World champion opts for a later start to the season at revived women's Milan-San Remo
Lotte Kopecky wears the yellow leader's jersey at the Tour de France Femmes 2023(Image credit: Getty Images)
Reigning world champion Lotte Kopecky has made some drastic changes to her season targets that will see her take a slower build-up ahead of the late-Spring Classics and then a clear focus on trying to win the Tour de France Femmes.
SD Worx-Protime may have lost their former Tour champion, Demi Vollering, in a highly-publicised transfer to rival team FDJ-SUEZ. Still, the powerful Dutch squad will have a new card to play with the return of one of the sport's all-time greats, Anna van der Breggen, who is committed to supporting Kopecky in her Grand Tour ambitions.
"I like the Classics, that is for sure. But I came second, twice, in the Grand Tours without really having any proper, or specific, preparation for them. Of course, I am curious to see how far I can go - so we will make it a goal," Kopecky told the media, including Cyclingnews in a press event ahead of the SD Worx-Protime team presentation in January.
Kopecky has grown as one of the top contenders in the Grand Tours. She finished second overall at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes, behind her then-teammate Vollering, and second overall at the Giro d'Italia last year, proving that she could climb with the best on 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 said.
She is one of the most well-rounded cyclists of her generation, having secured six world titles on the track, two road race world titles in Glasgow and Zurich and victories at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.
She recently said that she would "never give up the Spring Classics for the GC," and she holds true to her word, confirming that she will start her season at Milan-San Remo on March 23 before competing in the traditional WorldTour one-day races in spring and then turning her attention to the mountains in France.
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Asked if she felt she might lose some of her explosiveness by training for the Tour de France, Kopecky said she believes she can do both at the highest level.
"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 said.
Now without Vollering, SD Worx-Protime will likely enter the Tour without the favourite as they have the past two editions. The Dutch rider won the Tour in 2023 and finished second overall last year behind Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) after losing time due to a crash.
Vollering and Kopecky's relationship soured towards the end of the season with one set to leave the Dutch team and the other staying on as the leader. Asked how she feels about racing against Vollering as a main rival this season, Kopecky admitted it could feel strange.
"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 said.
Lotte Kopecky wears the yellow leader's jersey at the Tour de France Femmes 2023 (Image credit: Getty Images)
She will begin her season with a focus on the Ardennes Classics -Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège - and would like to compete at the Giro d'Italia, and then her first Tour de France Femmes.
Van der Breggen said she hopes to be a contender at the Tour de France in future editions but confirmed that her role this year will be to support Kopecky in her GC ambitions and perhaps play a more wildcard role depending on her form.
"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 said. "If Lotte will focus on the Tour de France, for example, I can help at these kinds of races."
Kopecky said she was initially surprised by Van der Breggen's decision to return to racing but also understands "... she is still able to have a nice extension to her career."
Kopecky also said that if she shared leadership with Van der Breggen at the Tour de France, they would work together well.
"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 won many of the biggest races on the calendar but said two victories are missing on her palmares that would make her feel like a complete rider. "The answer is the Tour. And if I stay more to the kind of rider that I am, then I would say Liège."
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
