Justine Ghekiere claimed a dramatic and fully deserved victory at the 2025 Belgian National Road Race Championships in Binche, executing AG Insurance-Soudal’s team plan to perfection and catching the entire field off guard with a last-ditch solo move under the flamme rouge. It was a day where strength in numbers trumped status and reputation, and Lotte Kopecky – reigning world champion and defending national champion – found herself completely outmanoeuvred and outnumbered.
From the moment the flag dropped, AG Insurance-Soudal made their intentions clear. Entering the race with a staggering thirteen riders, they had the numerical advantage and weren’t shy about using it. Julie Van de Velde and Lore De Schepper were dispatched into the early break, accompanied by Audrey De Keersmaeker, Marthe Truyen, Marieke Meert and Annelies Nijssen. With only a few teams willing or able to commit to the chase, the six were allowed to open up a gap of two minutes as the bunch stalled.
For Kopecky, isolated and under constant scrutiny, it quickly became a draining game of patience and energy management. She waited until around 50 kilometres to go before launching her first serious chase effort. She clawed back much of the time gap herself, helped only sporadically by Lotte Claes and Febe Jooris. The peloton refused to fully commit, and the gap hung frustratingly just out of reach. Every time a promising counter-attack formed, Kopecky was forced to mark it. The effect was cumulative – precious energy lost without progress gained.
As the race neared its final lap through the streets of Binche, the early breakaway was still out front, but the elastic began to stretch thinner. Lore De Schepper, still up the road, drove the pace and launched multiple digs to keep the group alive. But behind, Claes again played a key role, leading a renewed chase that finally reeled the leaders back in just inside four kilometres from the finish. It looked like Kopecky had done enough to earn herself a sprint, a chance to win a fifth national road title and cap off an impressive double after her time trial victory in Brasschaat days earlier.
But that script was about to be ripped up.
Ghekiere, who had already tested the legs earlier in the run-in with a half-hearted move, picked her moment just after the catch. She surged away on the final passage of the Rue de la Pépinière cobbles with one kilometre to go. Fien Van Eynde was the only rider able to respond and latched on. The pair quickly opened a gap as hesitation struck behind. No one wanted to commit, and Kopecky, having burned her final match bringing back the earlier move, had no response left.
Van Eynde, a promising youngster from the Fenix-Deceuninck development squad, tried to stay in the wheel, but Ghekiere had judged her effort perfectly. She led up the climb, kept the power on over the top, and outkicked her younger rival on the final metres of cobbled road to take the win with a roar of disbelief and joy.
It was a crowning moment for Ghekiere, who had made her breakthrough last year by winning the mountains classification at the Tour de France Femmes. This, though, was different. “Of course this is my biggest win,” she said post-race. “That Tour stage was beautiful, but this is a jersey I get to wear for a year. That’s so special.” Her timing, confidence and physical commitment in the finale were outstanding, but the victory was built on the platform created by her teammates. “Julie and Lore made it super easy for me,” she said. “They were brilliant in the break, and that let me wait for my moment.”
Back in the bunch, Kopecky could only roll in well down the order, her legs spent and her expression flat. She gave credit to Ghekiere for seizing the right moment, but also vented frustration at how the rest of the race unfolded. “It’s hard to control it on your own,” she said. “There are other solo riders who benefit if things come back together, but few wanted to help. I understand the big teams don’t ride, but a little help from the others wouldn’t have hurt.” Her one ally, Claes, had been tireless, but it simply wasn’t enough. “I tried everything, but the tank was empty in the end.”
Behind the leading duo, it was Fleur Moors who took third, having spent the final laps firmly glued to Kopecky’s wheel without ever committing to the chase. It was a savvy ride from the Lidl-Trek youngster, if not one that earned universal admiration.
Further back, Shari Bossuyt marked her return to top-level racing with an encouraging fifth place, just weeks after returning from a two-year suspension. “They took something away from me I never did,” she said recently. “But I never stopped believing I’d be back.” She showed flashes of her former power, and even launched a chase move late on that contributed to the final catch.
Elsewhere, Dina Boels sealed the U23 title by finishing sixth overall, outsprinting many senior riders in the final drag. Audrey De Keersmaeker, who had animated the early break, lamented the loss of cohesion in her group but still took confidence from her performance.
The day, however, belonged entirely to AG Insurance-Soudal. As Jolien D’hoore said afterwards: “It was the perfect race. We had the numbers and we played them right. It’s tough on Lotte, but that’s racing.” Karl Vannieuwkerke, calling the race from the commentary box, summed it up best: “Ghekiere and co gave Kopecky no chance.”
2025 Belgian National Championships result
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