Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) won her fourth consecutive time trial title at the Belgian Road Championships in Gavere.
Kopecky covered the 23.1km route in a winning time of 31:12 and beat runner-up Shari Bossuyt (Canyon-SRAM Racing) by 1:04 and third-placed Britt Knaven (AG Insurance-NXTG Team) by 1:08.
“I wanted to win today by more than 14 seconds,” Kopecky said in an interview with WielerFlits, referencing last year's victory margin.
“Then I had to make up for a second after the first lap and pull out all the stops on the second lap. Now it was the other way around. I now had a fairly reassuring lead after the first lap. This gave me the confidence to keep up the pace I had.”
Kopecky said the difference between this year's margin of victory and last year's came down to better form and equipment.
“It is now a lot better, both in terms of condition and material. I also worked on my time trial position. When I compare my position with last year, it really makes a world of difference," she said.
Kopecky will now turn her attention to defending her road race title on Sunday in Middelkerke.
“It is my goal to extend my title, although it will not be an easy task. A lot of women are going to give me a hard time," she said. "The race is still to be run. I have a chance in a bunch sprint, but of course it would be best to stay ahead with a group. That also means less pressure.”
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
