Lotte Kopecky won the title of Belgian road champion for the first time in her career.
After 131 kilometers of racing in the Anzegem region, she beat Jolien D’Hoore and Shari Bossuyt in the sprint.
Kopecky therefore succeeds her teammate Jesse Vandenbulcke. Alongside this road title, the 24-year-old is also the current national time trial champion.
Monkfish Kopecky “I've been chasing this national title for a long time. This victory therefore gives me great pleasure. It was really a great team performance today.
My teammates took matters into their own hands from the start. They hardened the race and they neutralized a lot of attacks.
After all this work, I had to conclude. " “I wasn't afraid to attack soon enough. In the end, it paid off. I was able to make the race more difficult for Jolien and that had an impact on her in the sprint.
At one point the peloton was very close and I tried to surprise them by attacking in the Tiegemberg.
She didn't really like it, but we were able to keep up the pace. " “When Shari joined us in the last few kilometers, I quickly felt she was going to be satisfied with third place.
I started my sprint 200 meters from the finish line. I panicked a bit as I shifted gears, but luckily that didn't cause too much of a problem.
Jolien was right next to me and I knew I had to go all out until the end. " “I raised my arms because I felt I had won.
When Jolien did the same, I started to have doubts. We then had to wait a long time before receiving official confirmation. The minutes seemed to last forever.
The relief was great when they announced that I had won.
After my stage victory at the Giro Rosa last week, here is another great success. I'm on a good roll. "
