"I'd prefer to win Paris-Roubaix instead of winning the Tour of Flanders for a third time" - Lotte Kopecky prefers to win as many races as possible over historical winning streak
Cycling
Lotte Kopecky could write history on Sunday as she has an opportunity to win her third consecutive Tour of Flanders, a feat that was only accomplished once in the race's rich history more than seventy years ago. However the World Champion doesn't seem to be particularly concered about 'Ronde' as her main focus is to win her first Paris-Roubaix Femmes.
"I'm not really thinking 'I want to win this race three, four, five times' or whatever," she told GCN and Cyclingnews on Thursday. "At this moment I'd prefer to win Paris-Roubaix instead of winning the Tour of Flanders for a third time. But when people say this, a hat trick in the Tour of Flanders, of course, it would be really nice but it's not my biggest goal, let's say."
"We will be up against very strong teams, so in the end it's really about the team who wins, and not only me," Kopecky said. "We have conversations before the race about how we want to approach the race, but we don't know what the plans of other teams are, so of course we need to adjust to that as well. We will not start with just one leader, we will start with more, and everybody gets this opportunity."
It may be surprising for the defending winner to not claim leadership in Flanders, but such is the strength and ethos at SD Worx that the Belgian is not expecting her teammates to ride just for her. "Riders like Mischa or Marlen, are perfect riders to have in the breakaway, so I think they need to race according to their qualities. That's the race on Sunday – it has a lot of opportunities for them."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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