Mechanical issues derail Lotte Kopecky in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: "Feeling was good"

At the moment Demi Vollering accelerated on the Muur van Geraardsbergen, Lotte Kopecky was nowhere to be seen. However, this was not due to lack of strength: the former world champion had just suffered a mechanical issue.

About a minute and a half after Vollering’s glorious finish—where she out-sprinted Kasia Niewiadoma in a two-up sprint—the Belgian favorite Lotte Kopecky trickled across the line. The co-leader of SD Worx-Protime couldn’t play a starring role in the finale of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but there were extenuating circumstances.

In the lead-up to the Muur van Geraardsbergen, the peloton was shaken by a large crash. Although Kopecky was not involved in this mass pile-up, her bike suffered damage afterwards. “My derailleur got hit, which meant I couldn’t shift anymore,” she explained afterwards to Sporza. “Because of that, I lost contact with the front group.”

“I did manage to get my teammate Elena Cecchini’s bike, but by then the race was already lost. I realized it immediately. My drivetrain was stuck on the smallest gear. I wanted to shift up, but it was no longer possible.”

Optimism 
And so Kopecky started the climb of the Muur at a disadvantage. “At that moment, you just have to be at the front. It’s already tough if you’re not in position, let alone if you start a minute behind. It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of racing. I had an ideal scenario—a two-rider breakaway—but that’s racing. The feeling was still good. I want to take that with me into next week. There are plenty of races still to come,” she remains optimistic.