A first national title in Etikhove
Lotte Claes started last but one on Friday afternoon, and by the time she crossed the line the champion's jersey had changed shoulders. Lotte Claes won the elite women's individual time trial at the Belgian Road Championships on 26 June 2026, unseating Lotte Kopecky from a title the country's biggest star had held for seven successive years.
The margins were clear. Claes covered the 20.7km course with the winning time of 29:05, beating Sandrine Tas by 12 seconds and Margot Vanpachtenbeke by 28 seconds. Kopecky finished fourth at 31 seconds back. The favourite was the last rider down the ramp, and she came up short.
The course rewarded judgement. The elite women raced across an undulating 20.7km loop with about 200 metres of elevation gain in Etikhove, a small section of Maarkedal. The only two inclines were a 900-metre hill averaging 6.4% that peaked at the 1km mark, and a 500-metre hill averaging 5.6% at the 13.5km mark. There was little room for error elsewhere. With a few technical sections, riders were asked to exercise caution on their time-trial bikes.
Heat framed the day. The organisers, in consultation with the riders' union and the teams, shortened the elite men's time trial due to the current heatwave in Europe, with temperatures reaching 34°C in the area. Claes handled the conditions and the climbs, and held her pace where others faded. It was a strong performance and a surprise, unseating Lotte Kopecky from an eighth consecutive victory in the discipline.
The long way round
Little about this result was straightforward. Claes came to professional cycling late, and by a route few share. She built her endurance in duathlon, taking second at the 2022 World Long Distance Duathlon Championships and third the year after. The bike became her main trade only in her late twenties.
The progress since has been steady rather than sudden. She rode for a string of teams before joining the top ranks, and in 2025 she claimed her first professional victory of note, winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad from the breakaway. In 2026 she moved to Fenix–Premier Tech. The national title against the clock is the clearest measure yet of how far she has travelled.
It also carries a particular weight. For eight editions the Belgian time trial belonged to one rider. Claes took it on merit, on a hard course, in the heat, with the champion still on the road behind her.
A nurse who found the sport late, now the fastest Belgian woman against the clock.
