In two weeks’ time, the Kuipke will be party central for six days again. Primarily a cycling festival, featuring the best track cyclists of the moment, including Lotte Kopecky, who has been the crowd favourite in Ghent in recent years. She has recovered sufficiently from the broken vertebra she sustained in her fall in the Ardèche and will be the top contender in the women’s races on Friday and Saturday.
Kopecky had to sit out the recent Track World Championships. However, she has been able to train a lot in the meantime and seems to have recovered from her broken vertebra. She sustained the injury in a fall in the Tour de l’Ardèche just under two months ago. The leading lady of Belgian cycling first took time to recover but has since been back on her bike. She is now ready for the women’s competition at the Lotto Six Days Flanders-Ghent.
The women will ride an elimination race and a points race on both Friday and Saturday nights. In addition to Kopecky, World Championship
participants Shari Bossuyt, Katrijn De Clercq, Luca Vierstraete and Marith Vanhove will also be at the start of the 12-strong women’s peloton. Kopecky won the last three editions of the women’s competition at the Lotto Six Days.
Golden Pair
Most of the participants in the men’s competition had already been announced, only the pairings are still to be decided. It comes as no surprise that, after their gold at the World Championships, Lindsay De Vylder and Fabio Van den Bossche will now also form a pair in Ghent. There is no doubt that they will be aiming for the top here too. De Buyst-Viviani, Havik-Hesters, Dorenbos-Hoppezak and all the others have been warned.
