Lotte Kopecky had to bite her tongue after Dwars door Vlaanderen. It was clear that she didn’t want to share what she really thought about how the match went. “I have mixed feelings about it.”
SD Worx, the best team in the women’s peloton, did not give up. They missed the crucial escapes, chased the facts and were unable to put things right afterwards. In fact, Kopecky was the only one who was more or less at the same level. “We need to wake some of them up,” she said.
Earlier in the day it was announced that Demi Vollering, the team’s big star, will not renew her expiring contract. Vollering reportedly has an offer of 1 million euros per year from Team UAE.
SD Worx team management reacted viciously in a press release. “We made Vollering a generous offer, but her management has not responded.” The riders were not allowed to respond to the news.
High voltage
SD Worx acted like a team under high tension. “But this says nothing about Sunday,” said sporting manager Danny Stam. “We are going to the Tour of Flanders with a lot of ambition.”
Kopecky realizes that a top performance will be necessary. “We have to stand united,” she said. “Because Marianne Vos is at a very good level and Lidl-Trek is very strong across the board.”
Kopecky will also have to be top if she wants to win the Tour for a third time in a row. Because even though she was the best of the team in Waregem, she did not ride a perfect race. She was not present at the first important selection, which meant she had to put a lot of energy into the chase. “One of us always had to be there.”
Her biggest error in judgment was when Vos and Shirin van Anrooij rode away in the final. “It’s my own fault that I don’t respond immediately when they leave. That’s where I lose track.”
