With her stunning solo victory at Sunday's Tour of Flanders, not only did Lotte Kopecky secure herself a second straight race win but also she proved she was the undisputed best one day rider in the world according to Ine Beyen.
Speaking with fellow Sporza commentator, Ruben Van Gucht, Beyen discusses Kopecky and her standing in women's cycling. "At the moment she certainly is," Beyen replies when asked if Kopecky is the best in the world. "Thanks to the arrival of Lorena Wiebes to SD Worx, she has also transformed into a different rider. Now she dares to take the initiative, she reads the race, ... She is no longer a sprinter. Thank you, Lorena Wiebes."
Comparing Kopecky's victory with her one from last year where the Belgian had to outsprint Annemiek Van Vleuten on the line, Beyen reveals she believes this year's arguably tops her prior success. "This time it was more expected, so the emotions are a little less. But that doesn't make it any less beautiful."
"It is more difficult to win as a top favorite than as a shadow favorite. Last year she had to follow, today she had to do it alone. That perhaps deserves even more respect," Beyen continues. "For the rest, the 'bad luck' factor will play a role. I don't think that the fact that Lotte is lighter now will affect her. She is made to ride over cobblestones."
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.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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