Copponi Blasts to Ronde de Mouscron Victory in Powerful Bunch Sprint
Clara Copponi delivered a devastating bunch sprint to win the 2026 Ronde de Mouscron on Monday, powering clear of the field on the slightly rising finish to take her first victory of the season. The Lidl-Trek sprinter crossed the line several bike lengths ahead of Susanne Andersen (Uno-X Mobility) in second and Alicia Gonzalez (Saint-Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93) in third.
The 129-kilometre Belgian one-day race, held on the same day as the Itzulia Basque Country opening stage, provided an opportunity for sprinters and punchy riders to test their legs in the week between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. With many of the biggest names in women's cycling resting ahead of Saturday's Paris-Roubaix Femmes, the Ronde de Mouscron offered a chance for riders outside the Monument spotlight to make their mark — and Copponi seized it emphatically.
"I felt the form was there all day," Copponi said at the finish. "The team kept me in a perfect position through the final kilometres, and when I launched the sprint I could feel immediately that I had the power to hold it. It is a nice confidence boost before the rest of April."
The race was animated by several attacks in the final 30 kilometres as crosswinds swept across the Wallonian countryside, but none managed to establish a decisive gap, and the peloton regrouped each time for the sprint finish. Copponi, positioned on the right-hand side of the road, went early with around 250 metres to go, blasting out of the group with a raw display of speed that left the chasing riders fighting for scraps behind her.
For Lidl-Trek, the victory is a welcome result at a time when the team's spring campaign has been overshadowed by the Classics exploits of their male roster. Copponi, the 27-year-old Frenchwoman who moved to the American squad from FDJ-SUEZ ahead of the 2026 season, has been building quietly through the spring, with consistent top-ten finishes at Nokere Koerse, the Classic Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem. The Mouscron win is the breakthrough result that confirms her as one of the fastest women in the peloton when given a clean run at the finish.
Andersen's second place continues a strong spring for Uno-X Mobility, while Gonzalez's podium finish is a significant result for the French Continental squad, highlighting the depth of sprinting talent emerging in women's cycling below the WorldTour level.
The women's peloton now turns its attention to Saturday's Paris-Roubaix Femmes, where the cobbles will demand a vastly different skill set. For Copponi and the other sprinters, the Ardennes Classics and the summer road season offer the next opportunities — but Monday in Mouscron belonged to the fastest woman in Belgium.