The SD Worx-Protime and FDJ United-SUEZ rivalry continues to swing in the favour of the French outfit after Demi Vollering's victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday.
SD Worx-Protime were already on the back foot as they were chasing a strong breakaway of four that had gone clear on the Leberg with 37 km to go. The team had managed to reduce the gap, though, and 2023 winner Lotte Kopecky looked ready to make her mark on the Muur van Geraardsbergen when her plans were thwarted by a mass crash just before the key climb with 19km to go.
"The girl behind me crashed into my derailleur. I could not shift anymore, so I had to change [bikes]. Luckily, Elena Cecchini gave me her bike, but just before the Muur was the worst possible moment," Kopecky said after finishing in 39th place, 1:31 minutes down on the race winner Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) and runner-up Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto).
"I never came back," Kopecky chuckled, not having lost her sense of humour. "If you're not in position on the Muur, then your race is over. If you're not there, you can be whoever you want, but you don't manage to come back then," she continued.
Although Kopecky could not get involved in the final herself, her teammate Lorena Wiebes won the sprint of the chase group to take third place. Kopecky took some solace from the fact that her form was good, it was only bad luck that had stopped her from showing it.
"I felt OK. It is always a little bit hectic, the first race, but overall, it was a good feeling," Kopecky finished.
The two top women's teams will square off again next week in Strade Bianche as FDJ will skip Sunday's 1.1-ranked Omloop van het Hageland.
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