Lotte Kopecky dominated the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España Femenina, sprinting to victory and seizing the red leader’s jersey in a day that unfolded predictably. The Belgian champion, making her debut in the Spanish race, proved her class on a relatively uneventful Wednesday stage that bid farewell to Galicia with a mass finish.
After her SD Worx teammates set up the sprint perfectly, following earlier attempts that fell short in previous stages, Kopecky crossed the line first. The stage featured a breakaway that lasted until three kilometers from the finish, allowing the peloton to control the race and set the stage for the bunch sprint.
Kopecky, now 30, is a standout in Flemish cycling, alongside male stars Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. She was second in the 2023 Tour de France Femmes and has conquered almost every major classic: the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Milan-San Remo. Twice world champion on the road, she also boasts seven world titles across various track disciplines and was the 2024 gravel world runner-up.
SD Worx brought two prominent riders to the Vuelta: Kopecky and Dutch powerhouse Anna van der Breggen. Van der Breggen sits fourth overall, emerging as a key contender for the final victory as the race heads toward the Picos de Europa on Friday and Saturday.
In her personal life, Kopecky is the partner of Axel Merckx, former professional rider, sports director, and son of cycling legend Eddy Merckx. She will wear the red jersey on Thursday as the race passes through León, with riders cautious of potential wind gusts.
The stage remained calm, aside from a fallen barrier in the final meters. There was no room for breakaway heroics, and Paula Blasi rolled smoothly within the main peloton, though she was overtaken in the general classification by French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, last year’s Tour winner who is reportedly still building form. Blasi now sits tenth overall.
