Despite racing Trofeo Alfredo Binda last weekend and Milan-San Remo this Saturday, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) has made a hop back from Italy to Belgium for Wednesday's Nokere Koerse, winning the tune-up race and laying out her stall for La Classicissima.
Kopecky, who is returning from a back injury that derailed much of her 2025 season, hadn't won before Wednesday, with seventh at Binda last weekend her best result in her first three races.
Many riders are staying in Italy between Binda and San Remo, training on the roads of Saturday's race, but Kopecky has opted to race midweek back in Belgium, in what seemed like an attempt to get a good hit-out ahead of San Remo.
The race went as well as it could, with Kopecky sauntering to the win in Nokere, but it's what she said after that was most interesting.
Her teammate Lorena Wiebes is the defending champion in San Remo, but the pair have been clear about the agreements and sharing they do during the Classics, and the former world champion hinted that she is seeking her own opportunities on Saturday.
"I hope it gives me some freedom for myself in the next races," she said in Nokere. "In any case, it gives me confidence going into San Remo, and I’m really looking forward to it."
The inaugural women's Milan-San Remo ended in a reduced sprint, which Wiebes won straightforwardly, but a more attacking finale – potentially spurred on by favourable wind conditions – would see Kopecky as a top candidate for victory.
Last year, the 30-year-old didn't even start racing until Milan-San Remo, and waited until the Tour of Flanders for her opening victory, but it's clear she wants to get back up to speed sooner in 2026 after her misfortunes late last year.
"I think I could still use some race rhythm," Kopecky told Het Nieuwsblad at the start of Nokere Koerse on Wednesday.
"In the Omloop Nieuwsblad I wasn't in the final due to mechanical problems, and in the Strade [Bianche] I just wasn't physically good enough," she continued.
"So it was good for my mental state that just to be in the final of Alfredo Binda. That good feeling will come back race after race, so it is certainly not bad to include Nokere in today's schedule."
It certainly was not bad, and was a weight lifted to cross the line in first before the more important Classics arrive.
"It feels really good and it's also a very big relief that finally the first victory of the season is there," she said.
Winning a third Nokere Koerse gave Kopecky yet another career accolade, now holding the record for wins, although she said pre-race "that doesn't interest me". What's perhaps more important than the win is the race rhythm and confidence she will have gained ahead of the first Monument of the season.
Get unlimited access to our unrivalled 2026 Spring Classics coverage with a Cyclingnews subscription. We'll bring you breaking news, reports, and analysis from some of the biggest races on the calendar, including Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. Find out more.
