Lotte Kopecky anticipates difficult women's race: "The Dutch ladies will make the race hard "
Cycling
Lotte Kopecky will be leading the Belgian team at this Saturday's women's Road Race at the World Championships, and she has talked about expectations ahead of one of her biggest goals of the year.
“I like rain. It makes the race even tougher. I am happy with the circuit," she said in a press conference. "It is long, fifteen kilometers longer than the Tour of Flanders. It can lead to bizarre situations. There will be riders whose lights will suddenly go out.” She's counting on her experience and endurance to battle against the Dutch and Italian national teams which will have several cards to play in the race.
“The Dutch ladies will make the race hard and would do so anyway. I already expect an offensive from them on the first climb," she admits. "I think Italy is stronger than the Netherlands. I expect strong things from Longo Borghini, for me she is the top favorite."
As for her feelings, Kopecky reports says that "I feel fine, but I don't know if I will reach the same level as in the spring. I consider myself an outsider, the signals in the Vuelta were good.” There she finished on the Top5 of four out of five stages, and with wins at the Tour des Flandres and Strade Bianche, she'll be looking for a third and bigger win in a one-day race.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
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