Julia Kopecky seals overall Victory

Julia Kopecky has secured a stunning overall victory in the Tour de Feminin. Throughout the race, Kopecky showcased her strong legs, culminating in her clinching the yellow jersey. Her performance was highlighted by a second-place finish in the final stage, a challenging 114,6 kilometers through the Lusatian Mountains, starting in Varnsdorf and finishing in Krásná Upa.

The AG Insurance – Soudal team concludes a memorable Tour de Feminin, taking home five jerseys. Julia Kopecky not only won the general classification but also secured the green jersey, the best Czech rider jersey, and the young rider jersey.

“Today was another great day for the team. Of course, it's wonderful to end the whole stage race like this. At the beginning, I had to get into the rhythm of the race, but pretty soon, Lore crashed halfway through. We didn't know how she was doing, and that was a difficult situation because she was second in the general classification. That was really unfortunate.”

“But basically, the whole race was just about controlling because we had the yellow jersey. So the most important thing was to keep that. Mirre went for the points in the mountain classification on every climb, and after one lap, we were pretty sure she had it. After every climb, the pace picked up, but it remained a large group.”

“We had agreed that we would sprint with Mirre in the finale and that I would do the lead-out. From the last corner, Mirre would sprint. I was on her wheel, and that's how we took first and second place, which is, of course, fantastic.”

“I'm naturally super happy. Winning the general classification in a Czech race as a Czech rider is always special. Last year I was fourth, so the ambitions were high to take the yellow jersey, along with the white jersey, best Czech rider, and the green jersey. That we are taking all the jerseys home as a team is wonderful and gives a lot of confidence for the upcoming races. I am very proud of the whole team and how they performed this week. They all worked super hard, and in the end, everything paid off, so a big congratulations to everyone, including the staff”, added a proud Julia.

Mirre Knaven secured the victory in the final stage. She crossed the finish line first, followed by her teammate Julia in second place and Eilidh Shaw in third place. Additionally, Mirre also claimed the mountain jersey.

 “The race went really well. We controlled it effectively and managed to retain the yellow jersey. I am super happy with the victory and Julia's second place today! That was Christian's goal and plan, and it's really nice when that works out. I hope Lore is okay after her fall, she did an amazing job, and I hope she recovers quickly”, reflected Mirre after her victory.

Unfortunately, Lore was involved in a crash during the final stage and had to leave the race. Thankfully, she has no severe injuries and will undergo further examinations in Belgium. The team is hopeful for her swift recovery.

Throughout each stage, the riders of AG Insurance – Soudal displayed their dominance. In the first stage, they occupied the entire top five. The second stage saw a spectacular solo victory by Julia Kopecky, and in the third stage, Mirre Knaven achieved a strong second place. With their consistent presence on the podium and victories in various categories, AG Insurance – Soudal led the entire race. This is the seventh victory of the season for the U23 team of AG Insurance – Soudal.