop party in Oudenaarde is not going to cut it as an excuse, I'm afraid.

It was the same at the women's presentation in Oudenaarde, when FDJ Suez were on stage and the men's race whizzed past, and everyone surged to catch a one-second glimpse of their favourite male rider rather than paying attention to the just-as-important event happening behind them. The fact the two races are effectively in competition with each other seems odd.

Women's cycling is often more dynamic and exciting that men's racing, in my opinon, as it follows less of a formulaic approach and there is a bigger pool of potential winners for any race, so why wouldn't people want to watch it? Beyond hegemonic patriarchy reasons, of course. Sure, SD Worx might have dominated the cobbled Classics this year, but so has Jumbo-Visma on the men's side.

I appreciate that telling people off for not watching is not a productive approach, but it does anger me that so-called cycling fans can be so dismissive or ignorant of women's racing in 2023. It could be so much better.

As far as I can see, there are three options open to the Tour of Flanders, all of which have their advantages and disadvantages:

- The women's race goes up the Kwaremont and finishes before the men do it for a final time, ensuring that the crowds are already there, and will not be going anywhere. However, this would mean less people watched it on television, and the crowds might still be more interested in getting tanked up than watching the exciting sport happening.

- The women's race goes up after the men's race, as is now. The crowds are - in theory - already there, and TV coverage can switch straight over, which is good for figures. However, it is clear a culture change would need to happen for this to properly be effective.

- The women's race happens on a separate day, potentially the Saturday to the men's on Sunday, as will happen at Paris-Roubaix this weekend. This does mean that the two races are not in competition with each other, and that both can be fully focussed on. However, there would likely be less viewers on TV and in person for the women's race, as it is a less popular event. However, it would allow it to grow on its own. Another point is that the Flanders sportive is on the Saturday, so there might be more than a few logistical issues.

I don't have the answer, but I continue to be frustrated at the lack of interest in women's cycling, when it's basically the same product, just with different faces and tactics. It's often more interesting too.

Perhaps this should be aimed at the people at Flanders, who were apparently more interested in wrestling in the mud rather than watching the women's race, but we all need to make a concerted effort to support women's cycling, which is still basically in its infancy. The women's Tour of Flanders has only existed for twenty years, compared to the men's 110. We need to make the change.

Of course, some of that change comes from people like us in the cycling media, but it is incumbent on all of us to make people pay attention to people like Kopecky.

The centrepiece event of the Belgian Spring Classics takes place this weekend, and some of the biggest names in the men’s and women’s WorldTour are set to do battle once more. Taking place on Sunday, the 107th edition of the men’s Tour of Flanders is widely anticipated to be a scrap between the trio who largely stole the show at the recent E3 Saxo Classic.

'De Ronde' is undoubtedly one of the biggest one-day races on the planet, with swarms of cycling fans gathering on the race's iconic cobbled climbs, including the Oude Kwaremont, in their thousands to watch the riders take on the brutal course in Belgium. The men’s race is due to start in Brugge for the first time since 2016, before finishing on the outskirts of Oudenaarde 273 kilometres later.

First established in 2004, the women’s race starts and finishes in Oudenaarde and includes the same hellish climbs as the men’s edition. Lotte Kopecky captured the victory while wearing the Belgian national champions jersey last year, and the thousands of local fans lining the course will be screaming her name once more on Sunday.

Here’s Cycling Weekly’s five men and five women to watch when the racing gets going. 

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

With the way that Mathieu van der Poel has begun his spring campaign, it’s hard to bet against him completing the Flanders hat-trick on Sunday.

After his scintillating Milan-San Remo victory, Van der Poel lit up the E3 Saxo Classic in his final racing appearance before the Ronde and Roubaix. The flying Dutchman was as aggressive as always, rampaging up the Taaienberg in the first of a series of brutal attacks that drew Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar out into the open.

While Van Aert ended up snatching the win from his grasp, Van der Poel made him work for it, every second of the way, and will do exactly the same again when the Ronde gets underway on Sunday.

Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers)

After winning Strade Bianche in early March, Pidcock suffered slight misfortune when a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico left him with minor concussion.

The Yorkshireman was forced to sit out Milan-San Remo, although made his return to racing with a respectable 11th place at Dwars door Vlaanderen. Before his injury, Pidcock would have been widely expected to contend for the San Remo title, and on his day, is more than capable of matching the trio of Van Aert, Pogačar and Van der Poel.

Now that Pidcock has managed to get another race day under his belt ahead of his third appearance in Flanders on Sunday, the Ineos man will be full of optimism on his chances of competing with his aforementioned rivals. 

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 

Coming into the Ronde, Van Aert will be bursting with confidence after already getting one over on Van der Poel and Pogačar last week.

The Jumbo-Visma man could follow every single move from Van der Poel at E3, and was even able to put his long standing rival on the ropes on several occasions during the race. After losing out to the Dutchman in final sprints on previous occasions, beating his rival in last week's final dash to the line will have provided Van Aert with a timely feather in his cap ahead of the Flanders cobbles.

However, Van Aert’s biggest weapon will be his reliable, and fiercely loyal right hand man Christophe Laporte. Last weekend, Van Aert and Laporte memorably dominated Gent-Wevelgem before the Belgian handed his teammate the victory. As a result, Laporte will undoubtedly be right by his friend's side on Sunday, backing him all the way in the scrap for victory in the Monument. 

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) 

Since he was outfoxed by Van der Poel in the closing stages of last year’s Ronde, Pogačar will be determined not to let lightning strike twice on Sunday.

The Slovenian was in the thick of the action at the E3 Classic, and was largely able to match each acceleration from Van der Poel and Van Aert, even making his own big attack on the Oude Kwaremont as he looked to stretch things.

Similarly to Jumbo-Visma, Pogačar’s team is full of solid Classics riders including the likes of Tim Wellens. Pogačar is also undoubtedly the best climber of the three favourites.

If he brings his climbing legs to the cobbles once again on Sunday, and the likes of Wellens are able to stick with him until the final phase of racing, then the two-time Tour de France winner may well add yet another Monument to his palmarès this weekend. 

Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma)

After winning two-major Classics in a matter of days, Christophe Laporte firmly deserves his place in the top five overall contenders for Flanders.

Taking victory at both Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen in such quick succession is no mean feat, proving what many already knew; Laporte is yet another fearsome weapon in the Jumbo-Visma arsenal of talent.

Moving to the Dutch team from Cofidis has provided the Frenchman with an opportunity to really raise his level. He took an excellent stage victory at last summer’s Tour de France, and is a rider equally as formidable as the likes of Wout van Aert. As was well documented, the Frenchman was largely handed victory in Gent-Wevelgem by his Belgian teammate, although that shouldn’t take away from his own capabilities whatsoever.

After his Dwars victory, Laporte reiterated that he would be firmly in the service of Van Aert on Sunday. However, should things go wrong for Van Aert in some way, expect Laporte to be given the nod to push on and challenge at the sharp end of the action.

