On Friday night, the women competed at the Ghent Kuipke too. Lotte Kopecky immediately confirmed her role as favourite with wins in both events.
The Kuipke put its hands together loudly for the arrival of Lotte Kopecky. The Road World Champion enjoyed every minute of it. Her team SD Worx Pro Time had organised a special surprise. Teammates Lorena Wiebes, Lonneke Uneken and Femke Gerritse had also travelled to Ghent to cheer Kopecky on.
And she immediately lived up to high expectations. In the individual elimination, Dutch rider Lisa van Belle had to drop off as third to last, leading to a duel between Kopecky and Dutch rider Babette van der Wolf. The latter was able to stick to the rear wheel for a while, but when Kopecky opened the throttle, it was soon clear who was the stronger of the two. The Kuipke cooed with pleasure.
In the points race, the leading lady of Belgian racing once again showed her supremacy. She amassed 28 points and set the stands ablaze a second time. 24 points for The Netherlands’ Babette van der Wolf and 18 for Katrijn De Clercq.
Saturday’s programme features the same two events. There is no general classification.
