Team SD Worx's Lotte Kopecky continued to prepare for the upcoming Tour de France Femmes with an appearance at a men's junior race in Wetteren, Belgium, finishing 22nd from a field of 71 riders.
“We have never had so many spectators on our course before,” a delighted race organizer Dirk Fack said post-race to Het Nieuwsblad. “Everyone was very happy, including the juniors. They thought it was an honor to race against Lotte and Lotte also made the race hard. She attacked several times and even rode in the leading group for a while. Very nice to see.”
After 86 kilometres of racing and being in the saddle for just under two hours, 16-year-old Kiany De Paepe took victory at the race with one of the stars of the women's World Tour peloton, Lotte Kopecky, finishing 50 seconds behind as part of the peloton.
Kiany De Paepe won de juniorenkoers in Wetteren ten Ede. In de spurt van een kopgroep van 6. Voor de Argentijn Lorenzo Heredia. Een exotisch deelnemersveld met renners uit Mexico, Argentinië, Uruguay en Rusland. Straf. Lotte Kopecky zat niet in de goeie vlucht en werd 22ste.
