Like a lioness stalking her prey, Kopecky capitalized on "mistake" Vos: "I believed that was in my favor"

"With a knife between the teeth" and "kick up the butt". Those were the terms Lorena Wiebes used on Wednesday, after winning the Scheldeprijs, to describe the tactics of her team SD Worx-Protime for Paris-Roubaix. Three days later, not a word of that proved to be untrue, after which Lotte Kopecky skillfully concluded her dream race as world champion on the track, her other great cycling love. Cue comments about a story coming full circle.

After the Tour of Flanders, some tough issues were addressed within the team. Team boss Danny Stam suggested that Kopecky and the other ladies were not sharp enough when it really mattered: the Koppenberg. He even called it "ridiculous" that team leader Kopecky was still fetching food for herself right before turning onto such an important hill.

How does the Roubaix winner now look back on this, and what did she do with that feedback leading up to the French classic? "I tried to stay as calm as possible, but after Sunday I wasn't in the mood I would have liked to be in. Luckily, I have good friends and a cool team by my side, who gave me the confidence to go for it again. I was obviously nervous, but at the same time relaxed because of the confidence I felt."

Team director Lars Boom - speaking of someone with experience in the Hell of the North - adds, "We've been chasing this for a few years and now we've succeeded, so that's nice. In Flanders, we might have been a bit less sharp, although it ultimately turned out alright. Here everything just clicked, and the atmosphere has been good over the past few days. This means a lot to her, but also to us as a team," said the former racer, as proud as a peacock, joining the team on the podium.

SD Worx-Protime and Kopecky saw all predictions come true

The plan of SD Worx-Protime was successful, Kopecky observed with satisfaction. "Things unfolded exactly as we wanted. We had planned to stay out of trouble in the first fifty kilometers, and then to race at the front in the first three sectors. After that, we got wind from the side, but Lorena Wiebes and I were constantly kept at the front. From that moment on, we had control. I didn't want to go to the finish with Marianne Vos like that, then we would play the Wiebes card. I really wanted to win myself, but I would have also 110% sacrificed myself for her," said the Belgian.

Enter Wiebes, who ultimately finished seventh from the chasers. "Of course, I was a bit bummed to be in that second group, but actually, it was also a pretty good situation. Because of that, we had some pressure from behind and Lotte didn't have to do any work at the front. If they then came back, we could still have played out that scenario. I also still had confidence in Lotte's sprint, especially after such a race. During her first attack, I already felt she was strong because that was when I had to drop. My legs would otherwise have exploded very early in the race," she said, sharing her version of the race story with IDLProCycling.com in almost a single breath.

Stam agrees. "Lotte could nicely benefit from Lorena, but you also know that with her track experience she can go far. She knows best not to go too early, so she executed that perfectly. We saw a more than sharp Lotte, who also really made the race. We are very content, and this gives a boost, including for Lotte herself."

Kopecky is also making a name for herself on the track these days, which meant she knew how to approach the sprint. Vos and Balsamo went for it early, which the Dutchwoman later labeled as "a mistake". "It was already a fight to get in position, but I knew that Marianne and Elisa would battle it out," Kopecky said. "On the other side of the track, there was headwind, where they started their sprint quite early," to which team boss Stam added that the corners in Roubaix are a bit longer and less steep. "I tried to stay calm at that point and keep an overview, so that I could strike at the right moment. Ultimately, that long sprint was to my advantage, I think," concluded the Belgian lady who now has that highly coveted cobblestone in her possession.