Lotte Kopecky will return to racing earlier than expected, with SD Worx-Protime confirming that the Belgian star will start the omnium at the Belgian Track Championships in Gent on Saturday. Her appearance comes one day before the Six Days of Gent begin, where she was already scheduled to race on the Friday and Saturday evenings.
The decision to race at the national championships is a strategic one. Kopecky is targeting valuable UCI points that will help secure start rights for future international events. It marks a swift and determined comeback from the serious crash she suffered at the Tour Cycliste Féminin de l’Ardèche less than two months ago. Initial assessments suggested she had escaped major injury, but SD Worx-Protime later confirmed she had in fact fractured a vertebra.
Despite that setback, Kopecky has spent recent weeks rebuilding her condition, logging significant training hours and regaining the rhythm she lost during her enforced break. Her team say she is ready to compete again, and Gent provides the perfect opportunity to ease back onto the track ahead of a packed winter.
A proven force on the boards
Kopecky sits at the very top of the women’s track discipline, and her list of honours across World Championships, European Championships and the Six Days tells its own story. She has won world titles in the madison, points race and elimination race, including a remarkable double at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in 2022 and another double in Glasgow in 2023. She has also been a prolific winner at the European Championships, with multiple victories across the elimination and points races, and gold in the madison as far back as 2016.
She has excelled at the Six Days too. In her last appearance at the Lotto Six Days Flanders-Ghent she dominated the women’s programme, and she has won the women’s competition there three years running. Her pedigree in the Kuipke makes her the clear favourite once again.
Building towards the Kuipke
Kopecky’s programme at the Six Days will feature an elimination race and a points race on both Friday and Saturday nights. She will be joined by recent World Championships riders Shari Bossuyt, Katrijn De Clercq, Luca Vierstraete and Marith Vanhove in a 12-rider field.
The Kuipke crowd has embraced Kopecky in recent editions, and her return is likely to raise the atmosphere even further. Organisers expect large crowds, especially with Kopecky confirming she has recovered enough from her fractured vertebra to compete at full intensity.
A weekend of world-class racing in Gent
The men’s field at the Six Days is also shaping up strongly, with pairings still to be finalised. Newly crowned world madison champions Lindsay De Vylder and Fabio Van den Bossche will ride together and are expected to challenge for overall victory. They will line up against strong combinations including De Buyst-Viviani, Havik-Hesters and Dorenbos-Hoppezak.
For now, however, it is Kopecky’s early return that steals the headlines. After weeks of uncertainty and quiet rebuilding, the Belgian champion is back in competition, targeting points, form and a fourth successive triumph in the Kuipke.
