"Happy that I was able to defend the yellow" - Lotte Kopecky misses out on second stage win but retains overall lead of the Tour de France Femmes

After soloing to a stunning victory on the opening stage of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes, Lotte Kopecky was forced to settle for second behind Liane Lippert in a reduced bunch sprint on stage 2.

“In the sprint, I noticed that my rear tire went flat. That's very unfortunate, not that I want to blame my defeat on that, but yes... Too bad," said the Maillot Jaune post-stage to Sporza. “I'm happy that all the riders of the team stayed straight in the descent, where there were still some crashes. It was very slippery there.”

In the final, Lotte Kopecky's Team SD Worx teammate Demi Vollering, gave the leadout to the Maillot Jaune, something Kopecky appreciates very much. “That was indeed ideal," she says. "It would have been nice to take my second win in two days that way, but it is no different."

“I'm happy that I was able to defend the yellow," Kopecky concludes. "Tomorrow will be an easier day, in which the sprinters will probably get a chance. So I should be able to keep the jersey there as well.”