Lotte Kopecky wins Milano-Sanremo in magnificent fashion

Lotte Kopecky has added a new Monument with Milano-Sanremo Donne. The 30-year-old Belgian executed the teamwork of Team SD Worx-Protime perfectly. She won with a powerful final sprint, taking her fifth Monument victory of her career. “This is fantastic. I had the full support of Team SD Worx-Protime. I had a lot of confidence, and all the pieces fell into place.”

Lotte Kopecky: “This is a fantastic victory. After my win in Danilith Nokere Koerse last weekend, I had a lot of confidence. Team SD Worx-Protime also deliberately backed me today. The plan was to pull my card today. I had good legs. We started the Cipressa in a good position, but there I let myself get pushed back a bit. But I could move up at my own pace fairly quickly without wasting too much energy. So I knew I really had a good pair of legs today.”

“All the puzzle pieces fell into place in this race. My teammates did a fantastic job constantly positioning us in the right place heading into the climbs. On the Poggio I waited for someone else to make a move. Lorena also shouted in my earpiece, and that gave me even more confidence. I was happy that I could respond to such an attack uphill again.”

“After that, I knew I had to be patient. I also stayed alert because I expected a late attack from someone from UAE–Team ADQ. My breakaway companions are all quite fast in the sprint, so everyone wanted to fight it out in the final. I felt confident, because I know I have fast legs as well. In the end I started my sprint at the perfect moment and that allowed me to win this beautiful Milano-Sanremo race.”