Cyclingflash
Lotte Kopecky boosts confidence with clear sprint win in Nokere Koerse

Lotte Kopecky boosts confidence with clear sprint win in Nokere Koerse

Lotte Kopecky is back! The Belgian from SD Worx-Protime convincingly won Nokere Koerse on Wednesday. The former world champion proved to be clearly the strongest in the uphill sprint, ahead of Charlotte Kool and Lara Gillespie.

In the lead-up to Milan-San Remo, several races are still on the calendar. For some riders, Nokere Koerse serves as a final 'test race' before the Italian classic. Since last year, this has also been the case for the women, although the Flemish semi-classic with its challenging cobbled sections is much more than just a preparatory race. It’s a race with history and prestige, making it a goal in itself for the riders.

That’s also true for Lotte Kopecky: the two-time winner (’23 and ’24) once again started from the line in Deinze. The SD Worx-Protime rider was determined to secure a third victory in Nokere, not least to build confidence heading into Milan-San Remo. However, she had to contend with the likes of Lara Gillespie, Fleur Moors, Shari Bossuyt, and Charlotte Kool.

Early break with Dockx
The break of the day quickly formed and consisted of five riders. Mieke Docx was the most well-known name at the front of the race. The former Lotto rider joined forces with fellow Belgian Julie Stockman in the attack. Also in the group were Estonian Aidi Gerde Tuisk, Australian Lauren Bates, and German Franziska Brausse. These five attackers built a maximum lead of just over three minutes.

Approaching the Lange Ast – one of the key cobbled sectors on the route and the gateway to the finale – the pace increased. This caused a first split in the breakaway as Docx and Stockman were no longer able to keep up and were mercilessly dropped. In the peloton, we saw a serious acceleration as well, but the hoped-for fireworks did not yet materialize.

Race erupts, Kopecky suffers flat tire
In the following flat kilometers, the race finally burst open. Several accelerations came from the peloton, but these breakaway attempts were quickly neutralized. Just as the race ignited, top favorite Kopecky suffered a flat tire. The Belgian, however, seemed unfazed and managed to return on her own power.

Due to the many attacks, the lead of the remaining breakaway riders had quickly evaporated. With about forty kilometers to go, the regrouping was a fact. This set the stage for a tense finale, with constant attacks launched back and forth. We saw a furious move from Kopecky on the Lange Ast cobbles, but even the former world champion couldn’t open a decisive gap.

Pluimers' all-or-nothing attempt
It looked as though the race would come down to a sprint from a - albeit heavily reduced - group, but Ilse Pluimers had other ideas. The Dutch rider hoped to avoid a sprint and launched an attack. The others let her go briefly, allowing the AG Insurance-Soudal rider to build a lead of around ten seconds. Was a surprise about to happen?

No, because Pluimers ultimately lost her momentum and was reeled back in the penultimate kilometer. In the ensuing final sprint, Lotte Kopecky was unstoppable. The former world champion stayed patient in the last few hundred meters, launched her sprint at the perfect moment, and won with a clear margin. Kool finished second, but several bike lengths behind. Lara Gillespie crossed the line in third.

Watch Lotte Kopecky’s final sprint here: