Tour of Britain Women 2024: Koch on the road as a breakaway - Kopecky's second strike

After the Photo finish on the 1st stage Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) celebrated a clear victory on the second day of the 2024 Women's Tour of Britain. The world champion broke away with Anna Henderson from the British national team on the Horseshoe Pass (1st category) around 28 kilometres before the finish. The duo saved a 20-second lead to the finish in Wrexham, where Kopecky gave Henderson no chance in the sprint. Third place went to Kopecky's team-mate Lorena Wiebes.

>> All stages of the 2024 Women's Tour of Britain at a glance

>> The women's cycling race calendar 2024

Yesterday was very close, today was different. It was great to ride together with Anna at the front and win in the sprint - Lotte Kopecky in the official winner's interview.

Franziska Koch (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) had previously dominated the race for a long time as the solo breakaway leader. The 23-year-old was caught by the peloton shortly before the Horseshoe Pass.

Tour of Britain Women 2024 - Results: the top 10 of stage 2

1. Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) 3:37:12
2. Anna Henderson (Great Britain) +0:00
3. Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime) +0:20
4. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) +0:20
5. Pfeiffer Georgi (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:20
6. Sarah Roy (Cofidis Women Team) +0:20
7. Margot Vanpachtenbeke (VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team) +0:20
8. Josie Talbot (Cofidis Women Team) +0:20
9. Elizabeth Deignan (Great Britain) +0:20
10. Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team) +0:20

The overall standings

1. Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) 7:41:07
2. Anna Henderson (Great Britain) +0:17
3. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) +0:34
4. Pfeiffer Georgi (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:38
5. Elizabeth Deignan (Great Britain) +0:43
6. Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team) +0:43
7. Victorie Guilman (St Michel - Mavic - Auber93 WE) +0:43
8. Christine Majerus (Team SD Worx - Protime) +0:43
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) +3:01
10. Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime) +4:29

How the 2nd stage of the Tour of Britain Women went

In the early stages of the 2nd stage of the women's Tour of Britain, one rider wanted to know: Franziska Koch (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL). The rider from Mettmann rode away from the peloton as a soloist and built up a lead of more than three and a half minutes. However, as the race headed towards Horseshoe Pass, the main obstacle of the day (4.5 kilometres with an average gradient of 6.2 per cent), the SD Worx - Protime team in the peloton got serious and Koch was caught.

On the last kilometre of the climb, Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) attacked out of the thinned-out peloton. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Anna Henderson (Great Britain) were initially able to follow the overall leader. However, Paternoster's legs literally exploded a few hundred metres before the crest and she fell back into the chasing group. Kopecky then moved on with Henderson in the lead.

Kopecky and Henderson hold on to the lead

A chase developed between the leading duo and the chasers, with Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, St Michel - Mavic - Auber93 WE, VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team and Liv AlUla Jayco taking care of the chase. But it wasn't enough to catch Kopecky and Henderson.

The 28-year-old world champion gave the British rider, who is three years younger and normally rides for Visma | Lease a Bike, no chance in the sprint for victory. Behind her, Lorena Wiebes once again completed the outstanding result for Team SD Worx - Protime with victory in the sprint of the chasers.