SD Worx-Protime have not only won two consecutive stages of the Vuelta Femenina but also taken two consecutive 1-2s. On stage 4, Lotte Kopecky and Anna van der Breggen were the first across the line.
On stage 5, Mischa Bredewold raised her arm as she finished ahead of Kopecky. The team's sports director, Danny Stam, was happy to see his riders succeed and admitted that balancing his riders' ambitions and demands isn't an easy task.
"It's difficult when you have two leaders who can finish so well. We played the card Lotte in the beginning. And Lotte showed that she is a real champion. She said, 'OK, I have the red jersey, I won a stage, if I can give something back, I do'," explained Stam.
Latest Videos From
On the uphill finishing straight in Astorga, Kopecky pulled alongside Bredewold but did not pass her and only made sure nobody else would come past. The team has not forgotten stage 4 of the 2024 Tour of Britain Women, where they wanted to give the victory to Christine Majerus but ended up finishing second, third, and fourth behind Liv AlUla Jayco's Ruby Roseman-Gannon.
"We said, the most important thing is that we win the stage, and we try to do it with the red jersey. But Lotte showed what kind of teammate she is," Stam continued.
Femke Markus confirmed that the team had two plans for the sprint, with Bredewold winning an option if everything went smoothly.
"It was the dream plan, but you never know with cycling. We had a plan A, but this was a plan B; if it's possible, we would try," said Markus.
Kopecky herself was the crucial part of this since she had to make sure nobody would come past to spoil the team's 'dream plan'. The uphill finish meant that the sprint was at lower speeds than a flat mass sprint, though.
"I just had to protect the wheel of Mischa. I knew she was going to sprint, so I was just hoping that nobody came from behind so she could take the victory," said Kopecky.
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our La Vuelta Femenina coverage as the likes of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and others battle it out. Don't miss any of the breaking news, reports, and analysis from one of the biggest women's stage races of the season. Find out more.