Demi Vollering (SD Worx) 

Coming into the Tour of Flanders, the strength in depth at SD Worx is somewhat terrifying. Vollering is one of four riders at the Dutch team potentially capable of winning, and showed she’s in strong form with victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, the team’s strength was no more evident than when Vollering and Kopecky both found themselves together going into the last 500 metres of Strade Bianche. The duo sprinted for the line, with Vollering eventually coming out on top. The Dutchwoman has won two of the three one-day races she’s started this season, and on paper is her team’s most in-form rider.

Her best result in Flanders was fifth in 2021, but she certainly has the strength and power to do better this time around. The only barrier to Vollering winning Flanders could well come from within her own ranks.

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) 

Earlier this year, Marianne Vos underwent major pelvic artery surgery to correct a long-standing injury. However, that didn’t stop Vos on her return to racing action earlier this week.

In only her second race of the road season at Dwars door Vlaanderen, Vos was one of a select few who could compete with the SD Worx duo of Marlen Reusser and Vollering. When Vollering launched her final attack, Vos was the only rider who could match her, although her compatriot ultimately rode her off her wheel.

Nevertheless, third place was a highly respectable result for Vos and an impressive sign of her fitness given her recent surgery and recovery. The Jumbo-Visma rider won the Tour of Flanders back in 2013, although she then didn’t return until five years later.

With that said, and her form she showed this week, it feels like you certainly can’t count Vos out on Sunday.  

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez)

Earlier this week, Uttrup Ludwig showed she’s gradually building form ahead of the Ronde, putting in a big attack on the cobbles as part of the front group at Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Ultimately, it would come to nothing, but proved that the FDJ Suez rider definitely has the legs to make a difference. In early March, the Danish puncheur took a solid third place behind the SD Worx duo of Vollering and Kopecky. She’s yet to win in 2023, but comes into the Tour of Flanders with a solid team behind her.

Uttrup Ludwig has regularly been in contention in Flanders, finishing sixth last year. Her best placed finish was third in 2019. With the power of Grace Brown in support on Sunday, she could well hit the podium again this time around.

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar)

It seems inevitable that whatever race Annemiek van Vleuten signs on for, she’s then instantly considered a favourite for the win. Although with her absolute domination last year, it really is no surprise.

Van Vleuten has won the Tour of Flanders on two previous occasions in 2011 and 2021, and has achieved four podium finishes in between her two victories. The Movistar rider had a difficult start to her current campaign, with an untimely mechanical ruling her out of contention. She made amends for her bad luck on Opening Weekend, going on to take fourth at Strade Bianche.

Since that race, Van Vleuten has been out of the spotlight, training at altitude ahead of her wider goals later in the year. However, despite her absence from other races this spring her rivals certainly won't underestimate her.

As she proved in 2022, Van Vleuten on her day is undoubtedly the best female bike racer in the world. If she turns up in her best shape on Sunday, it could well be game over the moment some of the trickier climbs begin.
 

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx)

The reigning Tour of Flanders female champion returns for another stab at victory. If Kopecky is able to muster up a race-winning performance on Sunday, she will become only the second woman to ever win consecutive editions. Unsurprisingly, the only rider to win two editions in a row is Movistar’s Van Vleuten.

Kopecky is in lightning form, and has already won on the cobbles in 2023 at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. As well as her win on Opening Weekend, she won Nokere Koerse and took second behind teammate Demi Vollering at Strade Bianche.

The SD Worx rider has the power and tenacity to launch a move and make it stick on climbs like the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. Kopecky also possesses a powerful enough final turn of speed to win a reduced bunch sprint back in Oudenaarde. With that in mind, she’s our out-and-out favourite for the win.  
 

If you had switched on the men's or women's Dwars door Vlaanderens with a kilometre to go on Wednesday afternoon, you would be forgiven for thinking you were experiencing déjà vu. 

Once again, at a cobbled Classic, a man in the colours of Jumbo-Visma, or a woman in the colours of SD Worx, rode off the front and could simply not be brought back. 

The two Dutch squads have made it look ridiculously easy so far in the Classics in 2023, repeatedly employing a plan that seems simple, but yet other teams can't come close to countering. It looks increasingly like it might happen again on Sunday at the Tour of Flanders.

At Dwars, it was Christophe Laporte and Demi Vollering; at Gent-Wevelgem, it was Laporte and Marlen Reusser; at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, it was Dylan van Baarle and Lotte Kopecky. In the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, Wout van Aert triumphed, with his teammate Tiesj Benoot winning Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne. Lorena Wiebes got in on the act for SD Worx at Craywinckelhof.

This means that Jumbo-Visma has won five out of the five cobbled Classics they have raced this season, a feat that no other team has achieved this century. Various iterations of Quick-Step have come close, winning three of the five in 2019, 2012 and 2007, but never a clean sweep.

Meanwhile, SD Worx has won four out of the four cobbled races they have taken part of in 2023, which has never been done by a woman's team; squads have managed two out of the four before, but never all of them.

The tactic is simple, and incredibly similar, for all of the wins (apart from Wiebes' and Van Aert's): ensure there are multiple options in a reduced peloton, and then attack solo, whether from far out or close to the finish, in the knowledge that there is a backup rider(s) in the chasing group, should the move fail.

With the attack from the smaller bunch hanging off the front, it is always difficult for a chasing group to organise itself, with often the only riders present being their team's respecitve leaders. It is always hard to put your ego to one side and work hard, knowing that there is always another Jumbo or SD Worx option in amongst your number ready to snatch the fruits of your labour. 

That's not to mention the fact that those Jumbo and SD Worx riders have also done a mighty fine job of getting in the way and disrupting any spirited chase.

It is the kind of plan that leaves ardent cycling fans scratching their heads, because it seems so effortless. Explaining cycling to a non-fan is so often a case of going "well, they can't just ride off the front". Except, in this case, they can.

This is easy to say, it is less easy to do. It is not like other teams have not tried something similar, or don't have the numbers to make this count. It is the strength of the riders involved that makes it such a powerful strategy, makes it work time and time again.

There are other squads with a coterie of solid riders, like Ineos Grenadiers, with Tom Pidcock, Ben Turner, Magnus Sheffield, Jhonatan Narváez and Michał Kwiatkowski, or Trek-Segafredo with Elisa Longo Borghini, Lucinda Brand and Elisa Balsamo, but in the spring of 2023 they simply do not seem to be as strong as Jumbo-Visma or SD Worx.

The fact that the two Dutch squads have the outstanding favourites among their number does not hurt them, obviously - Van Aert and Kopecky - but it is their ability to be backed up by riders who are on the level of other team's best options which makes them unstoppable.

Laporte, for instance, would be a team leader at most other squads, but will likely sacrifice his chances in order to support Van Aert at the Tour of Flanders this Sunday. Perhaps this is why the latter felt the need to gift him the win at Gent-Wevelgem, a thank-you present in advance.

Kopecky, or Vollering, likewise, can rely on the likes of Reusser to soften up the opposition. This is what happened at Dwars door Vlaanderen, where Reusser's 30km attack, accompanied by Marianne Vos, meant Vollering could sit on, wait for the move to be caught - if it was - and then fly off the front.

The other favourites at Flanders do not have this luxury.

Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar might be on the same level as Van Aert, but their Alpecin-Deceuninck and UAE Emirates squads do not have the same level of threat as Jumbo.

Likewise, Annemiek van Vleuten or Vos might be seen as among the best bets for the win at the women's race on Sunday, but they can't rely on a similar level of support or array of attacking talent as Kopecky and Vollering.

The concept of strength in numbers, with an outstanding favourite, is nothing new; it was the maxim that the various Quick-Step teams operated on for years, with Tom Boonen or Philipe Gilbert benefiting from the likes of Niki Terpstra or Yves Lampaert riding alongside them.

It is just that in this season of SD Worx/Jumbo-Visma dominance, the perfect set of riders appears to have come together to make the result seem almost inevitable. Perhaps it won't work on the biggest stage of all, the Tour of Flanders, but when the  moment comes - and it will come - when a man in yellow or a woman in purple charges off the front the fans on the roadside will likely, rightly, turn back to their beers and frites.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) opened her season with a momentous victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday. 

The 27-year-old attacked solo with 12km to go to become the first Belgian woman to win the cobbled classic, which was first introduced to the calendar in 2006.

Speaking after the race, Kopecky said: “I’ve never done a solo myself, so it was really hard for me to know how it feels and to pace this kind of race, but I think I did well.” 

The Belgian’s winning move started on the Muur van Geraardsbergen, where she exploded out of the peloton to catch the race leader Arlenis Sierra (Movistar). Kopecky then shook off the Cuban on the Bosberg, the final climb of the day, before riding solo to the line in Ninove. 

“It was not really the intention to go on the Muur,” Kopecky explained, “but I started with my pace on the Muur and nobody could follow, so I could not hesitate anymore and just tried to go.

“It was pretty hard, but I had a really good feeling during the race. In the climbs, I really felt strong.” 

The Belgian’s team-mate Lorena Wiebes won the sprint for second, securing an impressive one-two for SD Worx. Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) finished in third. 

Next on Kopecky's calendar is Strade Bianche, where she will defend her title on the gravel tracks of Tuscany, Italy. 

How it happened

On their first WorldTour outing in Europe, the riders left one Flemish city for another, racing between Ghent and Ninove on a 132.2km course. It would be no easy passage through the fields, however, with eight challenging climbs, the majority cobbled, to conquer en route. 

The peloton enjoyed a relaxed start to the afternoon, with the bunch remaining together for the first two thirds of the race. 

With 40km remaining, a star-studded group containing many of the pre-race favourites broke off the front, but was soon caught amid the relentless series of ascents.  

Not content to sit back and wait, Movistar’s Sierra tried her luck inside the final 30km, breaking away solo off the front and growing out a one-minute advantage. The Cuban rode alone onto the lower slopes of the Muur van Geraardsbergen, but her gap quickly began to tumble. Behind her, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) sprung out of the peloton to launch the chase, followed by the former British national champion Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM). 

Cresting the Muur, Kopecky tagged Sierra as the duo caught their breath in the shadows of the climb’s chapel. The Belgian then readied herself, before dealing her killer, race-winning attack at the foot of the Bosberg with 12km remaining.

Solo at the front of the race, the SD Worx rider took a 40-second advantage onto the flat, which was then halved as she battled into a headwind. Movistar and UAE Team ADQ tried their best to close the gap, but neither team could catch Kopecky, who crossed the line to take her first win of the season. 

After the race, it was revealed that last year's winner, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), had suffered a flat tyre on the approach to the Muur, ruling her out of the finale. 

Results

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: Ghent to Ninove (132.2km) 

1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx, in 3-32-54
2. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx
3. Marta Bastianelli (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
4. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar
5. Pfeiffer Georgi (GBr) Team DSM
6. Anouska Koster (Ned) Uno-X
7. Quinty Ton (Ned) Liv Racing TeqFind
8. Christina Schweinberger (Aut) Fenix-Deceuninck
9. Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon-Sram
10. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, all at 11s

SD Worx team-mates Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky are prepared to forgo their own victory opportunities to support each other this season. 

Speaking ahead of the Dutch squad's media presentation on Tuesday, the duo said they believe they can combine their racing skills, despite concerns their ambitions might clash. 

“SD Worx is really a team that gives every rider a chance,” said new signing Wiebes, who joined this year from Team DSM on a three-year contract. “I had a good training camp and Lotte and I were good together. 

“I think it will not be a problem next year. If she has a goal like Paris-Roubaix, I will fully support her, and the other way round. She will fully support me in my bigger goals.”

Wiebes and Kopecky met eight times in bunch sprints last year, with the Dutchwoman prevailing on every occasion. Since meeting at the team's training camp, the pair have discussed their ambitions for 2023, and have struck an accord with which races they'll target.   

Kopecky's big objective this year will be the early season Classics, notably the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Amstel Gold Race. Wiebes, on the other hand, hopes to win Gent-Wevelgem and continue her indomitable sprint form in stage races. 

“I am aware that Lorena, at the moment, is the fastest sprinter in the peloton,” said Kopecky. “It would be not fair to say she’s not. But I also know in sprints I can do very well. I think our programmes will not clash too much, and we will make sure that it will not happen too much.”

For the Belgian time trial champion, Wiebes’s arrival brings a new opportunity, a chance to take on more of a wild card role within the team. 

“I will not be the rider anymore who will have to wait until the sprints,” she said. “This will give me more of a free role and more chances to attack. That’s the style of racing I like the most, so I have no problem with that.

“For me, being an aggressive rider, if it doesn’t work out, we still have Lorena to finish. As long as we win as a team, then I think the team will be happy. For sure it will give me less stress towards races and [I can] be more relaxed.” 

Now, with the new season underway, there’s an expectation within SD Worx that the two riders will join forces and ignite the peloton. 

"Hopefully it's going to make for some really attractive racing," said directeur sportif Anna van der Breggen. 

“They are really different,” the two-time road world champion added, alluding to Wiebes’s strength as a pure sprinter and Kopecky’s punchier style. “It’s not like I always want to put them in separate races. They can both win the race, yes, but they can also help each other.

“As long as you get along well with each other and you are prepared to fight for your team-mates, it will never be a problem."

There were 168 race days across the men's WorldTour season, with the World Championships added in, and 75 race days in the Women's WorldTour, meaning deciding which were the best triumphs of 2022 is a quite difficult endeavour.

I mean, it would be difficult were it not clear which was the best win of the year already: Annemiek van Vleuten's World Championship road race victory in Wollongong was the most memorable end to a race of the year, and possibly one of the most incredible finishes ever, such was the drama.

However, it would be quite a boring list were this to just contain Van Vleuten's Australian adventure, so there are eight more on here for you to recall; some you might have forgotten, and some you almost definitely have not.

Seeing as there is such a breadth of racing to take a pick from, from both women's and men's races, there should probably be some ground rules.

Firstly, all these races are from the WorldTour, the highest level of racing, or the World Championships, or we would get stuck in a never ending list of our own making. Secondly, there can only be one pick per race, otherwise some would dominate while others were forgotten.

The Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes were great, but they can only be represented once. Interestingly, one wonders whether these seem so great in our memory because they were the events of the year, with all the hype; memory is a fickle thing.

