Lotte Kopecky dominates at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after solo masterclass, Lorena Wiebes secures SD Worx one-two

Lotte Kopecky floated up the Muur van Geraardsbergen and time trialled it home as she opened her season with a brilliant win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Kopecky has endured a frustrating few months but this performance hinted at a return to form in 2023, with no one able to match her climbing prowess and solo speed. Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) became the first Belgian woman to win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after a dominant display.

The 27-year-old soared up the Muur van Geraardsbergen and raced away despite a challenging headwind and persistent peloton to take a comfortable victory.

Lorena Wiebes made it an SD Worx one-two after winning the sprint behind, with Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) taking third.

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Kopecky had not tasted victory on the road since the Belgium National Championships in June, but she was the class act as she kicked off her season in style.

Earlier in the day, fellow countryman Dylan van Barrle (Jumbo-Visma) was also victorious on home soil in the men’s race, undoubtedly making it a dream day for the event hosts.

Initial breakaway attempts were swallowed by the peloton, with it taking until 36km for a significant break to be made.

Movistar looked to be the team in control as they dominated the front group of riders. This was only intensified by a break from Cuban rider Arlenis Sierra which saw her take the lead as she approached the Muur.

Kopecky launched an attack and was swiftly joined by Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM), however the British rider was unable to stay on the Belgian's wheel and was eventually dropped.

Sierra managed to hold onto her lead for almost 20 kilometres before she was joined by Kopecky, who launched a stunning attack up the cobbles to draw level on the iconic climb with 12km remaining.

By the time Kopecky approached the Bosberg, she looked confident in the saddle, creating distance between herself Sierra as her SD Worx team-mates battled hard in the group behind.

Kopecky extended her lead to 43 seconds as the kilometres ticked by, with Wiebes working tirelessly with her team in the chasing group.

As the former Belgian champion turned into a headwind and the chasers crept closer, Kopecky remained unfazed as she pushed ever closer to a sixth WorldTour win.

And what a win it was. In what was the first edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsbladd to be included on the women's WorldTour calendar, and the first where the men's and women's winners were awarded the same prize money, Kopecky sailed through the flamme rouge with a 16-second advantage and held on to confidently take the solo victory.

Kopecky 'makes Belgian dreams come true' with Omloop win

Video credit: TNT Sports

The tireless efforts of her SD Worx team-mates came up trumps as Wiebes was in prime position to take second in the bunch sprint 11 seconds later, marking an improvement on her third-place finish in 2022.

Italian Bastianelli took third, with Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) and Georgi completing the top five.

It just not to be for Dutch superstar Annemiek van Vleuten in the first episode of her final Classics campaign. She struggled at the back of the chasing group with a mechanical and was unable to make it a hat-trick of Omloop victories, coming 64th and failing to defend her title from last year.

Strade Bianche is up next week, where Kopekcy will defend her title. It is definitely one not to miss - can Kopekcy back up this week's solo victory?

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Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk

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