Kopecky Wins Record Fourth Tour of Flanders — Outsprints Ferrand-Prevot, Lippert and Niewiadoma
Lotte Kopecky has cemented her place as the greatest women's Classics rider of her era by winning a record fourth Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde on Sunday. The SD Worx-Protime leader accelerated on the Oude Kwaremont to create a select leading group of four, then used her devastating sprint to beat Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Liane Lippert and Katarzyna Niewiadoma in a thrilling finale.
The victory makes Kopecky the sole record holder for Tour of Flanders women's titles, surpassing the three wins she previously shared in the record books. With this latest triumph, the Belgian now holds six Monument victories — including her Milan-San Remo win three weeks ago — and has established a level of dominance in the cobbled Classics that few riders of any era have matched.
The decisive moment came on the Oude Kwaremont, the race's signature climb with its punishing gradient and worn cobblestones. Kopecky accelerated with ruthless precision, and only Ferrand-Prevot, Lippert and Niewiadoma could follow. The quartet worked together over the final 13 kilometres into Oudenaarde, though the cooperation was uneasy — each rider knew that Kopecky's sprint would be almost impossible to beat if it came down to a group finish.
Ferrand-Prevot, fresh from her dominant MTB World Cup campaign, tried to disrupt Kopecky's rhythm with several sharp accelerations in the closing kilometres, but the Belgian's SD Worx-Protime team had controlled the race masterfully throughout the day, ensuring their leader arrived at the decisive moments with legs to spare. Lippert, riding for Movistar, produced one of the best rides of her career to finish on the podium, while Niewiadoma's fourth place confirmed her status as one of the most consistent performers in the women's peloton.
The absence of Marianne Vos, who withdrew from the race following the death of her father, cast a shadow over the weekend. The cycling world united in tribute to the Dutch great, and Kopecky dedicated her victory to Vos and her family in her post-race interview. Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) and Marlen Reusser both finished outside the top four after being distanced on the Kwaremont.
With Paris-Roubaix Femmes next on the calendar on April 12th, Kopecky will be the overwhelming favourite on the cobbles once again. If she can add the Hell of the North to her spring haul, it would cap an extraordinary Classics campaign for the 30-year-old, who continues to rewrite the record books with every race she enters.
Tour of Flanders Women 2026 — Top 10:
1. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
2. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
3. Liane Lippert
4. Katarzyna Niewiadoma
5. Mary Le Court de Billot
6. Letizia Borghesi
7. Elise Chabbey
8. Ellen van Dijk
9. Puck Pieterse
10. Marlen Reusser