Finally, only one pick per rider, or it could be a bit imbalanced towards certain riders, so only one win from Wout van Aert, Tadej Pogačar or Annemiek van Vleuten.

So, off the back of these rules, honourable mentions must go to Mark Cavendish at the British nationals, Tom Pidcock at the Tour, Annemiek van Vleuten at the Giro d'Italia Donne, and Lotte Kopecky at the Tour of Flanders, among others. If you disagree, please feel free to get angry, but remember, this is just my opinion, not a comprehensive list. 

Anyway, here we go, chronologically...

Lotte Kopecky - Strade Bianche

Lotte Kopecky had a great season, which was made all the more impressive by it being her first year with SD Worx, a super team where she could have been crowded out by other talents. Instead, she thrived under pressure. I could have picked her victory at the Tour of Flanders, which I was there for, with all the emotion of a Belgian winning in the Belgian tricolor, but her win at Strade Bianche was more impressive.

The 27-year-old was off the front of the race on three separate occasions, twice with Annemiek van Vleuten, the only rider to have ever won the race twice. The all-conquering Dutchwoman was clearly the rider to watch, and was part of the large group which came into Siena together, along with Kopecky.

However, with the help of her teammate Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, the Belgian timed her attacks perfectly, sprinting around the final corner into the Piazza del Campo in front of Van Vleuten, preventing her from winning a third, and showing what a powerful and shrewd racer she has become.

She used the right line around that last bend, forcing Van Vleuten wide in the process, guaranteeing her the best shot at that famous finish in the middle of the medieval city. It was a perfect start to her time at SD Worx.

"You’re never confident [of beating van Vleuten], but I had a good feeling today, and I knew the person to follow was Annemiek and first, I had to let her go a bit," Kopecky said after. "I don’t know what happened in my head, but I just kept going, and when we turned to the right, I passed her, but then the other corner, she passed me again, and it was really just one sprint to the last corner. It is amazing to win this race."

Tadej Pogačar - Strade Bianche

Back to Tuscany once again - there is something about Strade Bianche that makes it a must-watch, and seems to always produce fantastic racing.

Back in March Tadej Pogačar took a different approach to Kopecky had done earlier the same day, and rather than sticking with the favourites until the final climb, decided to go it alone from far out, very far out in fact. The kilometres to go ticker had barely gone down past 50km when the Slovenian powered off the front on a gravel sector.

It wasn't as much a stinging attack as gliding away, and then holding onto that lead for well over an hour. By the final climb into Siena the race was over, and it looked like a year in which Pogačar would conquer all again - this might not have exactly come true, but there were still golden moments.

Christophe Laporte - Paris-Nice, stage one

Jumbo-Visma seemed on fire throughout the year, and we will come back to their brilliant teamwork a bit later, but this statement victory at the beginning of Paris-Nice set the tone.

Jumbo-Visma used a short third category climb six kilometres from the finish to unleash panic in the peloton and to put themselves into a commanding position that set them up for the win and denied the sprinters the chance they had been hoping would arise.

The trio of Primož Roglič, Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte flew up the final ascent with the peloton behind them unable to respond, before the three riders descended in unison and then crossed the line as one, Laporte being afforded the honours of taking the stage win with Roglič coming home in second. The peloton were 22 seconds in arrears.

Roglič ended up winning overall, after his team controlled the race from start to finish. Not a bad start to the stage racing season.

Matej Mohorič - Milan-San Remo

With the help of an innovation - a dropper seat post - Matej Mohorič descended to victory at Milan-San Remo, taking his first Monument in the process. 

With the bunch settling momentarily as the Poggio was crested, the Slovenian took his chance to attack, descending with nerves of steel and managing to create a slender gap back to the bunch. There were a couple of nervy moments as he went wide into a corner or two, but he kept it going to power to the line.

As he told Cycling Weekly before Christmas: “To have a plan come together like this is probably a once in a lifetime experience.”

Marta Cavalli - Amstel Gold Race

As we will see, when Annemiek van Vleuten makes a decisive attack, that is usually that, race over. However, back at the Amstel Gold Race it did not go the Dutchwoman's way - although it would at Liège-Bastogne-Liège three weeks later. On this Sunday, though, on her home roads, it was not a day for AVV but for Marta Cavalli.

The Italian caught her companions in the lead group by surprise with just under 2km to go, on the final ascent of the Cauberg, and stormed to victory. In an FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope shorn of their natural leader in Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, the French squad had to get inventive, and were aggressive all day. That spirit did not end, with Cavalli proving her mettle.

Despite the presence of two SD Worx riders - Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Demi Vollering - and other fast finishers like Kasia Niewiadoma and Elisa Balsamo chasing, Cavalli picked her moment to perfection, and once she got going, no one could stop her. It was an attack full of bravery.

The Frenchwoman would go on to triumph at Flèche Wallonne a fortnight later, proving herself as the Queen of the Ardennes races for 2022.

Elisa Longo Borghini - Paris-Roubaix

There have only been two editions of Paris-Roubaix Femmes to date, and yet we appear to have stumbled upon a formula for the race already: A Trek-Segafredo rider goes on a perfectly timed solo attack, and wins alone in the velodrome. We will have to wait until April to see if this stands up for a third time in a row.

In 2022 it was Elisa Longo Borghini's turn to power to victory across the cobbles. The Italian champion attacked solo with 38km of the race remaining, and though her lead was never secure, her Trek-Segafredo team mates behind made the case difficult.

Behind her, a group of seven women formed in pursuit, but with two team mates in attendance the chase was unable to gel and the Italian took a lead approaching 30 seconds into the Roubaix velodrome.

The win had been set up from early on, with Ellen van Dijk forcing the pace on the first cobbled sector, and by the time Longo Borghini went, no one could match her. A glorious day for the Italian.

Biniam Girmay - Giro d'Italia, stage 10

As landmark wins go, this was a big one, with Biniam Girmay becoming the first Eritrean and first black African rider to win a Grand Tour stage.

The win was a lot more than that though, with stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia becoming more and more chaotic on the run in to the finish in Jesi. The difficulty of the finalé can be seen in the varied names of competitors who finished behind Girmay: Mathieu van der Poel, Richard Carapaz and Romain Bardet were all close.

Coming into the final 500m, the Eritrean hit the front as he launched off of teammate Domenico Pozzovivo's rear wheel. The Eritrean superbly managed to fend off Van der Poel in the closing stages with his superior strength.

Recognising he didn't have the legs to beat Girmay, the Dutchman gave his rival a thumbs up while crossing the finish line. It was beautiful.

Sadly, an incident with the Prosecco cork on the podium meant he had to depart the race early, but the young man will be back at the top. 

Wout van Aert - Tour de France, stage four

Another race in France, another masterclass from Jumbo-Visma. This time, Wout van Aert was the beneficiary of excellent teamwork from Tiesj Benoot and Christophe Laporte, with the final categorised hill providing the launch pad for his audacious attack with 11km to go. Simply put, no one could catch the Belgian in yellow once he had gone.

Jumbo had dramatically upped the tempo on that final climb, splitting the peloton up the hill. Only Ineos Grenadiers were attempting to keep pace through Adam Yates, but Van Aert attacked again and was never seen again.

