Lotte Kopecky won’t begin the Tour de France Femmes with yellow as her primary target, but there’s no mistaking the intent. After a disrupted build-up that saw her abandon the Giro d’Italia Women with back pain, the Belgian arrives in Vannes with her sights firmly on stage wins – especially during the opening weekend on home-style terrain.
“It’s about being realistic now,” she said on Thursday, sat calmly in the team hotel garden overlooking the marina in Vannes. “We have a strong team, but the GC isn’t the main goal anymore. We’re going for stages.”
The GC plan unravels before the start
It was supposed to be the year Kopecky led the GC charge. A runner-up at last year’s Tour while riding in support of Demi Vollering, she had since stepped into the leading role at SD Worx-Protime. But persistent knee pain disrupted her winter, and when the Giro’s mountainous stages triggered a fresh bout of back trouble, it was clear things weren’t going to plan.
Kopecky pulled out of the Italian race just two weeks ago and has since been managing the injury cautiously. She returned to more intense training sessions in recent days and says she’s no longer feeling pain – but isn’t pretending she’s fully recovered either.
“I didn’t touch the bike for a few days after the Giro,” she said. “But then I started adding some intensity and picked up some morale. Right now, I feel OK. But racing is different from training, so we’ll just have to see how the body responds.”
Photo Credit: GettyStage wins the new priority – and Brittany offers a perfect start
With the overall goal shelved, Kopecky’s focus is clear. The opening two stages in Brittany – with their short climbs and punchy finishes – are exactly the kind of terrain that suits her.
“They’re perfect for me,” she said. “I’d be really happy to win a stage. If I can get one of the first two, that would already make the week.”
It’s not out of the question that Kopecky could find herself in yellow again. She wore the jersey for six days in 2023, and the early parcours offers her a chance to repeat that. But this time, the team are approaching the race differently.
“I just try to get GC out of my head,” she explained. “I don’t want my teammates to ride full gas for me and then hear me say after six days, ‘Sorry, my back hurts.’ That wouldn’t be fair. This approach takes the pressure off.”
SD Worx-Protime shift strategy with Wiebes waiting in the wings
The refocus from GC to stages opens the door for others in the SD Worx-Protime squad too. Lorena Wiebes, fresh off two stage wins and the points jersey at the Giro, will take over sprint duties from stage three onwards.
“Stages three and four are sprint opportunities,” Wiebes said. “But they’re not super flat – it’ll still be hard. If I do well in those, then maybe the green jersey becomes a target. We’ll take it day by day.”
That approach – flexible, opportunistic – is a shift from previous editions where SD Worx set out with clear GC ambition. But with Kopecky easing off the pressure and Wiebes looking sharp, it could be just as effective.
“I didn’t have the easiest season,” Kopecky reflected. “But it is what it is now. We’ll try to make the best of it – and maybe have some fun along the way.”
