World Champion Lotte Kopecky delivered another electrifying performance to secure back-to-back victories at the 2024 Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women. The Belgian powerhouse from SD Worx-ProTime surged to victory in Wrexham after an exhilarating breakaway with British rider Anna Henderson, who ultimately finished second.
Featured image: SWpix.com
Report
The day began with unfortunate news for the Lifeplus-Wahoo team, who announced the theft of over £50,000 worth of bikes from their mechanic’s van at the Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel in Whitchurch, Shropshire. Despite this setback, the team started the stage on loaned bikes from other teams.
The stage commenced with a steady rollout from Wrexham’s town centre, with the peloton sticking together and soaking in the enthusiasm of the crowd. The first significant move came from Franziska Koch (Team dsm-Firmenich Postnl) around the 30-kilometre mark.
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women – Stage 2: The Wrexham Stage, Wales – The solo break of Franziska Koch of Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
At the first Queen of the Mountains (QOM) checkpoint, 88 kilometres in, Koch remained unchallenged and expanded her lead to over three minutes. Koch effortlessly conquered Eyton Hill, a 1.4-kilometre climb with an average gradient of 3%, securing maximum QOM points. Heidi Franz (Lifeplus-Wahoo) and Lizzie Deignan (Great Britain) followed, taking second and third respectively.
The peloton gradually reeled in Koch, narrowing the gap to a minute as she also claimed the intermediate sprint solo at the 93-kilometer mark. A battle for the remaining sprint points saw Charlotte Kool (Team dsm-Firmenich Postnl) narrowly edge out Kopecky. Koch’s valiant effort earned her the Combativity Award, despite being caught by the peloton soon after.
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women – Stage 2: The Wrexham Stage, Wales – The Peloton climbing the Horseshoe Pass. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
The race ignited during the second QOM ascent of the Horseshoe Pass. Kopecky, demonstrating her world champion class, accelerated from the front of the peloton and formed a decisive gap. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Henderson (Great Britain) quickly followed, but Paternoster was unable to hold the wheel and dropped back, with Deignan attacking to secure third in the QOM classification, retaining her Queen of the Mountains jersey.
Kopecky and Henderson built a substantial lead, extending their advantage to 38 seconds with 10 kilometers remaining. In the final stretch into Wrexham, Henderson launched a last-ditch attack but was outpaced by Kopecky, who crossed the finish line triumphantly with her arms outstretched. The chasing pack arrived 20 seconds later, with sprint specialist Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-ProTime) taking third place.
Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women – Stage 2: The Wrexham Stage, Wales – The leading pair of Lotte Kopecky of Team SD Worx-Protime and Anna Henderson of Great Britain National Team after an attack on the Horseshoe Pass. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Kopecky’s victory solidifies her hold on the leader’s jersey and the sprinter’s jersey. Henderson now wears the Best of British jersey, while Deignan maintains her top position in the Queen of the Mountains category. Elise Jansen’s 10th place finish allows her to keep the Young Rider jersey. SD Worx-ProTime continues to lead the team classification with two riders on the podium.
Reflecting on her second consecutive stage win, Kopecky said, “It couldn’t have gone better. I am really happy with today’s race. It was nice to get Anna with me in the break today, and I wasn’t prepared to try something after the longer climb. I knew what the finish would look like, and I didn’t panic. It’s been another really good day for our team.”
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 07/06/2024 – Cycling – UCI Women’s World Tour – Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women – Stage 2: The Wrexham Stage, Wales – Lotte Kopecky of Team SD Worx-Protime wins Stage 2 of the 2024 Lloyds Bank Women’s Tour of Britain in Wrexham
Henderson expressed mixed emotions: “I am really happy, bittersweet I think. I was super happy to go with Lotte and be on par with her physically up the climb. But being that close to the win, I am disappointed but happy with my second race back after breaking my collarbone.”
Looking ahead, Henderson remains optimistic: “I think we can [win a stage]. We have a lot of strength in the team, and it is a big ambition for us as a team to win a stage.”