Such was the surprise of his solo attack that Jasper Philipsen didn't even realise that his sprint for the line was for second place, and the Belgian celebrated as if he had won. The problem was, Van Aert was already warming down ahead of the peloton.

It wasn't the last of Jumbo-Visma's impressive attacks at the Tour - the Col du Granon stage which saw Jonas Vingegaard crack Tadej Pogačar was a highlight, but the day in Calais stands out as a great win.

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig - Tour de France Femmes, stage three

Uttrup Ludwig's biggest victory to date came at the end of a long, tough, lumpy day from Reims to Épernay, and from an elite group that contained the yellow jersey, Marianne Vos, and the eventual overall winner, Annemiek van Vleuten. It also followed an opening couple of days of the Tour where things had been tough for Uttrup Ludwig’s FDJ-Suez- Futuroscope team, with her losing lots of time on GC on stage two, and Marta Cavalli being forced to abandon. 

Even with 200 metres to go, the Dane looked out of it, with Vos, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Kasia Niewiadoma looking like they were in the driving seat, but Uttrup Ludwig would surge around the trio in the final 100 metres, to take the biggest win of her career. 

The whole race was a stunning advertisement for women's cycling, Van Vleuten's dominance excepted, and stage three was just another part of that. 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly in December, Uttrup Ludwig could barely believe her success still: “The Tour definitely stands out as the highlight of the season. It was more the circumstances of that day having lost so much time on GC, and having lost Marta [Cavalli] the day before, and everything looking so black and dark, and the team being so down. The day after, to win, to go through such a roller coaster, was very special and kind of amazing. 

“I didn’t know I had won until I had almost crossed the line. OK, the last few metres, when I couldn’t see anyone, but it was not until I crossed the line when I was like, ‘Did this happen?’ I didn’t really think that much, it was just getting to the line. I wanted to make sure no one could overtake me, I wanted this so bad. I was just fighting.” 

Annemiek van Vleuten - World Championships road race

Just remember that Annemiek van Vleuten had a broken elbow when she did this, when she won the worlds for a second time. The Dutchwoman had crashed heavily in the mixed relay TTT just days before the road race, her participation was in doubt, the race looked decided, and then she just went and won the whole thing.

The race looked to be decided by a group of 13 riders heading into the final, with fast finishers like Lotte Kopecky and Arlenis Sierra up there, ready to pounce in the last hundred metres. However, Van Vleuten, who looked like she was out of it, suddenly came out of nowhere in the last kilometre, powering past to claim the win. The moment where nobody jumped onto her wheel decided the whole race; perhaps they were so surprised that they just could not make a decision.

Van Vleuten is a serial winner, but often her victories are not highly entertaining, such is the way she crushes her rivals into submission. But in a wet day in Wollongong, it was an incredible turn of speed which saw her sprint to victory. Simple.

"I’m still waiting for the moment for someone to tell me it’s not true,” Van Vleuten said after the race. “I had such a different plan beforehand. Today I was just a domestique with a broken elbow. And now I’m world champion."

Quantifying a rider's impact on their team comes down to several factors. Did they pick up some victories themselves? Were they constantly on the attack in a Grand Tour like the Tour de France getting TV time for the sponsors? Or maybe they picked up victory in a monument. 

These were all questions that we asked ourselves when looking back on the campaign just gone. 

So many riders made a difference. 

Some achieved huge victories at the first time of asking, others went above and beyond and helped their new teammates to do the same. Others also finally achieved their stage race potential that they had been promising for so long. 

Here are our top nine signings that made an impact in the men's and women's WorldTour in 2022. 

GRACE BROWN

Aussie Grace Brown has had a stunning year with new team FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope after spending two years with her native Mitchelton-Scott squad. 

The 30-year-old’s success was all year long, and started with her taking the honours in the women’s time trial at the Australian National Championships, as well as finishing second in the road race. After that, Brown achieved seventh at the Tour of Flanders and then finished second at Liège–Bastogne–Liège in April. 

Her scintillating form continued as she finished second overall to Elisa Longo Borghini at the Women’s Tour before winning gold in the women’s time trial at the Commonwealth Games. 

Brown then took a stage win at the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta in August, before finishing second in the time trial at the World Championships in her native Australia. 

Some season indeed. 

JAI HINDLEY

Australian Jai Hindley may seem like an obvious choice, although after winning the Giro d’Italia in his debut season with Bora-Hansgrohe you simply have to include him. 

Hindley finished second at the rearranged Giro in 2020 by literally seconds to Ineos Grenadiers’ Tao Geohagen Hart, and was then forced to withdraw from the 2021 edition on stage 13. Clearly feeling he had a score to settle at the Italian Grand Tour, Hindley returned in the colours of his new German team Bora-Hansgrohe with a vengeance. 

Coming into the Giro, the Aussie had finished fifth at Tirreno-Adriatico. Once the Giro was underway, his sparkling form was then clear for all to see when he outsprinted all of the other favourites to take an impressive stage win on the iconic Blockhaus mountain. 

After being teed up by teammate Lennard Kämna, Hindley then snatched the Maglia Rosa, or pink jersey, from the shoulders of Richard Carapaz with a daring late attack on the Marmolada pass on the penultimate stage to ensure he’d lift the Giro trophy in Verona the following day.

CHRISTOPHE LAPORTE 

After consistently flying under the radar at Cofidis, Frenchman Christophe Laporte really took next level after signing for Jumbo-Visma. 

Laporte was instrumental in Jumbo-Visma’s dominance at Paris-Nice, crossing the line first in the team's spectacular 1-2-3 on the opening stage. He then ensured that team leaders Wout van Aert and Primož Roglič were kept out of trouble for the rest of the week, with the latter taking the overall win. He then set up his teammate Van Aert for victory at the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, before finishing in second place again at Gent-Wevelgem. 

The former Cofidis man went on to play a huge part in his team's sensational Tour de France victory from Jonas Vingegaard, helping to keep the team's leader safe through the flatter stages as well as occasionally being present in the mountains. 

Laporte was rewarded by being given his own chance to shine on stage 19, capping a superb three weeks for Jumbo as he spoiled the party for the sprinters, taking the stage 19 victory in Cahors. The Frenchman then won a silver medal in the road race at the World Championships in September. 

Marlen Reusser

SD Worx know how to conduct a shrewd bit of business, and in signing Marlen Reusser they got one of the pre-eminent rouleurs of the women's peloton. Despite only being on the Women's WorldTour for a year, the Swiss rider was hot property, and played a crucial role for the Dutch super team throughout the year. 

As well as being a top ally for her starrier teammates, Reusser won one stage four of the inaugural Tour de France Femmes, one of only two riders that won a stage who weren't Dutch. The fact she did it in such a storming way over the gravel sectors, finishing the day off with a 23.1km solo attack shows how valuable she was and is to her team.

Reusser went on to win the time trial at the European Championships and then help her team to mixed relay gold at the World Championships. One feels there's more to come from the Swiss time trial specialist.

