World Champion, Lotte Kopecky sprinted to second place in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this weekend. Kopecky of Team SD Worx-Protime accelerated on the Muur and the Bosberg, succeeding in reducing the leading group to four riders consisting of a Lidl-Trek duo (Elisa Longo-Borghini & Shirin Van Anrooij) and Marianne Vos. Lidl-Trek alternately attacked, after which Kopecky invariably responded. In the sprint, the World Champion finished second behind Marianne Vos.
“I did everything I could and rode quite a good race, but Marianne was just faster in the end,” said Kopecky, with evident disappointment.
“I have reached a point where I am no longer satisfied with second place,” she added. “I did everything I could to make the difference. Lidl-Trek played it well by attacking in turns. I continuously had to pull the chestnuts out of the fire. If I don’t do that, I’m riding for second place anyway. I rode quite a good race, but I had hoped for more of course. Marianne was just faster in the sprint. She was strong and then you know it’s going to be tough to drop her. As a rider, I am happy for her that she is acting at this level again. I have a lot of respect for her. This was the first classic of the season. We rode a good race. There will normally be some more percentages extra in the coming time. I will give my best in the Strade Bianche and hope to do one more place better.”
The Team’s sport director Lars Boom witnessed a strong performance from the team. “We are fine. We got into the pincers of Lidl-Trek a bit today. Marianne Vos has plenty of experience and dares to play poker. Lotte rode a strong course. This was only the first big race. Hopefully there will be a nice spring to come!” he concluded.
