Gallery: A Belgian champ's brilliance at Belgium's biggest race
The first addition of the Koppenberg. Rain-slicked cobbles on the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. A whole host of in-form, potential winners. It had all the ingredients for a memorable women’s Ronde van Vlaanderen and that’s exactly what we got.
A month ago Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) rode to the biggest win of her career at Strade Bianche after being the only rider able to follow the brutal uphill accelerations of Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar). At De Ronde on Sunday, it was a similar story.
Van Vleuten again shredded the field, and again Kopecky was again able to follow, ultimately getting herself in the winning move. The fact she had her teammate Chantal van den Broek-Blaak there for company in that winning move of three sealed the deal.
Van den Broek-Blaak led the trio back into Oudenaard allowing Kopecky to throw everything at the sprint. And with that Kopecky came away with a new biggest moment in her career: winning Belgium’s biggest bike race as Belgian champion.
Here’s how photographer Kristof Ramon saw the 19th edition of the women’s Tour of Flanders.
A bunch of champions congregate at the startline. From left to right: Italian champ Elisa Longo Borghini, former world champ Marta Bastianelli, reigning world champ Elisa Balsamo, and Belgian champion Lotte Kopecky.Fans were out in force for the first women’s Ronde with crowds for a few years.Amazing.The infamous Koppenberg was added to the women’s Tour of Flanders for the first time this year.Take the wrong line, get caught up, or lose traction, and you’ll be walking the steep cobbles of the Koppenberg.Marlen Reusser was on the charge late.Brodie Chapman put in a strong ride to be at the front in the closing kilometres too.As she so often is, Annemiek van Vleuten was one of the big pre-race favourites.Fast-finishing Arlenis Sierra was a dangerous presence towards the end.Reusser leads up the final climb of the day: the Paterberg.On the slick, steep cobbles of the Paterberg, Van Vleuten tried desperately to drop Kopecky …… but the Belgian champ wasn’t going anywhere.Van Vleuten and Kopecky joined forces with Kopecky’s teammate Chantal van den Broek-Blaak on the run-in to the finish in Oudenaarde …… with Van den Broek-Blaak working for Kopecky.The most-fancied sprinter among the three, Kopecky was well placed …… and ultimately delivered a wonderful sprint victory …… much to the delight of Van den Broek-Blaak.Kopecky first, Van Vleuten second, Van den Broek-Blaak third.In her first season with SD Worx, Kopecky’s star continues to rise. Flanders is her biggest win yet. What’s next?Read More
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