Kopecky and Wiebes Secure 1-2 Finish at Nokere Koerse Despite Harrowing Crash
Lotte Kopecky and teammate Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) went for the double at the 2o24 Danilith Nokere Koerse this past Wednesday on a 125-kilometer race in the Belgian region of Flanders. The World Champion won the semi-classic for a second time, in a performance very similar to last year’s. And just behind, after a scary crash that caused her to dislocate her shoulder, Wiebes still proved to be the fastest taking second in the sprint.
On social media, Wiebes posted a photo from the crash saying, “This is part of the game. Early in the race, a rider crashed in front of us and [had] no way to go. [I] dislocated my shoulder and almost quit the race. [I] can say it was a painful race, but we bounced back with a 1-2. Time to recover and get ready for the next one!”
“We wanted to make it a hard race. This race suits me. I wanted to win here again. I am happy that it worked out,” said Kopecky after the race.
In a Pogaçar-like move, Kopecky surged on Lange Ast with 70 km to go, and Wiebes followed. “Then, on the cobbled stretch, the wind was at an angle, which gave you a man-to-man situation—the perfect moment to make the difference,” she added. “The scenario [was] a bit identical to last year. It’s nice to finish one and two again.”
This isn’t the first time Wiebes has had a bad crash and recovered to second place. Last year, in the opening stage of the UAE Tour, Weibes was involved in a crash 3.8 km from the line but fought her way back into the peloton and sprinted to second place. Even the crash was similar, with a rider going down right in front of her with no room to swerve. Luckily, both instances left the Dutch rider without too much damage.
Wiebes won Omloop van het Hageland last year, and stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes.
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