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 12 months.
The Belgian regarded 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 perfect group in ladies’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 significant 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 best of all time. This title would turn into additional simple if she added one other Ronde victory to the listing at 36.
New races have discovered their method onto her seemingly unending listing 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 in opposition to Vos at Omloop, however she had no reply to the Dutchwoman’s ending energy. The same feeling loved sooner or later by every 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 along with her.
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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 greatest cobbled Classics of the 12 months at Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
“It’s simply typically good that this occurs earlier than a vital race. On Wednesday, we have been a bit irritated or offended at ourselves, and that simply retains us sharp for Sunday,” Kopecky mentioned 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 using in the meanwhile.” However Kopecky did say she isn’t involved if her opponents on Sunday gained any confidence from the poor Wednesday efficiency, understanding {that a} rider can solely win Flanders if they’ve the form to take action.
“In fact, it’s exhausting to race in opposition to her [Vos], however on the identical time, I’ve plenty of respect for her, so it is good to see her on this degree,” Kopecky mentioned.
“For me, it does not matter in the event that they [her opponents] have plenty of confidence or not. I simply wish to race on Sunday. Ultimately, it’s the legs that talk.”
‘I anticipate 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 sturdy Lidl-Trek group 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 moderately be alone on the end once more, Kopecky mentioned she was assured in her dash. Her teammate and 2023 Flanders runner-up, Demi Vollering, did determine Vos as an actual menace attributable to her versatile talents.
“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 very sturdy 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 group’s efficiency right down to a scarcity of focus chatting with Cyclingnews after the race, and Kopecky agreed that they wanted to be extra on the ball for the massive take a look at at De Ronde.
However the ever-experienced Vos wasn’t taking the Dutch group’s poor pre-Flanders efficiency as a right, understanding simply what a problem Kopecky presents on the Tour of Flanders because the defending two-time champion.
“Clearly, they [SD Worx] have actually sturdy riders and confirmed how sturdy they’re. I anticipate them to be prepared and perhaps even additional sharp for Sunday to do effectively,” mentioned 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 will probably be no totally different on Sunday.”
On the final two editions of the Tour of Flanders, Kopecky has delivered in entrance of her dwelling 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 12 months, 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’s extra.” She went on to focus on how Lidl-Trek’s general group energy poses one other menace 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 come back out on prime, they’d be stopping each Kopecky and Vos from breaking extra data.
Historical past not a motivator for Kopecky with Roubaix in thoughts
Kopecky would turn into the second-ever particular person to win Flanders 3 times in a row throughout the boys’s and ladies’s peloton.
The primary and solely time it was executed was between 1949-51 when Fiorenzo Magni achieved the feat. Nevertheless, Kopecky mentioned that she wasn’t all for making historical past, actually stating that there’s an ever-bigger aim 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 choose to win Paris-Roubaix as a substitute of successful the Tour of Flanders for a 3rd time. However when individuals say this, a hat trick within the Tour of Flanders, after all, could be very nice, however it’s not my greatest aim, for example.”
For Vos, it might 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.
Lots has modified in ladies’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 turn into increasingly more skilled over time, and plenty of facets have modified. Again then, Flanders was one of many greatest races, and the competitors was massive. Within the years earlier than, I took a few podium spots, so taking the win was an enormous victory for me,” Vos mentioned.
“Truly, that hasn’t modified. It’s nonetheless one of many greatest races on the calendar. Everyone desires to do effectively there, however the media consideration has received larger, the fan base has received larger, and that’s unbelievable to see how massive these adjustments have been over the past 10 years. Hopefully, we now have an ideal race on Sunday and transfer this ahead.”
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