“Lotte certainly wasn't good enough” – Kopecky struggles during Tour de France Femmes opening

Lotte Kopecky’s Tour de France Femmes got off to a troubling start, as the world champion finished 43rd on Stage 1, more than a minute behind stage winner Marianne Vos. On a finish that looked ideal for Kopecky, the Belgian was unable to contend and missed the chance to take the yellow jersey. The Côte de Cadoudal should have been her launchpad, 1.7 kilometers at 6.2%, but she was never in the mix. It was a quiet end to a day that had started with high expectations.

Kopecky did not speak to the press after the stage, clearly disheartened. Team SD Worx – Protime director Danny Stam spoke instead, trying to make sense of the missed opportunity. “Despite all the injuries in recent weeks, Lotte indicated she wanted to go for the win. So this is a bit of a setback,” Stam told VTM.

“I haven't spoken to her yet, but Lotte certainly wasn't good enough. The team completely sacrificed themselves for her, and if she's not there in the end, you can make all sorts of excuses, but the strongest team wins.”

Stam noted that normally Kopecky signals when she’s not feeling up to leading, allowing the team to pivot to another strategy. “We still have to analyze it all. Normally, Lotte indicates at such times that she's not good enough, so we can draw a different card. She didn't do that this time.”

Kopecky, 29, had approached this year’s race cautiously. After withdrawing from the Giro d’Italia due to lingering back pain, she admitted she wasn’t sure how she’d feel once the racing began. “At the moment, it’s pretty good, but training and racing are two different things. I didn’t have the most easy season, let’s say.

“I had a really hard winter with the injury. Maybe [the back pain] is coming from the knee, having a little bit of a different position. I cannot say how it started. I just hope it disappears like it started,” she told Cycling Weekly before the Grand Départ.