Thüringen Ladies Tour: SD Worx fastest in opening team time trial

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Lotte Kopecky takes the first leader's jersey in Schleiz

SD Worx racing a team time trial
SD Worx racing a team time trial (Image credit: Getty Images)
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SD Worx opened the Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour with a victory in the stage 1 team time trial in Schleiz. The powerful Dutch team beat runner-up squad Team Jayco AlUla by 10 seconds and third-placed Canyon-SRAM by 21 seconds.

SD Worx covered the flat, 9.1km course in a winning time of 13:05, with Lotte Kopecky crossing the line first, and so taking the first leader's jersey of the six-day event. Kopecky was joined by teammates Mischa Bredewold, Barbara Guarishi, Lorena Wiebes and Lonneke Uneken.

Kopecky will wear the leader's jersey into stage 2's 153km road race in Gera on Wednesday.

"I really wanted to come to Thuringen. We are in a good flow as a team and will now see what is possible for us in the general classification this week,” Kopecky said.

Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour, seeking a place on the Women's WorldTour next season, is one of the long-standing stage races on the women's calendar.

The opening stage was a team time trial, one of the few offered this season, on a flat track to and from Schleiz. The women competed in a team time trial at the revamped La Vuelta Femenina earlier in May, with SD Worx finishing fifth behind winning team Jumbo-Visma, and then Canyon-SRAM, Trek-Segafredo and Movistar.

At the Thüringen Ladies Tour, 17 teams lined up to kick off the six-day event, with One World Team Women setting the first time of the day at 14:58. 

Faster times bumped the German team out of the hot seat, with the German National Team the first to break through 13 minutes. The team finished ninth on the day with powerful riders, which include Mieke Kröger and Hannah Ludwig.

Their time didn't last long as UAE Team Emirates, Parkhotel Valkenburg, and Arkéa-Samsic all posted faster times at the 39 kph average speeds. 

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Kirsten Frattini
Kirsten Frattini
Deputy Editor

Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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