Lotte Kopecky teams up with Anna van der Breggen for Liege with confidence: "Tour of Flanders in my pocket gives me peace of mind"

Only 12th place was left for Lotte Kopecky atop Mur de Huy earlier this week. But that doesn't stop the world champion from dreams of conquering the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes on Sunday. Her secret weapon will be the team strength of Team SD Worx - Protime. And in particular Anna van der Breggen.

"The fact that I already have a win in the Tour of Flanders in my pocket gives me peace of mind. For me, that is the best possible starting position, namely that I can work towards Sunday in peace and quiet," Kopecky said in a race preview on team website.

"If I had not won anything so far, the pressure would have been a lot higher. But with the Tour of Flanders, I already have a Monument in my pocket, so that gives confidence. I really enjoy setting goals before the season and then living up to them. That in itself is an extra motivation to also be able to win in Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday."

"I think I'm ready for it. Since the Tour of Flanders and actually only since the Amstel Gold Race, I have that fresher feeling I was looking for again. It would be nice if I can have that same feeling next Sunday. I also had a good feeling in Wednesday's race, but that last climb just doesn't suit me as much. So, I'm heading to Liège positive and with confidence."

However she had only participated in the women's version of La Doyenne once before. And with 38th place, there was not much to write home about last year. This time, she aims for a top result. What gives her the extra confidence? The presence of teammate Anna van der Breggen.

"Anna and I are a nice duo who complement each other. With a fit Anna, you pretty much have a certainty in the final. It's always nicer to go into the final with two," Kopecky said of her teammate, who returned to racing this season following three years in the team car as sports director.

"Anna has a lot of course insight, and communication between the two of us is very smooth. It's also nice to be able to exchange thoughts during the race. In the Tour of Flanders, she played an important role for me. She gave me a lot of confidence towards the Oude Kwaremont. I hope we can play the game together on Sunday."