Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) is aiming for a second Tour of Flanders title this Sunday, some 11 years after she took her first as a 25-year-old World Champion in Oudenaarde in 2013. And it’s present World Champion Lotte Kopecky’s dominance that Vos has unsettled since her return to prime type after a number of iliac artery surgical procedures final yr.
The Belgian seemed set to headline the Flemish races once more after her career-best season in 2023, however Vos’ refound energy on the cobbles is but to be handled by the most effective workforce in girls’s biking, SD Worx-Protime.
Regardless of coming within the prime six of her first six appearances at Flanders, it hasn’t been Vos’ greatest race since she took victory in 2013. She hasn’t been again to the rostrum since and even cracked the highest 10, however her present form has pushed her proper up alongside Kopecky as a serious contender for this Tour of Flanders.
Vos once more appears to be again to the shape that introduced her a palmarès so illustrious that she is taken into account one of many biggest of all time. This title would grow to be additional simple if she added one other Ronde victory to the checklist at 36.
New races have discovered their approach onto her seemingly endless checklist of achievements at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2024, for instance, and with the very best riders current.
Notable on each talked about days was the presence of the present one-day grasp Kopecky. The reigning World Champion was within the dash straight towards Vos at Omloop, however she had no reply to the Dutchwoman’s ending energy. An analogous feeling loved sooner or later by each rider that has challenged her since she turned professional in 2006.
At Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, Kopecky was compelled into bridging to the lead group on her personal, however after she had, the Belgian might solely watch Vos’ yellow jersey disappear up the street as she jumped to the again wheel of Shirin van Anrooij on the assault, taking the victory together with her.
The most recent race content material, interviews, options, opinions and skilled shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
However maybe it could not have come at a greater time for the dominant SD Worx-Protime squad, serving as a wake-up name earlier than one of many largest cobbled Classics of the yr at Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
“It’s simply generally good that this occurs earlier than a vital race. On Wednesday, we have been a bit aggravated or indignant at ourselves, and that simply retains us sharp for Sunday,” Kopecky stated at SD Worx’s pre-Flanders occasion.
The Belgian was respectful of the Dutch icon, stating, “She’s in superb type, and it spectacular how she is driving in the mean time.” However Kopecky did say she isn’t involved if her opponents on Sunday gained any confidence from the poor Wednesday efficiency, realizing {that a} rider can solely win Flanders if they’ve the form to take action.
“In fact, it’s onerous to race towards her [Vos], however on the similar time, I’ve loads of respect for her, so it is good to see her on this degree,” Kopecky stated.
“For me, it would not matter in the event that they [her opponents] have loads of confidence or not. I simply wish to race on Sunday. Ultimately, it’s the legs that talk.”
‘I count on them to be prepared’ – Vos sees Kopecky as the lady to beat
On the event of Vos’ first and solely Flanders triumph, she received in a small group dash forward of Ellen van Dijk, Emma Johansson and Elisa Longo Borghini. The Swedish rider is the one member of the quartet who has retired, with the latter – additionally a winner of De Ronde – set to take the beginning once more tomorrow.
Longo Borghini is a part of a really robust Lidl-Trek workforce mounting an enormous problem to Vos and Kopecky. She’ll be joined by one other former winner, Lizzie Deignan, former World Champion Elisa Balsamo, and Dwars door Vlaanderen runner-up Shirin van Anrooij.
When requested if she would relatively be alone on the end once more, Kopecky stated she was assured in her dash. Her teammate and 2023 Flanders runner-up, Demi Vollering, did determine Vos as an actual risk as a consequence of her versatile skills.
“Marianne [Vos] confirmed herself already a couple of instances that she is absolutely in good type,” Vollering informed Cyclingnews and GCN.
“She will be able to deal with all of the small climbs very well and in addition has a extremely robust dash, so she’s somebody we actually want to observe.”
As talked about, Kopecky and Vos couldn’t have had extra contrasting pre-Flanders experiences at Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen. The World Champion uncharacteristically missed the race-winning transfer, and Vos took her 250th skilled street race win. It was frustration and disappointment for one and elation for the opposite.
SD Worx’s sports activities supervisor, Danny Stam, put his workforce’s efficiency all the way down to an absence of focus chatting with Cyclingnews after the race, and Kopecky agreed that they wanted to be extra on the ball for the massive check at De Ronde.
However the ever-experienced Vos wasn’t taking the Dutch workforce’s poor pre-Flanders efficiency without any consideration, realizing simply what a problem Kopecky presents on the Tour of Flanders because the defending two-time champion.
“Clearly, they [SD Worx] have actually robust riders and confirmed how robust they’re. I count on them to be prepared and possibly even additional sharp for Sunday to do nicely,” stated Vos at Visma-Lease a Bike’s pre-race press convention in Gent.
“Lotte [Kopecky] has been very dominant within the final two years. That might be no completely different on Sunday.”
On the final two editions of the Tour of Flanders, Kopecky has delivered in entrance of her residence crowd in Belgium. In 2022, she received her first title forward of Annemiek van Vleuten after Chantal van den Broek-Blaak led her out. Final yr, she dominated the race, scorching up the Oude Kwaremont away from Silvia Persico to win solo, with Vollering ending second, Longo Borghini third and Persico fourth.
Vos admitted Kopecky was nonetheless “the lady to beat, however there may be extra.” She went on to spotlight how Lidl-Trek’s total workforce energy poses one other risk to each herself and Kopecky.
The American outfit had the numbers within the break at Vos’ two cobbled victories this season, with Van Anrooij and Longo Borgini each ending within the prime six of each races. In the event that they have been to return out on prime, they might be stopping each Kopecky and Vos from breaking extra information.
Historical past not a motivator for Kopecky with Roubaix in thoughts
Kopecky would grow to be the second-ever individual to win Flanders thrice in a row throughout the boys’s and ladies’s peloton.
The primary and solely time it was performed was between 1949-51 when Fiorenzo Magni achieved the feat. Nevertheless, Kopecky stated that she wasn’t keen on making historical past, truthfully stating that there’s an ever-bigger objective coming subsequent weekend at Paris-Roubaix.
“I am probably not like, ‘I wish to win this race three, 4, 5 instances’ or no matter,” Kopecky informed Cyclingnews and GCN on Thursday.
“At this second, I would desire to win Paris-Roubaix as an alternative of profitable the Tour of Flanders for a 3rd time. However when folks say this, a hat trick within the Tour of Flanders, after all, can be very nice, but it surely’s not my largest objective, for instance.”
For Vos, it could be the largest gaps between Flanders victories for each males’s and ladies’s occasions, with Walter Godefroot having a 10-year hole between his wins between 1968 and 78 and Annemiek van Vleuten with a 10-year hole between her victories in 2011 and 2021.
Rather a lot has modified in girls’s skilled biking since Vos’ Flanders win however her roar over the road in celebration has remained a real fixed. She’ll be hoping for extra glory and win quantity 251 come Sunday.
“The game has grow to be an increasing number of skilled through the years, and loads of facets have modified. Again then, Flanders was one of many largest races, and the competitors was large. Within the years earlier than, I took a few podium spots, so taking the win was a giant victory for me,” Vos stated.
“Truly, that hasn’t modified. It’s nonetheless one of many largest races on the calendar. All people desires to do nicely there, however the media consideration has bought greater, the fan base has bought greater, and that’s incredible to see how large these modifications have been over the past 10 years. Hopefully, we’ve an awesome race on Sunday and transfer this ahead.”
Get limitless entry to all of our protection of the Spring Classics- together with reporting, breaking information and evaluation from the Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders and extra. Discover out extra.
