Reigning global champion Lotte Kopecky has made some drastic adjustments to her season goals that may see her take a slower build-up forward of the late-Spring Classics after which a transparent focal point on seeking to win the Excursion de France Femmes.
SD Worx-Protime will have misplaced their former Excursion champion, Demi Vollering, in a highly-publicised switch to rival staff FDJ-SUEZ. Nonetheless, the tough Dutch squad can have a brand new card to play with the go back of one of the vital recreation’s all-time greats, Anna van der Breggen, who’s dedicated to supporting Kopecky in her Grand Excursion ambitions.
Kopecky has grown as one of the vital most sensible contenders within the Grand Excursions. She completed 2nd total on the 2023 Excursion de France Femmes, in the back of her then-teammate Vollering, and 2nd total on the Giro d’Italia remaining yr, proving that she may climb with the most productive at the iconic slopes of the Col du Tourmalet and Blockhaus, respectively.
“I will finish the Classics season and I’ll try to have the best possible preparation for the Tour de France,” Kopecky stated.
She is likely one of the maximum well-rounded cyclists of her era, having secured six global titles at the monitor, two street race global titles in Glasgow and Zurich and victories at Paris-Roubaix and the Excursion of Flanders.
She lately stated that she would “never give up the Spring Classics for the GC,” and she or he holds true to her phrase, confirming that she’s going to get started her season at Milan-San Remo on March 23 prior to competing within the conventional WorldTour one-day races in spring after which turning her consideration to the mountains in France.
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Requested if she felt she would possibly lose a few of her explosiveness by means of coaching for the Excursion de France, Kopecky stated she believes she will be able to do each on the perfect degree.
“It depends on how we train. I think I have been able to manage it well … to keep those components balanced between being explosive and climbing well. Maybe I will try to climb better and might become a little less explosive, but I will still be one of the more explosive riders in the bunch, so I don’t see any problem with this,” she stated.
Now with out Vollering, SD Worx-Protime will most probably input the Excursion with out the favorite as they’ve the previous two editions. The Dutch rider gained the Excursion in 2023 and completed 2nd total remaining yr in the back of Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) after shedding time because of a crash.
Vollering and Kopecky’s dating soured against the top of the season with one set to depart the Dutch staff and the opposite staying on because the chief. Requested how she feels about racing towards Vollering as a first-rate rival this season, Kopecky admitted it would really feel extraordinary.
“It will be different, but I think it’s important to focus on ourselves. There is more than Demi Vollering in the peloton, so we will not try to focus too much on her,” Kopecky stated.
Lotte Kopecky wears the yellow chief’s jersey on the Excursion de France Femmes 2023 (Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)
SD Worx-Protime’s roster has passed through a number of adjustments, with six outgoing rider transfers and 8 new signings, together with Van der Breggen. The previous Global Champion and Olympic gold medallist admitted that she is not certain what to anticipate in her highly-anticipated comeback to skilled racing since retiring from the game on the top of her profession 3 years in the past.
She’s going to start her season with a focal point at the Ardennes Classics -Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège – and wish to compete on the Giro d’Italia, after which her first Excursion de France Femmes.
Van der Breggen stated she hopes to be a contender on the Excursion de France in long term editions however showed that her position this yr might be to give a boost to Kopecky in her GC ambitions and possibly play a extra wildcard position relying on her shape.
“If all is going well and it’s a nice course, then I won’t say I don’t want it [the GC]. But for next year, for sure, it’s not my goal. It’s just coming back and seeing where I am,” Van der Breggen stated. “If Lotte will focus on the Tour de France, for example, I can help at these kinds of races.”
Kopecky stated she was once to begin with stunned by means of Van der Breggen’s determination to go back to racing but in addition understands “… she is still able to have a nice extension to her career.”
Kopecky additionally stated that if she shared management with Van der Breggen on the Excursion de France, they might paintings in combination properly.
“Anna and I do very well together. I hope we can have smooth racing together. We will see how it goes, but I am optimistic about it.”
Kopecky has gained most of the largest races at the calendar however stated two victories are lacking on her palmares that will make her really feel like a whole rider. “The answer is the Tour. And if I stay more to the kind of rider that I am, then I would say Liège.”
