Lotte Kopecky cemented her legacy on the cobbles of Flanders with a third win at the Tour of Flanders Women, becoming the outright record holder for victories in the race’s history. The Belgian world champion took control in the final 20km and sealed the win in a four-rider sprint after a tactical and attritional 168.9km race.
Under clear skies, a break of seven went clear early: Nicole Steigenga, Franziska Brauße, Romy Kasper, Alison Avoine, Britt de Grave, April Tacey and Aoife O’Brien. The peloton was still reeling from early crashes – including one involving Puck Pieterse – but the group was allowed out to over five minutes. The crash that had the biggest impact came just before the first cobbled section, where Elisa Longo Borghini went down heavily. Though she tried to continue, the Italian champion was eventually withdrawn by UAE Team ADQ after showing signs of confusion, later diagnosed with a concussion.
Once the race entered its critical phase with around 60km remaining, the lead group’s advantage began to fall. As the race passed over the Koppenberg, Taaienberg and Kruisberg, the main field shrank down to around 40 riders. Nicole Steigenga, the final survivor of the early move, was reeled in with 39km to go.
The favourites start to move
From there, it became a race of attrition and positioning. Canyon SRAM’s Chloé Dygert, Lidl-Trek’s Lauretta Hanson and Ellen van Dijk, and Visma’s Anna Henderson all attempted moves. But nothing stuck, largely due to a well-organised response led by Mischa Bredewold, who worked hard for Kopecky at the front. With sprinters like Lorena Wiebes dropped, a final selection was inevitable.
That came on the Oude Kwaremont. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot launched a powerful attack that drew out Kopecky, Kasia Niewiadoma and Liane Lippert. The quartet reached the summit with a 12-second lead and held it over the top of the Paterberg. Niewiadoma briefly pushed the pace there but couldn’t shake the others.
Behind, the chasing group lacked cohesion. Riders like Van Dijk, Pieterse and Reusser attempted to bridge, but the gap held and even stretched slightly on the 12km run-in to Oudenaarde. Into the final kilometre, Niewiadoma tried to surprise the others with a solo move under the red kite, but cramped almost immediately. With 250m to go, Kopecky was forced to lead out the sprint into a headwind but simply rode the others off her wheel to claim her third title. Ferrand-Prévot crossed second, Lippert third and Niewiadoma fourth.
Kopecky takes her place in history
Afterwards, the significance of the result was clear, but Kopecky was more interested in the symbolism of winning in her rainbow jersey than the record itself. “It means more to me that I could win in the white jersey and white shorts than that it’s a third time,” she said. “That third time doesn’t really mean so much to me.”
It had taken some time for her to get going. Early on, she said her legs didn’t feel good, but she trusted that things would change. “I didn’t have good legs at the beginning, but after a few climbs I started feeling better and better. Then I knew I had a good shot. Once we were four, I was really confident.”
As the kilometres ticked down, Kopecky began to exert more control. “Mentally the Kruisberg was a crucial moment,” she explained. “I felt that the group was getting thinner and thinner. When we were four after the Kwaremont, I only had to survive the Paterberg. Then I knew I could win again.”
With a headwind in the final, Kopecky knew timing would be everything. “I had to stay tight to the barriers and not let the pace drop,” she said. “When Niewiadoma went, I had to go straight away. I knew she was the least fast, so I couldn’t wait. I stayed calm and went full gas.”
Ferrand-Prévot and Visma’s tech twist
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had only just returned to road racing and was a late addition to Visma’s roster for Flanders after an altitude camp. What stood out as much as her second-place finish was the high-tech Gravaa adjustable tyre pressure system she used – a first for the Visma-Lease a Bike women’s squad at this race.
She explained how it worked after the finish. “I tried it for the first time in training on Friday, so it was just two days to get used to it,” she said. “Basically, you choose between three settings. The lowest pressure is for the cobbles, and the highest is for the fast sections like the sprint. I didn’t want to burn too many watts changing pressure too often.”
It clearly helped her stay in contention throughout, and though she finished just behind Kopecky in the sprint, she took confidence from the ride. “I wanted to wait as long as possible to start the sprint,” she said. “I did, but Lotte was simply too strong.”
Lippert and Movistar try the hardest to light the race up
Liane Lippert rounded out the podium with a strong third-place finish – her best ever at Flanders. She credited Movistar’s aggressive strategy, executed alongside Marlen Reusser and Cat Ferguson, as the key to their performance. “We had the plan with Marlen and me as two strong leaders,” she said. “All the girls did a great job in positioning us and keeping us calm in the early part of the race.”
Lippert herself opened the race on the Oude Kruisberg and felt strong throughout. “On the Kwaremont I was actually splitting the group without struggling too much. On the Paterberg, I felt comfortable and happy the group was working. Then it was just gambling for the sprint.”
Post-race, there were questions about why no one really tested Kopecky before the finish. Lippert admitted it was difficult to find the balance between aggression and self-preservation. “Maybe we could’ve made Kopecky suffer more on the climbs, but I would have used too much energy myself,” she said. “I think it was the best possible result.”
Marlen Reusser also commented on the team’s approach and the apparent reluctance of others to contribute. “Still people weren’t riding. Nobody took responsibility. We again did a lot of the racing ourselves,” she said. “Maybe I race too much, but it’s more fun that way.”
Niewiadoma left frustrated again
After finishing second in 2024, Kasia Niewiadoma once again made the front group but had to settle for fourth. She tried to change the outcome by attacking inside the final kilometre but cramped immediately.
“It’s just a bummer, riding with four,” she admitted. “Even though I was still thinking ‘I can win it’, there’s also the fear of, like, ‘you can be the fourth one’.”
The Polish rider praised her team’s cohesion and the way they managed the final, but she also acknowledged the limits of her sprint. “I tried, and I cramped immediately,” she said. “It was a super tough day. I think my options will always be those late attacks because I’m just not a sprinter.”
Longo Borghini’s crash and concussion
One of the day’s key moments came well before the decisive climbs. Elisa Longo Borghini, tipped as a major favourite after winning Dwars door Vlaanderen, crashed hard and was later taken to hospital with a concussion. UAE Team ADQ released a statement confirming the Italian had shown signs of confusion and was being monitored overnight at the University Hospital in Ghent. There were no signs of internal bleeding, but her participation in upcoming races remains in doubt.
She had hoped to target the Ardennes and Giro d’Italia with UAE Team ADQ this spring. Whether that plan changes will depend on her recovery in the coming days.
Photo Credit: Getty2025 Tour of Flanders Women result
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Main photo credit: Cor Vos