MARC SOLER

Marc Soler enjoyed a brilliant debut season with UAE Team Emirates, in which he played a significant role in keeping Tadej Pogačar in contention at the Tour de France. 

Many questioned Soler’s move from Movistar to his new team, although the Spaniard vindicated his transfer from his old stomping ground with a memorable stage win in UAE colours at the Vuelta a España. 

Furthermore, Soler was consistently on the attack throughout the entire three weeks, and went close to stage victories on other occasions. Ultimately he was rewarded for his efforts with the prize for the most combative rider. 

Soler’s climbing brilliance also helped to ensure a third overall for his young fellow Spanish teammate, Juan Ayuso. 

LOTTE KOPECKY

27-year-old Lotte Kopecky had an incredible year since making the switch from Liv Racing to SD Worx. 

Last year was special for Kopecky, as she took victories in both the female road race and time trial at the Belgian National Championships as well as Le Samyn. She also came second at the women's edition of Gent-Wevelgem. 

However, moving to SD Worx saw Kopecky well and truly take her performances to the next level. This year the Belgian retained her title as Belgian time trial champion, before she then took a stunning win at the Tour of Flanders, something which cemented her position as a home favourite.

Prior to that Kopecky, had already won the female edition of Strade Bianche and the rest of the spring saw her finish second to Eliso Longo Borghini at Paris Roubaix. 

Later in the year, Kopecky won an outstanding silver medal in the road race at the World Championships in Australia. She will be one to watch once again next spring when the Classics come back around. 

TIESJ BENOOT

Tiesj Benoot was part of the new signing double-act at Jumbo-Visma, playing an equally as starring role as his fellow new signing Laporte in their new team's success this campaign. 

Bringing in Benoot along with Laporte was a shrewd bit of business by the Jumbo top brass, and the 28-year-old delivered. 

The former Strade Bianche winner finished second at Dwars door Vlaanderen in the Spring, before finishing third at the Amstel Gold race. Not quite the coveted classics wins that he may have hoped for, but solid results nonetheless. 

Later on in the Spring, the all-rounder played a huge role in ensuring that Wout van Aert took the win at the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, but it was the Tour de France where he really shone. 

On the final climb of stage four before the run into Calais, both Benoot and Laporte moved to the front of the peloton and put in a stinging two-up attack that launched teammate Van Aert to a stunning stage victory in the yellow jersey. 

ELISA BALSAMO

Trek-Segafredo’s Elisa Balsamo had yet another fantastic year on both the road and track.

The 24-year-old Italian joined her fellow countrywoman, Elisa Longo Borghini, at Trek this year and didn’t look back. On the road Balsamo took the victory in the women’s Italian national championships. She was also on fire throughout the spring, winning the female edition of Gent-Wevelgem, a race she had finished fourth at the year before.

As well as that, Balsamo also took two stage wins at the Giro Donne and finished eighth in the Amstel Gold Race.

On the track Balsamo was part of the victorious Italian team pursuit squad at the Track World Championships. 

MAGNUS SHEFFIELD

Young American Magnus Sheffield was riding for Rally Cycling in 2021 but was offered a dream move to Ineos Grenadiers for 2022.

A big step up, but one which the 20-year-old American certainly relished. In his debut season with Ineos, Sheffield won Brabantse Pijl at the first time of asking, and was consistently in the thick of the action during some of the early spring classics. 

As well as his big win in Belgium, Sheffield also took a resounding victory on stage three of the Vuelta a Andalucia and finished a highly respectable second in the men’s time trial at the US national championships.

The Ineos man will certainly be one to watch in 2023.

Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) won stage five of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with a powerful turn of speed in a sprint finish. 

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) retained her lead in the overall classification for another day. 

Vos and Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) were determined to prevent the Dutch rider from snatching a second stage win, but Wiebes was the quickest from the bunch to power away and grab the stage victory. 

A feisty breakaway duo of Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) and Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) had led the race for the final few kilometres after distancing their breakaway compatriots on the bonus climb. For a while, it looked like Berteau may spoil the party for the sprinters, but as the race was fast approaching the finish in Saint-Dié-Des-Vosges, a huge turn on the front of the peloton from Trek-Segafredo teammates Ellen Van Dijk and Audrey Cordon-Ragot ensured they were quickly swept up with plenty of time to spare. 

The peloton then looked to reorganise itself for the sprint finish, but once the main bunch flew under the final kilometre to go banner, there would be only one winner. Van Dijk led out Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) but there was to be no stopping Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM). 

Wiebes expertly jumped through a gap between Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Balsamo to spring clear at speed and secure a second stage victory of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in style.

Balsamo finished second for Trek-Segafredo with Vos in third place defending her lead in the yellow jersey. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Stage five of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was due to bring the riders closer to the Vosge Mountains. The 175 kilometre route featured two category four climbs before the intermediate sprint point at Charmes, and then a bonus climb at the Col du Haut du Bois towards the finishing town of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. 

Marlon Reusser won stage four with a solo attack to take the pressure off of SD Worx, the team of Demi Vollering, an overall favourite for the yellow jersey. 

Once the racing action got underway, four attackers got up the road, including Emily Newsome (EF Education-Tibco-SVB). Team DSM were straight onto the front of the peloton looking to control the gap to the breakaway as they sought to protect the interests of Lorena Wiebes. Newsome’s breakaway compatriot, Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) took the maximum two points at the top of the first climb of the day, the Côte de Pagny-la-Blanche-Côte. Once the race was over the climb, the breakaway had a stable gap of 3-30 over the chasing main field. 

At 65 kilometres left to race the break was still being kept at a good distance. Berteau led the breakaway over the next climb on the road, the Côte de Gripport, before Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG) took maximum points at the intermediate sprint. 

Behind the breakaway, there was a real battle for the remaining points in the peloton. Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) opened up her sprint in the yellow jersey, with Wiebes straight onto her back wheel. In the end, Wiebes had enough power to round Vos and take the remaining points. A clear sign that the Team DSM sprinter had good legs ahead of the fight to come for the stage win.

With 42 kilometres to go, there was a huge crash in the peloton that brought down multiple riders including Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) and Emma Norsgaard (Movistar). Moments later, the Movistar rider was taken to hospital in an ambulance leaving Annemiek Van Vleuten, a key teammate down. 

As the peloton got back on the road, groups of riders were scattered along the course dealing with injuries sustained in the incident. The rider second on general classification, Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel and Service), was caught out in the crash along with Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (SD Worx), and both were in a group gradually making its way back to the peloton. 

Once the main field had gathered itself, the breakaway group had their lead cut to under a minute for the first time. Multiple teams, including Le Col-Wahoo and Trek-Segafredo, moved to the front of the main field as they started to look towards a potential sprint finish. Jumbo-Visma joined the work on the front and the breakaway were soon living on borrowed time. 

With 20 kilometres to go, the breakaway was split in two and the riders had begun the bonus climb in search of extra seconds. Berteau led the charge over the top with Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) in second. The main field appeared to be more concerned with the fast-approaching finish, so there were no late-attacks from any general classification favourites looking to snatch any bonus seconds. 

