It was not a hat trick for Lotte Kopecky. The world champion never seemed to feel good during the Tour of Flanders. “Mentally it was difficult, yes. You are behind the times and you feel that you are falling short uphill,” she admitted honestly.
“I don’t know… Yes, the Koppenberg… Where things went very well for us last year, things were less so now,” Lotte Kopecky searched for the right words.
“Demi and I were there on foot and there were many top players at the front. You can’t just close that gap. I didn’t feel 100 percent myself. I communicated and kept driving to improve something.”
“That worked out reasonably well, but that was all they could do when they started for the Kwaremont.”
What was Kopecky thinking at the Kwaremont? “F*ck,” she cursed again. “Especially when you see that 10 to 15 women rode away. But you don’t give up in the Tour.”
“We fought and lost. But I think we should be proud that we didn’t give up.”
“Mentally it was difficult, yes. You are lagging behind and you feel that you are falling short uphill.”
Roubaix awaits next week. “A new chance, a new day. I’m already looking forward to it,” her smile returned. “I’m not done with it yet.”
Awaiting Fulfillment
Teammate Demi Vollering was particularly disappointed with walking on the Koppenberg. “We knew it could happen, but we had to leave way too early. That was a shame.”
“I waited upstairs for Lotte to return together, but it took too long. I then jumped solo to the leading group, but that cost me way too much energy. Then it was over.”
“I decided on instinct to stay with Lotte at the top of the Koppenberg. In retrospect, perhaps I should have continued straight away, knowing that Lotte was not that great. But we didn’t know that yet.”
“Maybe waiting wasn’t smart. If I had returned to the front, it probably would have stopped sooner and she could return more easily.”
“Waiting for Lotte may have been the wrong choice in that respect, but I always think that the two of us are stronger. That’s why I do it automatically.”
Lorena Wiebes held her ground on the Koppenberg, but cracked on the Oude Kwaremont. “That climb was too much. I’m disappointed about that.”
“But we gave everything as a team. Sometimes it is not enough, sometimes it is. We are not robots. Bad days are part of it.”
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2024-03-31 17:02:01
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