Lotte Kopecky delivers Belgium’s first Milan–San Remo Women victory
Lotte Kopecky claimed victory in the eighth edition of Milan-San Remo Women on Saturday, outsprinting Switzerland’s Noemi Rüegg and Italy’s Eleonora Gasparrini in the finale.
Kopecky benefited from the absence of several leading riders in the women’s peloton, including European champion Demi Vollering, Tour de France winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, 2025 runner-up Marianne Vos and Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini.
The race featured a series of neutralised attacks and was disrupted by a serious crash on the Cipressa. With six kilometres remaining, Kopecky and Puck Pieterse broke clear, joined by Rüegg, Gasparrini and Dominika Wlodarczyk. The Belgian launched her sprint from the front and was never challenged.
The win marks Kopecky’s fourth Monument, adding to three victories at the Tour of Flanders (2022, 2023, 2025) and her 2024 triumph at Paris-Roubaix Femmes. She also secured Belgium’s first victory in Milan–San Remo Women.
"This is just fantastic. I had the full support of my team today. I was also full of confidence after my victory on Wednesday in Nokere Koerse Women," Kopecky said. "We were all banking on the sprint, and I think I launched it at the perfect moment. I am absolutely delighted that I was able to finish it off."
Later on Saturday, Tadej Pogačar won the men’s edition of Milan–San Remo for the first time in his career. The Slovenian recovered from an early crash to beat Britain’s Tom Pidcock in a two-man sprint. Belgian Wout van Aert finished in third place.
© BELGA PHOTO DAVID PINTENS
Related news
