The ongoing struggle for form that has shadowed Lotte Kopecky through much of the 2025 season reached another low point this week at the Tour de France Femmes. SD Worx-Protime had built their plans around the Belgian world champion, targeting the overall classification, but any hopes of yellow were already gone after two days.
A lingering back injury, which had cast doubts even before the start in Brittany, ultimately ended the experiment. Kopecky was nearly three minutes down by stage 3, and quickly pivoted into a support role for Lorena Wiebes and Anna van der Breggen.
It has been a difficult year for Kopecky. Despite winning her third straight Belgian road title in June, she has not rediscovered the dominant consistency that carried her to second overall in both the 2023 Tour and last year’s Giro. The push for a GC focus this summer always came with risk, and the early stages in France confirmed her body wasn’t ready for it.
Photo Credit: GettySpeaking to Nieuwsblad, team manager Erwin Janssen defended her efforts and asked for patience.
“Riders aren’t robots. Otherwise, we would have succeeded,” Janssen said. “Lotte worked incredibly hard. She gave it her all more than ever, sacrificing everything to be at her best in the Tour. That didn’t work out.”
Rather than pull her from the race, the team opted to keep her within the group. Janssen stressed that the benefits of staying far outweighed any argument for sending her home.
“Personally, I think it’s pointless for her to stay home right now. Being together at a low point is part of it,” he said. “All great champions have a down period, even Tadej Pogačar. You have to accept that. And we’ve told her that too.”
He added: “She’s not feeling great. And I understand that. Lotte is a true winner. A killer who’s so focused on the Tour.”
Photo Credit: GettyWhile the team was prepared for a GC campaign, the abrupt collapse of that strategy has prompted internal questions. Janssen acknowledged that they would take time after the race to reflect properly.
“After the Tour, we’ll evaluate this together with her management. Did we make the wrong choices? Did we make mistakes as a team? What can we learn from this? We don’t need to do that now, during the excitement of the Tour.”
Kopecky has instead been an integral part of Wiebes’ sprint successes, and will continue to ride in support of van der Breggen, who sits fifth overall heading into the final three stages.
Beyond the immediate race, SD Worx-Protime are also adjusting to a wider shift. With Demi Vollering now at FDJ-Suez, and Kopecky not yet able to assume the role of overall leader, Janssen hinted at long-term changes.
“We’ve always been used to competing for the overall victory in the Grand Tours, but that’s different now. This means we’ll have to invest in strengthening our climbing skills again,” he said. “No big name has signed yet, but we’re working on it.”
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Pauline BalletJanssen was also candid about the changing landscape of women’s cycling.
“For a long time, we had the second-largest budget in the peloton, but now we’ve dropped to fourth place,” he said. “Many men’s teams used to have a women’s team ‘just because,’ but everyone is gradually starting to see the potential of women’s cycling in terms of media interest and sponsorship value.”
Despite the frustrations of the Tour and a season that has never quite caught fire, Kopecky remains central to the team’s plans. She is under contract until 2028, and Janssen is confident that her year still has important moments to come.
“After the Tour, Lotte just needs to clear her head, and then we’ll make a plan for the coming years,” he said. “She can still win some great races this season. There’s another World Championship coming up, you know?”
