“At first I didn’t realise... Then I thought: ‘We’re not going the right way’” – Lotte Kopecky explains wrong-turn chaos in Strade Bianche Donne finale
Cycling
The dramatic finale of Strade Bianche Donne produced several unexpected twists behind the race-winning move, including a wrong turn that derailed the chase group containing Lotte Kopecky.
Speaking afterwards in comments reported by Sporza, the two-time winner of the race described the confusion that unfolded during the closing kilometres as riders attempted to organise a pursuit behind the leaders on the gravel roads around Siena.
“At first I didn’t realise it,” Kopecky said. “But the gravel was really bad, and I had never seen that sector before."
"Then I thought: ‘We’re not going the right way.’ But the motorbike in front of us had gone that way,” added the Belgian Team SD Worx - Protime leader.
Early promise fades on Colle Pinzuto
Kopecky had initially appeared well placed as the race approached its decisive phase. The SD Worx - Protime rider survived the first major selection of the day on the demanding gravel sector of San Martino in Grania, holding her position in a reduced peloton of around thirty riders.
At that moment, she remained the team’s only rider in the front group. “I was actually still in a good position there, and my legs felt good,” she explained after the race.
However, the situation changed dramatically when the pace increased on the Colle Pinzuto sector with less than 50 kilometres remaining. As attacks began to splinter the leading riders, Kopecky found herself unable to respond to the acceleration. “It was simply too fast,” she said. “I had one pace, but that was it. Do I have an explanation? It’s difficult to say anything about that right now. It’s a pity.”
Demi Vollering, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Lotte Kopecky and more riders get taken off the Strade Bianche Donne 2036 course by a motorbike
Brief hope before the chase unravels
After losing contact with the leading group, Kopecky briefly regained hope as the race dynamics shifted again further down the road. On the Le Tolfe sector she even moved to the front of the chasing group in an attempt to re-establish contact.
The effort ultimately proved unsuccessful. “That I didn’t have a top day? Not really, no,” she reflected. “I had the feeling that more blood was going to my stomach than to my legs. It just wasn’t good enough today.”
The Belgian eventually drifted back into a chasing group that included riders delayed by earlier problems, among them Demi Vollering, who had suffered mechanical issues, as well as other dropped contenders.
Confusion on the course
Any remaining hopes of closing the gap disappeared when the group took a wrong turn, a moment Kopecky said was difficult to recognise immediately during the chaos of the race. “I didn’t realise it immediately,” she explained. “But the gravel was really bad and I had never seen that sector before.”
By the time the mistake became clear, the damage was already done. “I couldn’t do anything anymore to bring Anna into position,” she said, referring to team-mate Anna van der Breggen. “I have no idea what our gap was at that moment.”
According to the race regulations, riders are expected to know the course themselves, something Kopecky acknowledged after the finish. “Yes,” she said. “But you follow the group, and if the whole group confidently turns right, you’re not going to go left on your own.”
While the incident ultimately had little impact on the outcome of the race at the front, it added another layer of unpredictability to a chaotic finale on the Tuscan gravel roads.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment