“To Belgians, winning Koppenberg is probably only second to Worlds and equal to Koksijde in significance,” said Wyman.
Winning it four times confers legendary status.
Wyman explains: “If you said to a Belgian, I’ve won Ruddevoorde or Zonhoven or Niel, they would be like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s cool.’ But as soon as you say, I’ve won Koppenberg four times, they are like, ‘Oh my God, you are amazing. Are you Helen Wyman?’
Wyman’s most memorable win was her final in 2017.
The race came down to a dual between Katie Compton and Wyman. Compton was faster on the descents, but Wyman reconnected before the cobbled climb every lap. “There was a section of the course that I had practiced multiple times,” said Wyman. “Where you come up from the VIP tent, there’s a little drag. It’s not flat but it drops to like 4–5%. Every lap, I would catch her there.”
Wyman understood that the first rider to hit the cobbles would take the win. “It’s hard to overtake anyone on the climb,” said Wyman.
On the final lap, Wyman attacked, overtaking Compton on the drag. As Wyman predicted, she stayed away on the cobbles for the win.
“The moment that you know ‘this is how I am going to win this race’ is quite a cool feeling,” said Wyman.
Wyman’s win was redemptive: “I had a collarbone break the previous year and my Kona team sponsorship had come to an end,” said Wyman. “There were a lot of things going against me at that point. It was awesome to prove that I was capable of winning.”
Asked to predict the weather and the tires for Koppenberg 2021, Wyman chose dry and Grifos or Chicanes. “In the old days, muds, every time it was muds,” said Wyman. “In more recent years, it’s been dry.”
Rest assured, whatever the weather, there will be a party on the hill (but the cows will be in the barn).