“It’s not as though I’m out of form...” - Lotte Kopecky responds to doubters after cramp ensures epic 73km Tour de France Femmes chase falls short
Cycling
Lotte Kopecky dismissed doubts over her condition after coming within 12 seconds of catching Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset during a 73-kilometre solo pursuit on Stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes.
The Belgian spent much of the road to Poligny alone between Haugset and the favourites, gradually reducing an initial deficit of around 90 seconds. With the Norwegian visibly struggling ahead, Kopecky appeared close to completing the catch before cramp ended her challenge.
Haugset recovered to finish off a historic 88-kilometre solo and take the yellow jersey, while Kopecky held on for second after finally fading during the closing kilometres.
“I’m mainly disappointed,” Kopecky said after the finish. “I was getting closer little by little and I could see her ahead of me. I got to within 12 seconds, but then I started cramping.”
Kopecky left isolated after attacking
Kopecky and Haugset had earlier formed part of an 11-rider move that also included Liane Lippert, Lucinda Brand, Justine Ghekiere, Celia Gery and Nienke Vinke.
The group never established an effective rotation and was eventually brought back, although Haugset continued alone. Kopecky attacked again when the pace dropped behind but received no assistance. “I don’t understand why our group wasn’t working together at all,” she said. “The peloton eased off a little and I felt that I had really good legs. I accelerated, but nobody came with me.”
The gap to Haugset remained above a minute for much of the chase before beginning to fall over the later climbs. Kopecky moved within half a minute on the Cote de Chaux-Champagny and continued gaining through the descent.
Only ten to 12 seconds separated them inside the final 12 kilometres, but neither rider had much left. Haugset began to find her rhythm again as Kopecky struggled with cramp on the flatter approach to Poligny. “I didn’t feel completely empty, but after the cramp, I simply couldn’t keep going,” Kopecky explained.
Kopecky pushes back on form doubts
Kopecky’s performance came after an active opening three stages for Team SD Worx – Protime.
She remained with the leading group over the early climbs on Stage 3 before joining the breakaway and later committing to the long pursuit of Haugset. One day earlier, she had been used deep into the chase of Riejanne Markus as the team worked to set up Lorena Wiebes’ second consecutive victory. “It’s not as though I’m out of form, despite what some people might think,” Kopecky said. “The heat didn’t make things easy today either.”
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Her second place earned 30 points and moved her from 38th to fourth in the Points Classification. It also contributed to Team SD Worx – Protime climbing seven positions to take the lead in the teams competition.
Stage 4 brings a 21-kilometre individual time trial between Gevrey-Chambertin and Dijon, where Kopecky will face a very different test after the accumulated effort of her long-range chase. “Tomorrow will mainly be a recovery day,” she said.
Kopecky was denied victory by cramp and one of the longest successful solos in Tour de France history, but she reached Poligny having shown exactly why Haugset had feared being caught.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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