"I hope to make the very best of it this year" - Lotte Kopecky enters 2026 Tour de France Femmes with new enthusiasm
CyclingThe Tour de France Femmes 2026 takes off the coming Saturday and Team SD Worx - Protime will aim to be among the race's protagonists. With Anna van der Breggen and Lorena Wiebes they hold strong cards into both mountains and sprints respectively, but we shouldn't assume Lotte Kopecky to sit back either.
With multiple unpredicatble stages before riders arrive to the high mountains, SD Worx can put to use their great team depth. That is where Kopecky will aim to shine.
"I am really looking forward to it," says Kopecky ahead of the Grand Départ. "I hope to make the very best of it this year."
Meet our TDFF team: Lotte Kopecky. 🇧🇪
— Team SD Worx - Protime (@teamsdworx) July 30, 2026
A two-time World Champion. Numerous Monumental Victories.
A proven Tour race-maker.
A stage win, six days in yellow, a green jersey winner & 2nd overall in 2023 in the TDFF so far.
No pressure. No limits. Just racing on instinct.
Ready to… pic.twitter.com/tzqm59Wudx
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Already a better year than 2025
So far in 2026, Kopecky racked up three victories; the most prestigious at the Milano-Sanremo Donne. Besides that, Kopecky played key rolle throughout the spring with multiple results of honor. And when it wasn't her turn winning, she contributed to many victories of her teammates, most notably sprinter Lorena Wiebes with 13 professional wins this season.
Most recently, Kopecky completed the Tour de Pologne Women where Wiebes triumphed in all three stages and thus brought home the overall victory. In role of her leadout, Kopecky herself scored one top-5 result.
At the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, she'll be looking to add to her one stage victory so far. This triumph dates back to 2023 for the former two-time world champion.
Sports director Danny Stam commented on Kopecky's ambition in a team presentation: "She comes into the race in good form. The main thing will be to keep the pressure off her shoulders and allow her to race freely. Lotte will be free to take her opportunities in breakaways."
The tactician further highlights Kopecky's importance for team's other goals: "With Lorena Wiebes, we have an excellent card to play in the sprint, and nobody likes taking her to the finish line. If Lotte is up the road, Lorena’s presence behind can create hesitation among the chasers. Hopefully, Lotte can take a stage win from a breakaway."

Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
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