As the race flew by 16 kilometres left to race, Berteau and Christoforou pushed on, determined to avoid being swept up by the fast encroaching peloton. European champion Ellen van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo) was racking up the pace as the team looked at positioning Elisa Balsamo for a shot at a stage victory. However, the narrow country roads with sweeping bends, were making a potential chase difficult to orchestrate. With 6 kilometres to go, the breakaway still had a 40 second gap on the marauding peloton. 

A huge injection of pace at 4 kilometres to go from Jumbo-Visma saw the gap to the breakaway tumble and they were suddenly swept up. Trek-Segafredo duo Van Dijk and Audrey Cordon-Ragot shared the work superbly to bring back the breakaway and well position Balsamo. As the race then flew under the final kilometre, riders began to unleash their final sprint for the line. 

Vos herself came from nowhere and was alongside Balsamo, before Lorena Wiebes expertly slipped through a gap between them to unleash a huge turn of speed to distance her nearest challengers. 

In the end Wiebes won comfortably with Balsamo in second place and Marianne Vos securing third on the day. 

RESULTS TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES 2022, STAGE FIVE 

1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Team DSM, in 4-32-16
2. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo,
3. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma,
4. Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Liv Racing Xstra,
5. Maike Van der Duin (Ned) Le Col-Wahoo,
6. Maria Confalonieri (Ita) WNT Pro Cycling,
7. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service,
8. Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ Suez Futuroscope,
9. Tamara Dronova (Sui) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss,
10. Alexandra Manly (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco, all at same time

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE FIVE 

1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, in 16-20-58
2. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service, at 20s
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram, at same time
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 34s
5. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) SD-Worx, at 55s
6. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD-Worx, at 1-01
7. Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM, at 1-09
8. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar, at 1-18
9. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Suez Futuroscope, at 1-52
10. Maria Canellas (Spa) UAE Team ADQ, at 2-30

Lotte Kopecky is planning to ride the Giro d'Italia Donne in preparation for the Tour de France Femmes this summer, with stage wins her main priority at the inaugural edition of the French event. 

Kopecky seems confident the Giro d'Italia Donne - which runs from July 1-10 - will provide the perfect base for her to succeed from at the Tour de France Femmes, starting on July 24. 

Referring to the flatter stages featuring in the Italian event this year, she also clarifies she will still fight for stage wins at the Giro should the opportunities present themselves, despite emphasising the Tour is her main focus. 

“In recent years there have been a lot of climbing stages, but now there are more flatter days," Kopecky said. "It will be a Giro that won't break you, I think it's the ideal preparation. I'm not going to miss any stage wins, of course, but the Tour will be the main goal."

In fact, the Belgian rider is simply going to France to secure stage wins, rather than challenge for the overall victory. Kopecky highlights this decision when asked about whether she can compete on the final-day summit finish at La Planche des Belles Filles. 

“That's a question mark," she said. "That's why I'm not going for the rankings. With Demi Vollering and Ashleigh Moolman we have riders in the team that we are sure can compete for the overall victory. We're not going to take any risks. 

"I would also rather win a stage than be third in the general classification. I think it's exciting and I hope it will be as fun as I imagine it now. The Tour, with yellow jersey, green jersey, polka dot jersey, that's so appealing. It will be great.”

In the meantime, Kopecky will head to Denia, Spain, at the end of the week to complete an altitude training camp by herself. The next race on her agenda is the Tour of Burgos from May 19-22, before she competes at the RideLondon Classique at the end of the month. 

The 26-year-old will then complete another training camp at altitude in June, this time in Tignes with her SD Worx team, in preparation for the Giro d'Italia Donne, which gets underway on July 1.

Despite having already won the Strade Bianche Donne and Tour of Flanders in 2022, while also finishing second place at Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Kopecky hasn't competed in a stage-race yet this season. Therefore, the Giro could prove essential in her preparations if she is to achieve success at the very first Tour de France Femmes.

The roar that greeted Lotte Kopecky's victory at the Tour of Flanders felt momentous. Women's cycling in Belgium is not small, obviously it still has a voice in the bike-mad country, but it certainly does not have the same heft of the powerhouse in the Netherlands to the north. Beyond Kopecky and Julie De Wilde, who finished second at Dwars door Vlaanderen, there are not stocks of talent.

It was probably a louder cheer than the one Mathieu van der Poel received for winning his second Ronde, and it certainly felt like it meant more. Kopecky, in the Belgian tricolor, stormed to victory in front of the woman widely touted as the best cyclist in the world, Annemiek van Vleuten. This could be the catalyst for an age of growth in women's cycling in the country.

It was the culmination of a dream that has been formed for a long time, although it was only made concrete when she finished fifth in the same race aged 21 in 2017.

"As a small girl I didn't know what I was capable of," Kopecky told the media post-victory. "It was only in 2017 when I came fifth in the Tour of Flanders that I thought that I could one day win this race. It has been quite a long time in my head already."

Not only post-victory, but after endless podium shenanigans, multiple interviews on Belgian TV in multiple locations. The rider from Rumst in the province of Antwerp must only just be realising how she is now one of the stars of Belgian sport.

"In Belgium it is the biggest race there is," Kopecky said. "For a Belgian to win it in the jersey is something really special. It was a big goal in the beginning of the season, and it's always nice when a plan comes together."

It was not her first big success of the season, that came at Strade Bianche last month, where she also bested Van Vleuten. On Sunday, the 26-year old proved once again that SD Worx were right to sign her, and that she is one of the biggest talents in the world right now.

"SD Worx has a big role in my victories," Kopecky explained. "Before I was alone in the final a lot of times. It's really hard to compete against such a strong team with many riders in the front of the race. Now they are my teammates, and I can work together with them."

In her one season with Liv Racing, the Belgian did win seven races, and was widely touted as the coming thing when she was at Lotto-Soudal, but it is the move to the Dutch super team that has elevated her to the next step.

Speaking ahead of the season, Kopecky had said: "I want to win as many races as possible." Now she is.

She also realises that her win is bigger than just her, and it might help the next generation of Belgian cyclists.

"After Strade I got got contacted by a lot of young girls," Kopecky said. "But maybe after this win I hope that young girls can dream of winning this race or even just riding it. I hope this will get a lot of young riders on their bikes."

The fact this is the second time she has beaten Van Vleuten in the final of a big race this season is not lost on Kopecky: "It's really nice to beat Annemiek, but I also have a lot of respect for her. On the climbs, she is the better one, she's the one to follow. It's really good for me and for my confidence."

While bigger things and more success await the Belgian, for now she just wants to drink in the victory and then move on to her future goals.

"I think I want to enjoy this, then afterwards see what's next on the program," she said.

On Sunday's evidence, there might be a lot more enjoyment to come.

Lotte Kopecky surprised the odds to take the biggest win of her season at Strade Bianche on Saturday.

The SD Worx rider held onto the coat tails of 2020 winner Annemiek van Vleuten up the climb of Via Santa Caterina into the picturesque city of Siena, before winning a battle of both wits and legs in the final few metres.

The pair had been part of a group of 12 riders which entered the final kilometre, but as the road kicked up onto the steepest sections of Via Santa Caterina Van Vleuten split the group, with only Kopecky and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio able to hang on.