Tomorrow’s third stage starts and finishes at the iconic Golden Gates of Warrington Town Hall. Riders will head south, crossing the River Mersey and Great Manchester Canal, and pass through picturesque Cheshire West and Chester villages before returning to Warrington for what is predicted to be a sprint finish.
World Champion Lotte Kopecky delivered another electrifying performance to secure back-to-back victories at the 2024 Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women. The Belgian powerhouse from SD Worx-ProTime surged to victory in Wrexham after an exhilarating breakaway with British rider Anna Henderson, who ultimately finished second.
Featured image: SWpix.com
Report
The day began with unfortunate news for the Lifeplus-Wahoo team, who announced the theft of over £50,000 worth of bikes from their mechanic’s van at the Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel in Whitchurch, Shropshire. Despite this setback, the team started the stage on loaned bikes from other teams.
The stage commenced with a steady rollout from Wrexham’s town centre, with the peloton sticking together and soaking in the enthusiasm of the crowd. The first significant move came from Franziska Koch (Team dsm-Firmenich Postnl) around the 30-kilometre mark.
At the first Queen of the Mountains (QOM) checkpoint, 88 kilometres in, Koch remained unchallenged and expanded her lead to over three minutes. Koch effortlessly conquered Eyton Hill, a 1.4-kilometre climb with an average gradient of 3%, securing maximum QOM points. Heidi Franz (Lifeplus-Wahoo) and Lizzie Deignan (Great Britain) followed, taking second and third respectively.
The peloton gradually reeled in Koch, narrowing the gap to a minute as she also claimed the intermediate sprint solo at the 93-kilometer mark. A battle for the remaining sprint points saw Charlotte Kool (Team dsm-Firmenich Postnl) narrowly edge out Kopecky. Koch’s valiant effort earned her the Combativity Award, despite being caught by the peloton soon after.
The race ignited during the second QOM ascent of the Horseshoe Pass. Kopecky, demonstrating her world champion class, accelerated from the front of the peloton and formed a decisive gap. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Henderson (Great Britain) quickly followed, but Paternoster was unable to hold the wheel and dropped back, with Deignan attacking to secure third in the QOM classification, retaining her Queen of the Mountains jersey.
Kopecky and Henderson built a substantial lead, extending their advantage to 38 seconds with 10 kilometers remaining. In the final stretch into Wrexham, Henderson launched a last-ditch attack but was outpaced by Kopecky, who crossed the finish line triumphantly with her arms outstretched. The chasing pack arrived 20 seconds later, with sprint specialist Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-ProTime) taking third place.
Kopecky’s victory solidifies her hold on the leader’s jersey and the sprinter’s jersey. Henderson now wears the Best of British jersey, while Deignan maintains her top position in the Queen of the Mountains category. Elise Jansen’s 10th place finish allows her to keep the Young Rider jersey. SD Worx-ProTime continues to lead the team classification with two riders on the podium.
Reflecting on her second consecutive stage win, Kopecky said, “It couldn’t have gone better. I am really happy with today’s race. It was nice to get Anna with me in the break today, and I wasn’t prepared to try something after the longer climb. I knew what the finish would look like, and I didn’t panic. It’s been another really good day for our team.”
Henderson expressed mixed emotions: “I am really happy, bittersweet I think. I was super happy to go with Lotte and be on par with her physically up the climb. But being that close to the win, I am disappointed but happy with my second race back after breaking my collarbone.”
Looking ahead, Henderson remains optimistic: “I think we can [win a stage]. We have a lot of strength in the team, and it is a big ambition for us as a team to win a stage.”
Tomorrow’s third stage starts and finishes at the iconic Golden Gates of Warrington Town Hall. Riders will head south, crossing the River Mersey and Great Manchester Canal, and pass through picturesque Cheshire West and Chester villages before returning to Warrington for what is predicted to be a sprint finish.
Results
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