Kopecky surprises herself with double victory in the desert: "My first ever win with an uphill finish!"

Lotte Kopecky has won the third stage in the UAE Tour for women. The Belgian world champion riding for SD Worx-Protime came out on top at the top of Jebel Hafeet and incidentally took over the leader's jersey from her teammate Lorena Wiebes.

With that performance, the world champion surprised herself as well. She couldn't believe her luck in the flash interview. "This is crazy. I think this is my first ever time winning a mountain stage with an uphill finish. I was very motivated beforehand and wanted to see how far I could get. Of course, I wanted this and hoped I could win the stage. I thought about it, but to actually do it is very good for the confidence."

Kopecky panicked, but regained confidence in victory: "You can blow yourself up"

Kopecky did not necessarily think about the stage win during the climb. She took a more strategic approach. "I really tried to take things kilometer by kilometer. Your legs always hurt on this climb. It can be over in thirty seconds. You can blow yourself up. When Bradbury attacked, I panicked, but I was able to come back from it. When I caught up with her again, I regained the confidence that I could win."

It now seems that Kopecky is going to win the UAE Tour. The race is a preparation for the spring classics, and thus it is a good indicator for the Belgian all-rounder. "Of course, this gives confidence. The spring classics are very important. This is good for my confidence levels. My form is good. This is very important in the preparation, and I hope to improve further."