Lotte Kopecky showed no sign of weakness on her return to racing, dominating the Belgian National Championships time trial for a seventh consecutive year. On the flat 20.1km course in Brasschaat, the SD Worx-Protime rider made it look routine, clocking 24:37 and finishing just behind Marthe Goossens, who had started ahead but was nearly caught on the line. That time gap told the story – Kopecky won by almost a minute.
From the moment she hit the first split at 10km, it was clear Kopecky was on another level. She was already 35 seconds up on Goossens at that point, with none of the early starters able to get within touching distance. Marthe Truyen was the first to set a benchmark under 28 minutes, but her time was quickly overhauled by Lore De Schepper and Fleur Moors. Goossens and Lotte Claes then moved into provisional podium places, but Kopecky was still to come.
Starting last as defending champion, Kopecky was smooth and relentless through the long straights of Brasschaat. A late scare saw her skim too close to a kerb, but she recovered quickly and never lost momentum. By the time she reached the final kilometres, she had nearly closed the gap to Goossens and backed off slightly, still finishing with a commanding margin.
“I had a good feeling, as far as that’s possible in a time trial,” she said after the race. “I was immediately into a good rhythm and could maintain it to the finish.”
The win came after a training block, with Kopecky saying there were still some unknowns coming into the race. “But it’s not like I was insecure. The training went well,” she told WielerFlits. “It’s a nice feeling when you almost catch number two. So I can go into Sunday’s road race with confidence.”
Goossens again had to settle for second – the same result as last year – while Lotte Claes surprised many by taking the bronze medal. For Kopecky, already European time trial champion and road World Champion, Sunday’s road race offers the chance to complete another national double.
“That will be a much harder race to win,” she said. “I’ll need to make the right decisions, and sometimes dare to lose. I expect more of a fight there.”
2025 Belgian National Championships TT result
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