Tour of Flanders 2023: Is SD Worx's Lotte Kopecky unstoppable, or will Annemiek van Vleuten reign again?

The cobblestones of Flanders are set to play host to an exciting race on Sunday as the Tour of Flanders takes place. The 20th edition of the women's event features a number of standout contenders, none more so than reigning champion Lotte Kopecky. Ad The native Belgian has seen her SD Worx team reshaped in the intervening 12 months to accommodate the arrival of Lorena Wiebes from Team Sunweb, but remains among the favourites.

Cycling'My driving force has never been winning' — Van Vleuten28/03/2023 AT 10:02 Kopecky admitted the challenging conditions in the build-up to the event had taken their toll. She said: «The cold in Gent-Wevelgem seriously affected me, so I didn't really have a good feeling this week. I wasn't panicked, but I still listened to my body and rested well.

Fortunately, I had good legs again during the reconnaissance. I am confident that I will be at my best on Sunday.» The reigning champion also admitted to being somewhat distracted by the looming Paris-Roubaix race, saying: «My spring is already a success, but that does not mean that I do not want to win on Sunday. It is just no longer necessary, there is a lot of pressure off my shoulders.

Paris-Roubaix is already in my head. If I can choose, I'll go for Roubaix. But it won't stop me from trying to win on Sunday.» Team-mate Demi Vollering agreed that SD Worx are in a strong position following excellent preparation.

She said: «We've grown a lot as a team — again. This year, you can feel the spirit in the team is super, super good. We are really willing to give it our all for everybody.