“From what I have seen from Kopecky, she is capable” - Tour de France Femmes boss backs world champion for Maillot Jaune challenge in 2025

After the reveal of the official route and profiles of the 2025 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes earlier this week, everyone has been taking a look over the parcours, trying to work out who is most likely to take the Maillot Jaune. On the women's side of things, could world champion Lotte Kopecky take a first Grand Tour victory?

“She surprises me every year and she also evolves every year,” the Tour de France Femmes race organiser, Marion Rousse says of the Belgian Team SD Worx - Protime superstar in conversation with Sporza following the route reveal. “It has been especially important that Lotte herself realizes that she can compete for the general classification.”

“The first two stages are for puncheurs. I think that is very good for Lotte Kopecky,” Rousse continues. “There are bonus seconds each time at the finish. You better not give Kopecky too much space, because she can handle the middle mountains. And in the high mountains she has already proven she is capable. Think of the Tourmalet last year. She can do something very big.”

Kopecky finished 2nd to teammate Demi Vollering back in 2023 and in 2024 narrowly missed out on the Giro d'Italia title to Elisa Longo Borghini. As Vollering departs for a new challenge in 2025 though, Kopecky could take leadership of Team SD Worx - Protime's Maillot Jaune challenge, going head to head with Vollering among others in the French mountains.

“When you see what happened on the Tourmalet, you can say she is a climber,” Rousse concludes, backing Kopecky to challenge for the biggest title in the women's World Tour. “The question is whether Kopecky is aiming for stage victories and focuses on her punch. Or is she looking at the general classification and doing altitude training, for example? From what I have seen from Kopecky, she is capable.”