Lotte Kopecky takes double win in Vuelta Femenina: stage victory & red jersey, Anna van der Breggen finishes second

A very strong Team SD Worx-Protime had a dream day in the fourth stage of the Vuelta Femenina. The Dutch WorldTour team controlled a very fast finale. Mischa Bredewold piloted Kopecky toward the final corner. Anna van der Breggen protected Kopecky, after which the Belgian finished it off phenomenally. Van der Breggen completed the celebration by finishing second. Bonus seconds for VDB, the red jersey goes to Kopecky. “The team was on fire today.”

Lotte Kopecky: “We had to stay patient. I already finished second twice. As a team, we believed that the victory would come. On paper, this was the easiest stage so far, with some longer, steady climbs. But the finale still turned out to be very tough. At one point, it looked like the breakaway would stay away, but suddenly things went very fast in the peloton. Then it was attack after attack. But my teammates were on fire and were able to respond to every move.”

“In the final meters, I could move from wheel to wheel. I was in the perfect position with Liane Lippert, who wanted to take the corner first. Then I launched my sprint. It’s fantastic that it turned into a one-two with Anna van der Breggen in second place. Taking the red jersey makes it even more special. It’s a beautiful jersey to wear. But of course, our main goal was to win a stage. Why didn’t I go for the intermediate sprint? I wanted to focus on the final sprint and save energy. When I saw Franziska Koch take it, I did think: that’s two extra seconds of bonus. But I knew I would take the red jersey if I won the stage. So that was my focus. Fantastic that it worked out,” said Kopecky.

Anna van der Breggen: “The team was really strong today. Valentina Cavallar set a good pace in the chase for the breakaway. The pace increased, we were able to place a few more riders, and the timing of when we caught them was good. After that, we still kept control. We were determined to win this stage.”

“The motivation was really high today. In the past few days, we were always close but just missed out. Something always went wrong. When you work so hard for it and feel that it’s possible, you only get hungrier. That’s why this means so much. It was also great teamwork.”