After the reported €1 million euro offer for Demi Vollering, Team SD Worx-ProTime has wanted to make sure it is able to keep some of it's current leaders. Big contracts are being signed in the female peloton, and World Champion Lotte Kopecky has just agreed to race for the Dutch team over the coming five seasons.
"I am very happy to stay with Team SD Worx-Protime until 2028. I feel good with this team, and most importantly, I can be myself in this environment," Kopecky said in a press release. "Team SD Worx-Protime is the best team in the women's peloton in terms of results. The interaction in this team is very human. We are certainly not seen as robots. Of course we are expected to perform, but not at any cost. There is clear communication within the team, so we immediately know where we stand. Both when it's positive sounds and critical notes, you get to hear it. I can appreciate that."
It is a huge long-term contract, of which only a handful of riders even in the men's peloton can match. Not only does this assure of the future of the SD Worx team, but also provides more stability for it's riders and namely Kopecky - a reigning World Champion on the road and track, as well as incredibly versatile in every type of road racing.
"At Team SD Worx-Protime, I have already experienced a lot of great moments with both my teammates and the staff over the past two years," she adds. "When I look at the record I have built up here and how I have grown as a rider and person, it is a logical choice that I have now opened up my contract and extended it through 2028." This is a big move that comes right after it was reported that UAE Team ADQ offered a €1 million contract to teammate Demi Vollering.
"Lotte is one of the strongest riders in the peloton. Over the past two years in our team she has made huge strides and built a nice record," team DS Danny Stam. "She is an easy person to work with and has become one of the leaders of the team that everyone pulls up to."
"She understands the team's interests well and is a person everyone gets along well with. I am confident that she can grow even further and am pleased that we are keeping her with the team through 2028."