'Everything fell into place' - Kopecky back to her best in Milan-Sanremo win

Lotte Kopecky hinted at her from with victory at Nokere Koerse in midweek and she confirmed it when she tracked the pivotal move over the top of the Poggio at Milan-Sanremo Women. When the five-woman leading group passed the famous fountain in Sanremo with a handful of seconds over the chasing peloton, the outcome seemed inevitable.

Kopecky was smartly tucked into second place as the break swung onto the Via Roma, and she made no mistake in the sprint, delivering a typically powerful finish to claim victory ahead of Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) and Eleanora Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ).

“This is just amazing,” Kopecky told Sporza. “I had the full support of my team today, and after my victory in Nokere Koerse, I had a lot of confidence. Everything fell into place during the entire race. With SD Worx-Protime, we took responsibility when necessary.”

Kopecky’s teammate Lorena Wiebes was the defending champion and the pre-race favourite, and, almost inevitably, the Dutchwoman won the sprint for sixth place here. But this edition of Milan-Sanremo Women was decided by the upper reaches of the Poggio, where Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) launched a rasping attack.

Kopecky was among those to resist the acceleration, and the presence of Gasparrini’s teammate Dominika Wlodarczyck in the winning move helped to ensure it maintained its momentum after the descent of the Poggio. With Wiebes in the group behind, Kopecky was now in the perfect position.

“I'm glad I was finally able to respond to an attack. The five of us got over the top and I knew I had to be patient with Lorena behind,” Kopecky said. “I was very alert for a late breakaway, but we were all fast and we all gambled on our sprint. In the end, I was the strongest.” 

Although Kopecky won her third successive Tour of Flanders last year, the latter part of her season was blighted by a succession of injuries, including a fractured vertebra that ended her campaign at the Tour de l’Ardèche in September. The Belgian began 2026 insisting her focus was squarely on the Classics rather than the Grand Tours, and her performance on the Riviera augurs well for the appointments on the cobbles to come.

With her victory at La Primavera, Liège–Bastogne–Liège is now the only Monument that Lotte Kopecky has yet to win.