Lotte Kopecky finds love with son of a cycling legend: “Someone I can rely on… there are butterflies in my stomach”

One of the biggest stars in modern women’s cycling is now in a relationship with the son of the man widely regarded as the greatest cyclist of all time. The revelation has inevitably drawn attention, not just because of the names involved, but because of what Lotte Kopecky herself says it represents at this stage of her career.

One of the most dominant riders in modern women’s cycling is in a relationship with Axel Merckx, the son of cycling’s most successful ever rider... Eddy Merckx.

The relationship became public after Kopecky confirmed she had fallen in love again, with Belgian outlet Dag Allemaal reporting that Merckx is her partner.

Speaking to Sporza, Kopecky made clear that this was not about secrecy or spectacle, but about balance. “Someone I can rely on… there are butterflies in my stomach,” she said.

For Kopecky, the relationship is not framed as a distraction or a fairytale. Instead, she consistently returns to the same idea: stability matters more than romance when it comes to performance.

“Being in love is very nice, but above all stability improves your performances,” Kopecky told Sporza. “There is someone I can rely on and who also shares the difficult moments. That is more important than being in love.”

It is a revealing insight from a rider whose career has been defined by control, consistency and an ability to deliver on the biggest stages. Rather than presenting love as an emotional spark, Kopecky places it alongside preparation, recovery and mental balance as part of elite performance.

Axel Merckx is not an outsider to Kopecky’s world. As the son of Eddy Merckx and a long-time team manager at Hagens Berman Jayco, he has spent decades inside the professional peloton.

According to Dag Allemaal, the pair were increasingly seen together over the past year, including at major cycling events, with their relationship known within the sport before becoming public.

Kopecky has said they never planned an official announcement. “We said we were not going to post anything on Instagram about it,” she said. “But we go everywhere together and are seen together. We have no problem if people talk to us about it.”

Asked whether the relationship could influence her racing, Kopecky resisted easy conclusions. “Whether it will benefit my performances? Good question,” she said. “There are butterflies in my stomach, although I have not raced much with them yet.”

The comment reflects her wider approach. Happiness alone does not guarantee success, but stability creates the conditions to sustain it, especially through the difficult moments of a long season.

For Kopecky, the story is not about legacy or celebrity. It is about entering a phase of her career where balance, support and consistency matter as much as ambition. The fact that it involves one of cycling’s most recognisable names is secondary to the reality she describes in her own words.