Lotte Kopecky and the cobblestone missing from her incredible list of achievements
By winning the fourth women's Paris-Roubaix, the Belgian cyclist and world champion has achieved her main goal for this season.
After 148.5 km, the Belgian rider was finally able to show her joy at the Roubaix velodrome. Her dream was fulfilled by winning the prestigious Reine des Classiques, the only major race still missing from her list of achievements.
As with the men's race, the women took on 17 cobbled sectors, including the Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l'Arbre, which are among the most difficult. Only the Trouée d'Arenberg is still not part of the race.
With 70 km to go, Lotte Kopecky broke away from the peloton in a group of several riders. The outcome was therefore decided by a sprint in the legendary velodrome. And by the skin of her teeth, the 28-year-old Belgian managed to beat Italy's Elisa Balsamo and Britain's Pfeiffer Georgi to the finish line.
In addition to her world road title in Glasgow last year, the cyclist from Rumst (Antwerp province) has already won the Tour of Flanders and the Strade Bianche several times, and finished second in the last Tour de France. But she dreamed of finally adding the Queen of the Classics to her list of achievements, a feat that had always eluded her in recent years, sometimes through bad luck.
Congratulations to Lotte Kopecky for this triumph in the Hell of the North!