Julia wins solo in Tour de Feminin

Julia Kopecky of AG Insurance – Soudal achieved a strong solo victory in the second stage of the Tour de Feminin. The stage, raced on Friday, started and finished in Krásná Upa, covering a distance of 109 kilometers. This route was characterized by four climbs, including the Vlčí Hora - Nobilis Tilia twice, during two local laps towards the finish.

Kopecky's solo arrival was preceded by an impressive performance from Mirre Knaven, who attacked after just 15 kilometers and rode solo at the front for about 80 kilometers before being caught with 15 kilometers to go.

Julia Kopecky not only won the stage but also secured the best young rider's jersey, the points jersey, and the title of the best Czech rider. Thanks to her victory, Julia Kopecky now leads the general classification, followed by her teammate Lore De Schepper. Additionally, Mirre Knaven proudly wears the mountain jersey.

“Today was a tough mountain stage. Mirre attacked after about 15 kilometers and was solo at the front. It was a shame that no one joined her, so she had to ride almost 80 kilometers alone. For us, this meant we could ride calmly in the peloton all day. We stayed at the front because the roads were slippery, and we had to be cautious about crashes. It was quite a ‘boring’ race until Mirre was caught 15 kilometers from the finish.”

“We had agreed beforehand to race aggressively, so at a certain point, we started attacking one by one. With 6 kilometers to go, I made a move and managed to hold on until the finish. Two wins in two consecutive days is really amazing for me and the team. We now look forward to the coming days and will of course try to keep the yellow jersey”, said a happy Julia.

The second place in this stage went to Femke De Vries, while the third place was taken by Eilidh Shaw.

Earlier, the elite riders of AG Insurance – Soudal competed in the first stage of the RideLondon Classique. The stage, covering a distance of 159.2 kilometers, started in Saffron Walden and finished in Colchester. Ally Wollaston of AG Insurance – Soudal was the first of the team to cross the finish line, securing a seventeenth place.