While the South African was gapped, Kopecky held on, she and Van Vleuten riding shoulder to shoulder through the thronged streets, until at the final corner the Belgian barged up the inside, opened up and won the race. 

As we have become to expect from Strade Bianche, the whole day was brilliantly entertaining. From the moment the day’s breakaway was caught the race never settled, with a number of teams riding particularly aggressively. SDWorx though were most intelligent with thei energies, Kopecky herself was even on the attack around 20km from the line.

This year marks the first time the women first to the top of the Via Santa Caterina has failed to won the race, and the first time we have seen a two up sprint.

How it happened

With no Australian races for the second year running, the eighth edition of Strade Bianche returned to its place as the opening race of the Women’s WorldTour.

Organisers have clearly followed the good old ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ maxim, leaving the route alone, the peloton covering 136km, starting and finishing in Siena, with eight stretches and 31.6km of the white sterrato gravel roads the race is known for.  

The first of those came after 17km, but was relatively benign, the gravel sectors becoming increasingly challenging as the race went on. 

At 9.5km with some quite serious climbing, the fifth sector is the longest and historically an action point, but the last three stretches of strade bianche is where the touch paper is always well and truly lit.

The first attack came early on, after just six kilometres, Rebecca Koerner (Uno-X) quickly building a lead of 20 seconds. And when she was joined by Emily Newson (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) the day’s break was formed, the pair taking a lead of 1:23 onto the day’s first gravel sector 17km in.

On the long climb which closed the second sector Newson, an experienced gravel racer, dropped the young Danish rider, and forged on alone, and with Koerner eventually succumbing to the bunch, the American took a lead of three minutes onto sector five.

But, as expected it was the sector at San Martino in Grania that made the difference and Newsom’s lead tumbled, the American caught as she reached tarmac once more, a peloton of around 40 women forming at the front.

After a few jabs and parries from some, a large peloton reformed on the front of the race. It was far from settled though, with riders repeatedly trying to get away. One of those Spanish champion Mavi García (UAE Team ADQ) who finished a close second in the summer edition of 2020, and Liv Racing Xstra were particularly aggressive in search of a first win of the year. 

However, the group of around 40-50 riders stayed resolutely together as they approached a triumvirate of especially tough closing sterrato sections. 

A big split managed to gain some ground ahead of the sixth sector, but when they were caught just ahead of the penultimate sector Belgian champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) went, quickly building a lead of 35 seconds.

When she was caught her team mate, last year’s winner, Chantal van den Broek-Blaak went off the front, plummeting downhill onto the final gravel sector. But there, as the road levelled out Van Vleuten moved up, predictably launching her move as road tipped up onto its 18% slopes.

However, she was unable to gap her rivals, Kopecky sticking to her and the two emerged with a narrow lead. They even led into town, but a determined chase saw a group of six, including to of Kopecky’s team mates, catch them as the route circumnavigated Siena’s city centre.

With three in the group the Dutch squad were able to continue raining blows on the opposition, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Demi Vollering taking turns, while Kopecky sat in. Despite this constant aggression a number of other riders joined them and a group of 13 breathlessly headed onto the final climb.

Results

Strade Bianche Women Elite 2022: Siena - Siena (136km)

1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx, in 3-59-14
2. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned), at same time
3. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA), SD Worx at 10s
4. Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM, at 19s
5. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope, at 24s
6. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon-SRAM, at 28s
7. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, at 29s
8. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at same time
9. Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo, at 34s
10. Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar Travel and Service, at same time

It is probably too early to say what the best transfer of the year was, the racing has not even started yet for the women's peloton. Yet Lotte Kopecky's move to SD Worx has the hallmark of being the best piece of business.

The Belgian champion admits herself that she does not enjoy moving teams, despite this being her third team in three years. With a three-year contract in her jersey pocket, she thinks she can show herself "100%" in her new kit.

Kopecky might not have won too many top races in her career so far, only two Women's WorldTour events, but is one of the coming forces in women's cycling. She was fourth at the Olympic road race last year, and won eight races, four for her squad Liv Racing. It won only eight races during 2021.

With her move to SD Worx, she will not be the sole leader at a team for the first time, something she sees as a positive.

Speaking to the media at her team's launch, she said that she didn't think she would have to change her mindset to fit in, "cos in the end I want to win as many races as possible".

"I think that for me, there was always a kind of pressure that I would finish it off," Kopecky explained. "I was there a lot in the in the final of races, but to finish off the race was quite hard for me, because I didn't always have the team around me. With this team, you know that you will not be there alone in the final, and that they can help you. But that you also have to help them. 

"I think the strength of this team is that they want each other to win the race, I think that's necessary in order for you to win races yourself. It's like don't be selfish. Yeah, I wish them the best of luck to win the race, then I'm sure that this will come for myself as well."

The "big difference" that the Belgian puncheur will have this year is a "very strong team" around her, she argued.

"I'm not the only person who can win the race. I think that's a very big difference. I dream of winning the Tour of Flanders. But it's not like sure that I will win it this year. I want to win it once in my career. 

"Big towards Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix this year. The only thing I can hope for is that everything falls in its place, and I'm there when I have to be."

Her best result at Flanders was third in 2020, where she finished behind her new teammates Amy Pieters and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak. She suggested that her illustrious teammates would now be working on her behalf.

Asked about the fact this would be her third year with a different team, Kopecky said that "it's not easy".

"I don't like it, to switch teams, honestly. I stayed five years with Lotto, because I really felt good in that team, [there was] a lot of confidence from the team, a lot of opportunities to develop myself."

She explained that she was happy to be at SD Worx, because so many riders stay there for much of their career, and are succesful for a long period. Anna van der Breggen was there for five years, this is Van den Broek-Blaak's eighth year with the team, and has signed for three more, Christine Majerus has been there since 2014.

"I think if you see all the riders, or most of the riders, they don't leave the team anymore. They stay here until the end of their careers. So it must be really good here. The atmosphere is good.

"That really convinced me to sign for three years, because if I want to do good here, then I have to be completely myself and be able to show my strengths, but also my weaknesses. When you're in a team for at least three years, then it's easier to show yourself 100%."

Demi Vollering, one of SD Worx's other stars, who will be with the team until at least 2024, said that herself and Kopecky were similar riders, and that the team can use this. Kopecky agreed.

"I think that's somewhere an advantage that we we are quite similar," she said. "And that I'm not the only fast rider within the team. So it's not that when we're in the final that everybody immediately will think that I'm the sprinter, because Demi is also fast.

"I mean, we can do other things, we can play within the team, and I think that's a very big advantage."

The strengths of the team go beyond the riders, with Van der Breggen joining as a directeur sportif for this year. The team have been at the top of the sport for many years now, and Kopecky knows she now has good support to make it work.

"It will not be the team on the bike only," she said. "I think also with Danny [Stam] in the car, with Anna in the car, with Lars [Boom], that we also have a really good team behind the team. They are all very smart riders and very smart sport directors."

For a Flandrienne, it is a bit of an adjustment at the team: "because they are Dutch, you know, they are very direct". However, Kopecky seems at home, and ready to win big races and help her competitive team too. She might be the woman to beat in the classics.