"It was fun to for a year, but now I want to go back to what I'm really good at": No more GC attempts for Lotte Kopecky who returns to her Classics roots

For Lotte Kopecky, the 2025 season has been a one long nightmare. The two-time road world champion struggled to find form, was held back illnesses and injuries, and ultimately won only three races - a stark contrast to her 16 triumphs year earlier. But that is hopefully long past for the Belgian superstar who kicked off 2026 in style not one, not two, but three European track titles (elimination race, points race & madison). A clear message to her rivals that the overlord of past seasons is back to her former self.

"I’m obviously not satisfied with last season, although I’ve had a lot of conversations about it. It wasn’t a great year and even though I know I still won the Tour of Flanders, the contrast with 2024 was too big. I’m proud that I won De Ronde again, but we have to accept the rest," Kopecky said at a media day which included IDLProCycling.com.

Despite the bad experience, Kopecky remains particularly proud of her victory at Tour of Flanders: "We’ll take the good things from 2025 with us, and that was De Ronde. Even in a very bad year, I was still able to win. An injury in the winter of last year was ultimately the biggest reason for my level. Last year I wasn’t even on the bike in December and I ultimately wasn’t good enough. That followed me for the entire season."

"In a way I’m glad I tried it, but it definitely didn’t go the way we had hoped. Now we know it’s probably not something for me and I don’t have it in my head that I want to try it again. If it ever happens, the route really has to suit me. If it doesn’t, then it’s fine to forget that goal."

Despite her undeniable quality in one-day style of racing, Kopecky stood on the overall podium of both Giro d'Italia and Tour de France already in her career. Even so, for 2026 she wishes to prioritize the Classics while given more of a free role in the strong GC team of SD Worx - Protime.

"I’d rather be the wildcard within the team," she laughed. "Then there’s no pressure on me, I can do what I want, and it doesn’t matter so much what the result ends up being. But the team is also building more towards a GC core with climbers, so it gets harder every year to earn that wildcard spot. From that position I’ve already been second in the Giro and the Tour - in those races I was very relaxed."

Focusing exclusively on GC would apparently be a gamble Kopecky is not interested in taking. "Because I also have my qualities in one-day racing. It was fun to improvise for a year, but now I want to go back to what I’m really good at and what I have full confidence in. And that’s the spring classics. The first three months of the year will be the most important months for me."

Then it's clear that for Kopecky, winning a lot during spring will be a crucial towards a successful season. But above all, it's key to regain those good sensations when riding a bike that was sometimes lacking last year.

"I don’t have one race where I really want to be at my best - I just want to take every chance that comes my way. Liège is also a race I can win, but I’ll go there without pressure and hopefully with a few wins already in the bag. And then there’s the Worlds, which might be something I should be able to do," Kopecky hint at a potential third rainbow jersey.

"I’m very hungry to race and win again. I’m looking forward to 2026 and I learned a lot from last season. Maybe I needed that year. I’ve now had a slow, but good and long build-up. I think there’s a good base again and I’m really excited to get started. I’m very motivated!"