Lotte Kopecky sat out the European Championships road race - after taking gold medals on the track - to allow time for recovery, but will be returning to racing in early September as part of her lead up the Road World Championships in Wollongong.
Het Laatste Nieuws reported earlier this week that she had left the road race due to back pain. Her team told Cyclingnews in response to an email query that Kopecky had a 'little injury', after some small crashes, that did not recover fully.
"The decision was taken to take some rest after the European Championships Track, and thus not to ride the road race on the EC, to give her body time to recover," said a media spokesperson for SD Worx.
The team said the rider is expected to return to racing at the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta, which runs from September 7-11.
The Belgian national coach Ludwig Willems told Het Laatste Nieuws that he was not too concerned about Kopecky's progress. Kopecky is scheduled to ride the World Championships as team leader for the Belgian national side. “There has indeed been doubt, but things are going in the right direction,” Willems said.
Kopecky has had a busy first season with SD Worx, after she joined them from Liv Racing at the end of last season. She had a strong run in the classics, scoring big wins at Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders, and a second place at Paris-Roubaix Femmes.
Although Kopecky was able to win a couple of stages at the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas she had less success at the two major stage races of the season, the Giro Donne and Tour de France Femmes, perhaps suffering from her decision to double up. She will look to break that run at the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta, which has a number of stages well suited to her capabilities and will form a key part of her preparation for Wollongong.
If she can recover fully, Kopecky will be one of the favourites to take the rainbow jersey on the hilly course in New South Wales, Australia, on 24th September.
