Kopecky kicks on in the mud for 16^th at Ronde van Drenthe

Former Czech U19 champion Matyas Kopecky showed his classics potential with a strong ride for Team Novo Nordisk at a cold and wet edition of the Albert Achterhes Profonde van Drenthe today, finishing in 16^th after a solid all-round team performance.

Sports director Gennady Mikhaylov:

“When we woke up this morning to snow falling our hearts leapt a little because the guys were excited about racing here at the Ronde van Drenthe and the last thing, we wanted was for the race to be cancelled. The organizers did a great job in delaying the start and shortening the course slightly so we could get out there and race.”

“All the guys rode well and dug deep, especially Matyas who took it up after Andrea had a late puncture and sprinted to 16^th in the final. The conditions were tough, but that’s what we expect racing the semi-classics across these historic roads and despite the cold, wet and the mud, I think these guys enjoyed it.”

Matyas Kopecky:

“Man, I absolutely loved it out there today. Amazing. Not only racing in the Netherlands with my family here and my brother in the race alongside me, but the conditions were how they should be for these races, and I was pumping with excitement and adrenalin throughout.”

“It was a fight for sure, and explosive but coming through the rain and the mud to get a good result is a good feeling and sets us up well for Nokere Koerse next week. It was all about positioning in the end but there was a small moment when we lost a little bit of concentration after the last time up the Vamberg and when we chased back on, we realized that there was a small group off the front and that in the end we were sprinting for the top ten.”