The World Championships. UAE Tour Women. Strade Bianche Donne. Paris-Roubaix Femmes. The general classification at the Tour de Romandie. The European Championships
individual time trial. Is there anything that Lotte Kopecky can’t win? The answer, it seems, is no.
Once thought of as a punchy rouleur, the last two seasons have seen the Belgian rider expertly shapeshift into an all-rounder who can hold her own in the mountains as well as on the flat. Gone are the days of Kopecky only being included in pre-race previews if the parcours didn’t involve climbs longer than three kilometres. Now, she must be considered as a serious contender in every single race she starts. The same as the ever-dominant Tadej Pogačar on the men’s side of the sport. The reality is, if you want to be a winner in modern cycling, this is the kind of rider you need to be.
Kopecky’s prowess in the mountains was clear in last year’s Tour de France Femmes. Her formidable ride on the Col du Tourmalet saw her climb with the best –despite having already won the opening stage solo and securing three podium finishes on sprint stages. On the final day of the race, she was also third in the individual time trial around Pau to cement her GC position. Kopecky eventually finished in second place last year, only beaten by her SD Worx-Protime teammate, Demi Vollering, who will leave the Dutch squad at the end of the 2024 season.
Photo: Zac Williams/SWpix
Kopecky’s requirements on the velodrome and focus on the Paris Olympics meant that she didn’t start in this year’s Tour, but her recent performances at the Tour de Romandie indicate that if she had, SD Worx would have had a job on their hands deciding who was the dedicated leader out of herself and Vollering – a job they have not shown themselves to be particularly good at in the past.
In the queen stage of Romandie to Vercorin, the world champion matched Vollering’s pace all the way to the summit of the 10-kilometre, first-category climb, before sprinting against her at the finish line and just narrowly missing out on victory. It was – yet another – unusual display by SD Worx who seem determined to let two teammates in fight it out for the stage honours despite the questions that might raise about harmony within the squad. With this in mind, the only person who was likely relieved to see that Kopecky’s name was not on the start list of the Tour de France Femmes earlier this season is Vollering…