Lotte Kopecky sprints to second at Tour de France Femmes despite puncture

Yellow jersey misses out on second stage win but retains overall race lead

20:29, Monday 24th July 2023

Daniel Benson

Editor in Chief

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Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) missed out on a stage 2 win but retained yellow at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

SD Worx have been in dominant form all season and it was always going to take something special to beat them on stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

In the end, two combining forces halted the team in their tracks on the road between Clermont Ferrand and Mauriac, with Liane Lippert (Movistar) producing a thrilling sprint to take the win, and a late puncture slowing the yellow jersey and stage 1 winner Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx).

Take nothing away from Lippert, who survived an onslaught of attacks over the final climb, navigated the sketchy wet roads, and then timed her charge for the line perfectly. The German came off Silvia Persico’s (UAE Team ADQ) rear wheel, anticipating Kopecky’s sprint after the yellow jersey had been led out by Demi Vollering, and then powering clear of the struggling Belgian champion.

For Kopecky, the disappointment of missing out on a stage win and extending her race lead over her competitors was visible at the finish as she checked her rear wheel to find that it had a slow puncture.

"It was a nervous finale with the rain, and I felt there was something wrong with my bike,” the SD Worx rider said at the finish.

“Demi [Vollering] started the lead-out, I started my sprint, and I didn’t feel much grip on my back wheel. I didn’t know what it was. I sprinted to the line and then I saw I had a flat tyre. But this finish was also very good for Liane Lippert and I think she deserves this win.

"I’m disappointed because I didn’t finish it off after the work of my teammates but we should be really happy no one crashed and we’re in a very good position in GC. Tomorrow is not as hard as today. The finale is also more flat. It really suits Lorena [Wiebes]."

Despite the setback, Kopecky and her teammates came through the day relatively unscathed. The day was marked by a series of crashes in the wet and difficult conditions but Kopecky leads Lippert by 49 seconds, with a gaggle of main GC contenders a further 10 seconds back in the overall standings.