SD Worx-Protime head into 2026 with two of the strongest riders in the peloton in Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes, and the team insists there is no uncertainty about who targets what this spring. After what both riders described as a clear conversation over their ambitions, the message from the team presentation was straightforward: the partnership is meant to make both riders more dangerous, not create friction.
Kopecky said the relationship between the pair remains strong, a point echoed by Wiebes, who believes their approach has already been proven in recent seasons.
“We’ve had a good conversation about what our goals are this year,” Wiebes said. “And I think in the past few years we’ve also shown how we’ve made each other stronger.”
The Dutch sprinter also addressed the dynamic from last season, when Kopecky’s programme leaned more towards supporting roles as she explored different objectives.
“The annoying thing last year was that Lotte worked more for me,” Wiebes said. “But I don’t think we should overcompensate to show the outside world how well things are between us. We need to do it naturally, like we did in 2023 and 2024.”
For Wiebes, the key is balance, and keeping the team outcome at the centre of the plan.
“So that we both get our chances and it’s divided properly,” she said. “We have to make each other stronger and, as a team, win as much as possible. And who knows, maybe a third rider from our team wins. That can happen too.”
Stam: Kopecky back to classics, and the overlap is a strength
Sports manager Danny Stam expects it to be his job, as ever, to keep the structure clear when it matters most, but he sounded confident that the Kopecky and Wiebes pairing is aligned. He also underlined the team’s shift away from Kopecky’s general classification experiment.
“Lotte tried an excursion towards the overall last year,” Stam said. “We’re moving away from that now. Do what you’re good at.”
That means a renewed focus on the cobbled Classics for Kopecky, terrain that also features prominently in Wiebes’ spring ambitions. Stam sees the shared space as an advantage rather than a problem.
“The past has already shown they strengthen each other,” he said. “And because they’re so strong together, they can both win big and beautiful races. The cooperation between Lotte and Lorena has always been very good.”
“It’s clear who has which goals. It’s good that everyone knows that about each other. Then we just try together to achieve those goals. That internal competition makes us stronger.”
