Kopecky proved her strength on the famous cobbled climbs and confirmed her mettle and sprinting prowess at the finish in Oudenaarde, as she beat out Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) in the final dash to the line after being set up in a late attack alongside teammate Chantal van den Broeck-Blaak.
"It's quite overwhelming," said Kopecky. "I am very thankful to my teammates, this victory is not only for me but for them. Chantal in particular was fantastic."
Going into the sprint, Kopecky was confident that she could beat van Vleuten, though also wary of the two-time Flanders winner.
"I know that normally I am faster than Annemiek, but she is also fast after a hard race,” said Kopecky. “You cannot be too confident. But when she couldn't drop me on the climbs, I knew that I could trust myself. Thanks to Chantal who kept riding, then I could win the sprint.”
On the 159.8-kilometre Tour of Flanders course, a break of four got established early in the race with Clara Honsinger (EF-TIBCO-SVB), Sofie van Rooijen (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Olivia Baril (Valcar-Travel & Service) and Maria Martins (Le Col-Wahoo) working out to a maximum lead of just over four minutes before hitting the serious climbing of the day.
On the cobbles of the Kerkgate, Honsinger and Baril distanced their two companions and continued as a duo. The peloton tried a number of surges and half attacks behind that saw their lead reduced significantly and with the front pair within sight of the peloton, Marit Raaimajkers (Human Powered Health), Camilla Alessio (Ceratizit-WNT) and Maike van der Duin (Le Col-Wahoo) attacked over to the leaders and helped push the gap out again. This break of five went up to two minutes again as the peloton did not race hard until the foot of the Koppenberg, the new addition to the women's race proving to be fiery one.
An acceleration by Van Vleuten single-handedly reduced the breakaway's advantage to under a minute while Van der Duin went alone solo at the head of affairs. She was caught at the top of Taaienberg, as the peloton settled into a steady tempo.
An attack with 33 kilometres to go was led by Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ), with Arlenis Sierra (Movistar), Christine Majerus (Team SD Worx), Anna Henderson (Team Jumbo-Visma), Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ceratizit-WNT), Brodie Chapman (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) that was soon joined by Raaijmakers, Van der Duin, Baril, and Alessio also joining after forming part of the early day’s break.
Van Vleuten tried another attack on the Kruisberg/Hotond, taking Kopecky and Grace Brown (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) with her and Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx) joining them soon afterwards. Reusser attacked away when the pace stalled, bridging the 20-second gap to the front group on her own.
Aussie Brodie Chapman emerged at the front of the race on the Oude Kwaremont, attacking and putting the others in the lead group in trouble and being joined by Reusser who forged clear with the Australian.
Behind, Van Vleuten had attacked from the peloton with Kopecky and Van den Broek-Blaak on her wheel and was rapidly passing riders from the former leading group.
The chasers formed up behind Chapman and Reusser, with the duo holding just a 10-second lead as they turned onto the Paterberg.
Reusser dropped Chapman but was herself caught by Van Vleuten who came past the Swiss champion just before the top with Kopecky following close behind.
Van den Broek-Blaak, Niewiadoma and Chapman were able to make it over to the trio in the kilometres after the climb. Reusser attacked as the trio bridged, with Van Vleuten having to respond quickly to close it down.
Van den Broek-Blaak immediately counterattacked, getting a gap and forcing a long chase from van Vleuten, who had to drag her way over to Van den Broek-Blaak with the lone leader’s SD Worx teammate, Kopecky, on her wheel. When caught, Van den Broek-Blaak committed to keeping the trio ahead of the chasers, driving the pace with little help from the other two.
With Reusser sitting on behind, SD Worx had all bases covered providing Kopecky could best van Vleuten in the sprint, which she duly did to win her first Tour of Flanders, winning the Belgian monument in the Belgian national champion’s colours.
Further behind, Sierra, Brown and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) managed to bridge to the second group, with Sierra winning the sprint for fourth place with Brown placing seventh and Chapman ninth as the top Aussie performers.
The season of classics racing continues with Amstel Gold Race next Sunday, April 10 with the men's and women's races LIVE and FREE on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.
