On Friday evening, the women also started their Fashion for Cycling Ladies Cup. Lotte Kopecky won the elimination race, while 33-year-old Norwegian Anita Stenberg took the points race.
Around 9.30 p.m., the crowd in a packed Kuipke gave Lotte Kopecky a warm welcome. The leading lady of Belgian cycling did not disappoint. In the first part of the evening, the elimination race, Kopecky, Shari Bossuyt and Norway’s Anita Stenberg, were the only ones from the twelve-strong group that started still standing.
Of the leaders, Bossuyt was the last to drop out and in the two-way sprint, which lasted a whole lap, Lotte Kopecky easily beat Anita Stenberg. Much to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd.
In the points race, over 120 laps, the first sprint went to Stenberg. The European Champion then took two more sprints, which was the signal for Lotte Kopecky to get down to business. Shari Bossuyt and France’s Clémence Chereau also came more and more into the picture after they took a lap on the rest.
When Kopecky accelerated again, the peloton splintered. With two sprints to go, Kopecky and Stenberg both had 47 points. The Kuipke hoped for another Belgian triumph, but Stenberg won the penultimate sprint ahead of Kopecky and in the final sprint, the Norwegian was again faster than our compatriot.
Stenberg won with 62 points. Lotte Kopecky collected 56 points, while France’s Clémence Chereau had to settle for 35 points. On Saturday, the women will make their return to the track, with another elimination race and points race on the programme.
