Flanders Race Report: Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) is the winner of the women’s 2025 Tour of Flanders. After a race of 170 kilometres, the World champion was the best of a leading group of four at the finish line in Oudenaarde. The leading group had ridden away on the last climb of the Oude Kwaremont. This is Kopecky’s third De Ronde win, making her the record holder. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Liane Lippert (Movistar) were second and third.
Flanders’25 highlightsThe women’s Tour of Flanders was 168.9 kilometres, with an identical finale to that of the men. All the action would come in the last 50 kilometres, with the Koppenberg, three cobbled sections, the Taaienberg, the Oude Kruisberg/Hotond, the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg coming one after the other. There were 13 flat kilometres to the finish in Oudenaarde.
Flanders’25 map
Flanders’25 profile
There were some crashes early in the race, Puck Pieterse was the biggest name involved, but she was able to continue. In the midst of this chaos, a group of seven escaped: Britt de Grave (DD Group), Nicole Steigenga (AG Insurance-Soudal), Franziska Brauße (Ceratizit), Romy Kasper (Human Powered Health), April Tacey (Coop-Repsol), Alison Avoine (St Michel) and Aoife O’Brien (DAS Hutchinson). They built up a lead of 7 minutes.
In the peloton, there was a crash by one of the race favourites, Elisa Longo Borghini. She tried to get going again, but had to give up shortly afterwards. She was an important rider for the UAE Team ADQ team. At the start of the final, Nicole Steigenga appeared to be the best of the early break. She survived the Koppenberg solo, but was caught just before the Taaienberg.
In the peloton, Marianne Vos had some bad luck, she was distanced after the Koppenberg, but she returned when the pace eased off. A large peloton started the last 40 kilometres. Mischa Bredewold and Lauretta Hanson attacked and took almost 30 seconds, but that disappeared on the Oude Kruisberg. Liane Lippert rode after the duo, but an elite group including Lotte Kopecky, Puck Pieterse and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot was not far behind.
Kopecky was always near the front
Lorena Wiebes and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, and others, were dropped from the large group of favourites. That wasn’t the end of it because of the attacking of Lidl-Trek and Canyon-SRAM. SD Worx-Protime still had Bredewold and Anna van der Breggen for Kopecky, so the race stayed together for a long time. It all came down to the last time on the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg.
It was Ferrand-Prévot who shook things up. She was followed by Lippert and Kopecky, after which splits started to appear. Only Kasia Niewiadoma was able to make the jump, so there were four leaders at the top. Behind them it was too fast for Van der Breggen and a battered Pieterse, but they were still able to stay with a group with Bredewold, Ellen van Dijk, Anna Henderson, Marlen Reusser, Letizia Borghesi, Elise Chabbey and Kimberly Le Court.
Kopecky and Ferrand-Prevot
On the Paterberg for the last time, the race was very competitive, but no one could make a gap. Kopecky, Ferrand-Prévot, Lippert and Niewiadoma were together on the road to Oudenaarde. Behind; the co-operation was not great, which gave the foursome at the front a lead of more than 20 seconds. All eyes were on Kopecky. Niewiadoma, Lippert and Ferrand-Prévot worked with the World champion. The lead increased to over 40 seconds, which meant that the winner would be from this group. In the last kilometre, Kopecky was forced to take the lead, after which she simply responded to an attack from Niewiadoma.
It came down to a 200-metre sprint, which was won by Kopecky with a clear lead, ahead of Ferrand-Prévot and Lippert. She is the fourth World champion to win the Tour of Flanders for women, after Judith Arndt (2005), Marianne Vos (2013) and Lizzie Deignan (2016). Niewiadoma was fourth and Kimberley Le Court de Billot (AG Insurance-Soudal) brought in the bunch in fifth place at 1:13.
Lotte Kopecky wint her third Tour of Flanders
Race winner, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): “That was quite difficult with the headwind. I knew that Niewiadoma was the slowest, so when she tried, I didn’t have to hesitate. This feels really good. It was a crazy race, with a lot of crashes in the opening phase. That was very nervous. At first I didn’t have the best feeling, but I stayed calm and my legs felt better and better. Then I knew that I had a good chance. Once we were four in front, I had a lot of confidence in winning. I felt myself getting better and better after two hours, certainly better than on Wednesday. I was full of confidence. Mischa Bredewold also rode away in that preliminary final, that was a good move for us. I think that we rode a great race as a team. Mentally, the Kruisberg was a crucial moment, there I felt that the group was getting thinner and thinner. When we were four after the Kwaremont, then I knew that I only had to survive the Paterberg. Then we could reach the finish with four. Then I knew that it could be done to win again. I tried to stay tight against the fences, catch the others and start before they launched the sprint. It doesn’t mean that much to me (winning three times). I’m especially happy that I was able to win in this white jersey and in the white pants. That means more to me than the third time. That was thought about… What does it mean? Uhm… That I have very strong biceps.”
The Ronde 2025 podium – Ferrand-Prevot, Kopecky and Lippert
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Tour of Flanders – Women Result:
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime in 4:24:34
2. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike
3. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar
4. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM Racing zondacrypto at 0:01
5. Kimberley Le Court de Billot (Maur) AG Insurance-Soudal at 1:13
6. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-Oatly
7. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ
8. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Lidl-Trek
9. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
10. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar.
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