Halfway through the race there was not a crack to be seen, everything was still together. The nervousness gradually started to increase and it became immediately visible. When a group was breaking away, a few ladies in the peloton crashed. Optimal use was made of this. Ten riders formed the break of the day with 50 kilometers to go. Not a single compatriot, but five Dutch ladies, including Kopecky’s teammate Mischa Bredewold. But ex-winner Lizzy Deignan and the promising Neve Bradbury also joined in, meaning something had to be done in the peloton.
While the SD Worx ladies in the elite group were chasing the leading group, Kopecky’s team lost a pawn at the front. Bredewold steered a little too deep in a bend and fell on his shoulder. She immediately grabbed the collarbone and her course was over. In any case, the fall caused caution at the front, causing the elite group with Kopecky and co. was coming. Three riders remained at the front, the peloton followed half a minute later.
In the meantime, Kopecky and Vollering were in full consultation, the world champion gave her teammate a pat on the back. Has it already been decided what would happen to avoid a scenario like last year? In the meantime, Lidl-Trek – with four riders in the elite group – put itself at the head of the pack. Thanks to their pounding, the peloton crashed onto the Montechario towards the three leaders. A regrouping was a fact.
With about twenty of them they started on the penultimate gravel section of the day. Although that number decreased quite quickly. Vollering took the lead, pulling the elite group into a tie. One by one, riders had to drop out. Twice Vollering tried to slip away with Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma, among others, but twice the rest returned. On the last gravel strip of the day, about ten riders were left at the front.
Kopecky goes
Marianne Vos cracked on the very last stretch: Vollering, Niewiadoma, Kopecky, Longo Borghini and Van Anrooij were the five riders who all survived and entered the last ten kilometers. Although the latter had to be removed immediately.
Lotte Kopecky jumped away out of nowhere, only Longo Borghini could follow. The world champion played poker and got into the wheel, knowing that teammate Vollering was also following. But the gap grew: the winner was in the duo at the front. In the meantime, Vollering kept his feet still in the Niewiadoma wheel: they at SD Worx have learned from last year.
The numbers two and three from the Omloop het Nieuwsblad would decide who would win her second Strade Bianche: Longo Borghini or Kopecky? Longo Borghini did everything he could, but there was no limit to our compatriot. At 500 meters from the finish she knocked the Italian out of the wheel and went solo to the finish. The world champion deservedly threw her arms in the air for her second Strade Bianche. Longo Borghini finished second, title defender Demi Vollering did what she had to do and came third.
“Don’t panic”
“I didn’t have my best day,” Kopecky said afterwards. “I was quite tired and hoped that the fatigue would not get worse throughout the day. Halfway through the race I really didn’t think I could win, but it didn’t really get any worse. “I didn’t panic and felt that I could still make a difference when I saw everyone else suffering. In the end I trusted my legs and that turned out to be enough.”
“In the last kilometer I really wanted to go early, but I waited for the right moment. I am incredibly happy with my second victory, especially in the rainbow jersey. I didn’t want to betray the team’s trust in me and that certainly worked out.”
Kopecky also won in 2020 after a pressing sprint with Annemiek van Vleuten. “That victory opened a lot of doors and gave me a lot of confidence for everything that was to come. To arrive here two years later with the rainbow jersey on your shoulders and to win, feels very special. Hopefully it doesn’t end here.”
“Don’t peak too early”
The world champion took revenge for her defeat in the Omloop het Nieuwsblad against Marianne Vos, the race that SD Worx-ProTime suffered somewhat. “We wanted to have more control than last week,” Kopecky continued. “In the Omloop we were not sharp enough and we lost the race when Longo Borghini accelerated. That defeat really gave us a wake-up call to be sharper. With Mischa Bredewold we also had someone at the front, Niamh Fisher-Black kept the gap of the escapees limited and in the final Demi Vollering and I were well at the front. That was ultimately the ideal situation and we played it smart.”
Spring is only just beginning for Kopecky. With the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix as ultimate goals. “Last year I peaked in January, so that was too early. Now I’m supposed to be in top form in April, so it makes sense that I was a little less now. But as long as they don’t release me, everything is still fine.”
