Kopecky relegated, stripped of points and fined after Vuelta Femenina stage 2 chaos

Lotte Kopecky had to settle for second best behind Noemi Rüegg on Sunday, but Monday offered a fresh chance. Stage two of the Vuelta Femenina looked to be going exactly to plan for the Belgian — until a collision with Shari Bossuyt sent her chances up in smoke. Her compatriot won the stage, while an incensed Kopecky was later relegated.

SD Worx-Protime poured everything into the finale for their top favourite. Anna van der Breggen put in a huge amount of work at the front, delivering a superb lead-out for the former world champion — but when Kopecky launched her sprint, she clipped Bossuyt. The contact knocked Kopecky off balance, which in turn impeded several of her rivals. To make matters worse, her chain came off. The stage win was gone in an instant.

Bossuyt won with authority. Kopecky, furious, crossed the line in fifteenth place. "I think you all saw why," she told reporters in the flash interview. "I don't want to say anything about it, but I can say my team was perfect in the finale on that final climb. Anna ultimately gave me a perfect lead-out, and I launched my sprint at exactly the right moment. After that... I think it's better if I say nothing."

It was a bitter outcome for SD Worx-Protime, who had committed everything to Kopecky in the finale. Reflecting on how the day unfolded, she also had kind words for her teammate Mischa Bredewold, who had been relentlessly active throughout the stage. "I think today would always have been mine, but Mischa rode incredibly well too. It put more pressure on my shoulders, because I knew I couldn't fall back on her. As a team, though, we did well today. I'm proud of them."

There was no stage win. But the pain did not end there. The commissaires relegated Kopecky from fifteenth to 36th place for her role in the incident. On top of that, she lost 18 points from the points classification — enough to strip her of the green jersey, which rewards the race's most consistent sprinter. A yellow card and a 500 Swiss franc fine completed the punishment. A costly afternoon in every sense.