"Lotte should be more professional": Former Paris-Roubaix champion criticizes Lotte Kopecky's poor year

Lotte Kopecky cannot look at a successful 2025. The world champion emerged victorious at the Tour of Flanders, but otherwise concludes the season pretty much empty-handed. At least, viewed through the strict metric of previous years. The Belgian dealt with multiple problems throughout the year and ultimately didn't even attempt to defend her rainbow throne, wrapping up the year after an injury from Tour de l'Ardeche already at the start of September.

With the departure of Demi Vollering, her Team SD Worx - Protime expected Kopecky to rise up to the opportunities presented and become the dominant star of the Dutch superteam, but instead it was down to her teammate and star sprinter Lorena Wiebes to carry the team flag high with 25 victories in 2025 (+ Gravel rainbow jersey). Meanwhile Kopecky raised her hands only three times this year and scored just a fragment of her usual UCI points.

Naturally, the criticism was quick to arrive from the Belgian side as the fans and experts alike had hoped for way more of their best female cyclist. Former cyclist and Paris-Roubaix champion Johan Vansummeren starts moderately in Het Belang van Limburg: "I don't think Lotte's life is over. Everyone has a difficult year now and then."

However his next statement stings like a bee, criticizing Kopecky's approach towards this season. "But she could do with being more professional. Get a coach," he adds, blaming none other than the 29-year-old herself for the failure.

Vansummeren further adds salt to the wound by drawing a comparison to Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. The 2014 world champion has returned to the professional peloton after nearly decade of focusing solely on mountain bikes. And in her debut year, she already dominated the Tour de France Femmes and won the Paris-Roubaix Femmes as well. Her two major goals.

"Pauline returned to road cycling without pressure. She consciously chose Visma | Lease a Bike, where she structured her training for Paris-Roubaix and the Tour. She even went the extra mile in terms of nutrition. Lotte lacks that dedication somewhat."

Not everyone is as harsh with the star. Another former professional Jelle Vanendert takes a more lenient approach where he highlights the positive moments of Kopecky's season. "Despite knee problems, she won the Tour of Flanders. But the Tour podium as her main goal was too ambitious. Combined with injuries and other problems, it created too much pressure."

According to Vanendert, the team structure also plays a role. "SD Worx is an excellent team, but Visma | Lease a Bike is ahead of the curve. They work with data from both the men's and women's teams. That makes a world of difference."

Lotte Kopecky remains one of the greatest talents of her generation, but this season shows how thin the line is between ambition and overwork. Kopecky should take a lesson out of this season towards future years, Vansummeren thinks: "Everyone goes through a difficult year now and then. The key is to learn from it."