Annemiek van Vleuten beaten by Lotte Kopecky in Tour of Flanders | cycling

For the first time, the infamous Koppenberg was included in the Tour of Flanders. This immediately resulted in a spectacle with especially an impressive Annemiek van Vleuten. Then a leading group of eleven rode away from the considerably thinned peloton with many names from the second line.

The vice world champion time trial Marlen Reusser jumped to the leaders in the run-up to the Oude Kwarmemont. The Swiss then came up first with Brodie Chapman in her wheel. From the peloton, Van Vleuten broke away on the wet pebbles with Chantal Van der Broek-Blaak and the Belgian champion Lotte Kopecky, two SD Worx teammates of Reusser. At the top of the Paterberg only Van Vleuten, Kopecky and Reusser remained.

Van Vleuten did not want to continue with two, after which some women returned, including Van den Broek-Blaak. SD Worx thus always succeeded in putting pressure on Van Vleuten. Eventually she ended up in the sandwich with Van den Broek-Blaak and Kopecky. Knowing that Kopecky was normally the fastest in a sprint, Van den Broek-Blaak took the lead.

Van Vleuten was trapped and had no choice but to start the sprint early. Kopecky was not surprised, however, and beat the Dutch just like in the Strade Bianche. It is only the second time for the Belgians that the Tour of Flanders has been won among the women.

Numerical superiority

Van Vleuten was realistic afterwards. “They had the numerical superiority and Lotte was really good too,” said the 39-year-old cyclist at sporza† “I knew the Paterberg was my last chance, but they played it really well.”