Lotte Kopecky was unfortunately unable to sprint for the victory in the Oxyclean Classic Bruges-De Panne on Thursday. Our Belgian champion and her fellow escapees were surprised by an attack by Grace Brown at ten kilometres from the finish. The Australian held up to the end in the UCI Women’s WorldTour classic.
“The assignment was to be well positioned as a team and always be alert to the wind. In this classic you know that wind plays a major role”, says sports director Lars Boom. “The riders performed that task very well. I saw a tight team again today. Only in the run-up to the last passage through the dreaded Moeren did we lose some positions in the hectic pace, which meant that we were just a little too far behind at a decisive moment.”
Lotte Kopecky managed to join the leading group after a powerful effort. Boom: “When Grace Brown attacked ten kilometres from the finish line, Lotte was right on her wheel. She responded well initially, but refrained quickly which I think that was a good decision at the time. If you react, so will the rest and the game is afoot.”
Photo credits: Cor Vos