Kopecky reflects on missed opportunity at Amstel Gold Race: "We all let ourselves be surprised"

The Amstel Gold Race once again didn’t fall Lotte Kopecky’s way on Sunday, as the world champion found herself marked out of the race by her fellow favourites. Despite the setback, Kopecky remained composed and praised her team’s performance.

"I could have been there myself and then it would have been a different story, but I am happy that we finished it well with the team," she told Sporza at the finish.

It was a chaotic race, and even before the live broadcast had begun, the key move had already gone. The main contenders were caught off guard and quickly left with ground to make up.

"You want a race, you get a race," Kopecky said. "But of course it's not my fault that you didn't see it."

She went on to explain what had unfolded around 60 kilometres from the finish, "A large group jumped away with Mischa (Bredewold) and Kata (Blanka Vas). A group with Lorena (Wiebes) slipped towards them."

"It was ideal for us, because we had 3 riders with us. The chase didn't start right away and the gap became quite big quite quickly. It wasn't up to us to ride."

Although Kopecky admitted she could have been part of the front group, she praised the outcome for SD Worx-Protime, with teammate Mischa Bredewold going on to take victory.

"I could have been there myself and then it would have been a different story, but I'm happy that we finished it well with the team."

Reflecting on the decisive moment, she added, "Yes, I heard that in my ear and I thought: 'Ah, no, nobody is with that trio.' But Mischa must have been strong."

"She is a young rider who has already made great strides. She is very good. Within our team, she has to create her own opportunities. She does that today and she makes the most of them. This keeps the atmosphere good."

Despite finishing 34th herself, Kopecky remained focused on the bigger picture, "The feeling was good and that was very important for me. We all let ourselves be surprised a bit with the favorites. There was someone from every team who was involved and then you know that we can look at each other."