The inquest has already begun at SD Worx after world champion Lotte Kopecky unexpectedly lost over a minute on the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes. Billed as a reduced bunch sprint finish that suited her qualities, the uphill drag to Plumelec’s Côte de Cadoudal delivered an early blow to both her GC hopes and the team’s stage ambitions.
Kopecky, who had been carrying back issues since pulling out of the Giro d’Italia Women a couple of weeks ago, dropped out of contention on the final ascent, eventually finishing 43rd at +1:04. The loss came as a surprise not just in the standings, but in the team car as well. Speaking to Sporza after the stage, DS Danny Stam admitted that the Belgian hadn’t communicated her condition during the race. “We didn’t receive any indication that Lotte wasn’t feeling good,” Stam said. “That’s why this is a surprise to us. We’ll have to analyse where it went wrong and why she didn’t communicate that she didn’t have the legs.”
That lack of clarity appeared to affect their approach in the final kilometres. Lorena Wiebes had earlier burned matches chasing back attacks, including covering the intermediate sprint, and then put in an early effort on the last climb in service of Kopecky. Anna van der Breggen, making her Tour debut as a rider, was left to recover something for the team, finishing seventh at five seconds behind winner Marianne Vos.
Kopecky herself had downplayed GC ambitions in the days leading into the race, citing her disrupted season, which included an off-season knee injury and a DNF at the Giro. She had, however, marked stage 1 as one she wanted to target. Whether her performance in Plumelec was down to her ongoing back issue remains unclear, but she did not speak to media after the finish.
“This climb doesn’t lie,” Stam added. “The GC wasn’t an option for Lotte anyway. Now, that is completely off the table.”
With Kopecky out of the overall picture, SD Worx’s focus will likely shift. Van der Breggen’s strong finish confirms she could play a bigger role in the mountain stages to come, while Wiebes, who placed 16th on a day thought to be too hard for pure sprinters, remains a clear option for flatter stages. But there’s no doubt the team had expected more from stage one – both tactically and from their star rider.
