Perhaps predictably, Remco Evenepoel and Lotte Kopecky were awarded the prestigious ‘Kristallen Fiets’ awards in Belgium this week.
For Kopecky, the award was the sixth time she has received the crystal bike trophy, making her the rider to have received the award more than any other. Evenepoel received his fifth title, tying him with the great Johan Museeuw.
The award is organised by Belgian newspaper Het Laatse News and awards the best Belgian cyclists across a number of categories, voted for by a panel of experts.
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Kopecky, who is racing the Ghent Six Day this weekend, won the award despite what was a poor season by her own stratospheric standards. In 2023 and 2024, she won 14 and 16 races respectively, but this year managed only three victories. However, a seventh national time trial title, a stage of the Tour de l’Ardeche and a third win at the Tour of Flanders secured the title for the SD Worx-Protime rider.
After winning the Belgian road title and helping her AG Insurance-Soudal teammates to stage wins at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the second-placed woman was Justine Ghekiere. Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal) was voted into third place after returning from a doping ban, which she has consistently insisted she was innocent of.
“Even though it's not what I primarily race for, winning the Kristallen Fiets always makes me proud, although I'll probably have to start looking for more space at home,” Kopecky said. “Although at the same time, it's also a bit of a mixed bag because I'm aware that I haven't had a fantastic season.”
Evenepoel too didn’t have his best year in 2025, the season blighted by a winter training crash which undermined his preparation. His high-profile abandon at the Tour de France drew negative headlines, while his move from Soudal-QuickStep to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe also attracted weeks of speculation. However, he still won eight races, including Brabantse Pijl on his first race back and imperious rides to win both the European Championship and World Championship time trial titles.
With Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep) voted into second place and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) third, Evenepoel’s five awards now put him ahead of Tom Boonen, Greg van Avermaet and Philippe Gilbert.
"It's very special to be able to set foot next to such a great rider," Evenepoel said of Museeuw, who handed him the award. "The name Johan Museeuw has a huge resonance in the cycling world. But my ambition is to do even better. And eventually become the sole record holder. I'll definitely be racing for another ten years or so, so there are still plenty of opportunities to win some Kristallen Fiets."
