Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour: Lotte Kopecky wins stage 4

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Lotte Kopecky (Belgium National Team) won the fourth stage at the Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour. The Belgian champion won the uphill sprint ahead of Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo) and Liane Lippert (Team DSM) in Dörtendorf.

Brand, who won the previous day’s stage 3, has taken over the overall race lead from Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) with just two days remaining. Kopecky moved into second place overall at 4 seconds back while Norsgaard slipped to third at 8 seconds back.

“It was a hard day with quite a big breakaway that had danger riders in it for the GC.  So as a team we took control, and they rode awesome. We got the break back just before we entered the final climb, and then it was all up to me,” Brand said.

"I just fought all the way, I left it all out there, but it was not just enough for the win. But I think we can be really proud. GC is extremely tight now, but we are going to fight for it, and we will show more tomorrow."

How it unfolded

Stage 4 offered the field a 101km, four-lap circuit race in Dörtendorf. There were  three intermediate sprints at Wohlsdorf and three climbs up the Hankaberg located at the end of each lap, and then the fourth and final climb to the finish line.

The peloton raced toward the first intermediate sprint intact with Amy Pieters (SD Worx) taking the maximum points ahead of the previous stage winners Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo) and Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM).

Mountain classification leader Kathrin Hammes (Ceratizit-WNT) crested the first ascent to increase her lead in that classification, while Tiffany Crowmell (Canyon-SRAM) and Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) crossed the line just behind.

A breakaway emerged 30 kilometres into the race that included Julie Leith (Ceratizit-WNT), Lonneke Uneken (SD Worx), Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma), Ella Harris and Lisa Klein (Canyon-SRAM), Kristen Faulkner (TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank), Typhaine Laurence and Gladys Verhulst (Arkea), Janneke Ensing (Netherlands), Svenja Betz (Germany), and Clara Copponi (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope).

Faulkner, the highest placed breakaway rider in the overall standings at the start of the day (29 seconds), won the second intermediate sprint in Wohlsdorf. The gap between the breakaway and the peloton widened to 1:20 as they reached the end of the second lap. Harris jumped ahead of her breakaway companions to take the mountain points, as they set off to start lap 3 of the race.

The breakaway continued to push their lead out to 2:30 and Uneken took max points in the third intermediate sprint at Wohlsdorf.

Henderson and Faulkner attacked over the top of the third climb and briefly opened a gap on their former breakaway companions. Further back, the pace of the main field picked up significantly as they reduced the time gap to under one minute headed to the last lap.

Faulkner made a last-ditch attack to go for the stage win but she was swallowed up by the front of the main field on the final climb to the finish line, where Kopecky took the stage honours and Brand moved into the overall lead.