Lotte Kopecky defends minimum salaries "otherwise, women's cycling will not grow"

The issue of women's peloton salaries has sparked significant debate, with differing opinions being expressed. Recently, Patrick Lefevere, the head of Soudal-Quick-Step, expressed his opposition to minimum salaries, while Lotte Kopecky holds a contrasting view.

"They need to be because otherwise, women's cycling will not grow," Kopecky told Cyclingnews. Her argument is that offering a minimum salary to female cyclists will enable them to focus solely on their sport and avoid the need for additional employment to support themselves financially "because then there will always be this big gap."

The world of women's cycling has experienced swift advancement, with many races now providing prize money equivalent to their male counterparts. She recently won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, which was among such races. “I think we still have to work for it as hard as the men. I think it's a very nice thing that this prize money is the same."

She has faith in the organic growth of women's cycling and predicts further development in the coming year." I think we're just moving at the right speed. Every year there are little adjustments. The evolution we saw in the last years is very nice, we also see very nice races and a lot of spectacles,” concluded Kopecky.