Apparently inexhaustible, the UCI World Champion has launched, in spectacular fashion, a year that will also see her battle for Olympic glory.
Belgian Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx) has just conquered the twisty roads of the Italian Strade Bianche for the second time in her career, only two weeks after she ruled the desert with a triumph in her maiden participation in the UAE Tour Women, with a stage win atop Jebel Hafeet and the overall victory.
However, in the medieval Tuscan city of Siena, Kopecky admitted, “I didn’t think I could win today,” after she got the better of Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) in the final uphill kilometre of the Italian Classic, while Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) rounded out the podium. “I didn’t really feel good from the beginning on, but then I know that sometimes I really come through. I’ve had this before, not the best legs, but also they don’t get any worse.”
A week ago, Kopecky had to settle for 2nd behind Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad… but in Tuscany, the Belgian icon bounced back and prevailed.
Winning since January
With her early season conquests (three victories in six days of racing), Kopecky leads the UCI Women’s WorldTour rankings. She has a strong margin over Longo Borghini (1,186 points vs 715 for the Italian). Australia's Neve Bradbury (Canyon//Sram Racing) follows in 3rd place (694 pts) thanks to her podium results in the Santos Tour Down Under (3rd) and the UAE Tour Women (2nd).
But to consider the extent of Kopecky’s conquests, one also needs to consider that she was already firing on all cylinders in January, at the UEC Track European Championships. In Apeldoorn (the Netherlands), the versatile competitor claimed victory in the points race and the elimination race, the two events she also dominated last year at the UCI Cycling World Championships, when she won three rainbow jerseys across road and track.
Last year was extraordinary for the Belgian star: she also won the road race and the individual time trial at her National Championships, as well as the Ronde van Vlaanderen – Tour de Flandres, and she wore the yellow jersey for most of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, before finally finishing second. And 2024 is shaping to be full of more conquests, as illustrated by her early victories and by her preparations for the next events.
Going with the vibes
Inexhaustible, Kopecky has already been seen doing recons of the circuit that will host the road race of this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, France. “First I focus on the Classics, because those are also very important to me,” she said ahead of the 2024 road campaign. “I just hope that I can make a good Classics season and just go with good vibes towards this build-up to the Olympics.”
“I think with the combination of track and road I already proved that this is something I can do, and it doesn't really affect track or road races for me,” says Kopecky, who is still unsure about a participation in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, where in 2023 she claimed the green jersey and impressed with her climbing abilities, opening infinite horizons for her next conquests. The 2024 edition starts from Rotterdam (the Netherlands) on the day after the last track events of the Olympic Games.
Right now, Kopecky is racing on a hunting ground she knows perfectly, with the Spring Classics. Her two victories in the Ronde van Vlaanderen – Tour des Flandres (2022, 2023) have delighted the Belgian crowds but races like Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (2nd in 2020 and 2021), Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift (2nd in 2022) and the Amstel Gold Race ladies Edition (2nd in 2023) have resisted her so far. For how long?
The first answers are right around the corner, before Kopecky heads to Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes for her first participation, and then ultimately the Olympic Games.