“Never reached my full potential” – Lotte Kopecky sounds off on spring despite Tour of Flanders victory
Cycling
With the Spring Classics season now behind us, World
Champion Lotte Kopecky has offered a candid reflection on her campaign in a
heartfelt Instagram post.
Kopecky, who has battled a persistent knee injury throughout
the winter, admitted that her disrupted preparation and the pressure of public
scrutiny took a toll on her confidence in recent months. Despite those
challenges, she still claimed a major victory at the Tour of Flanders and
played a key role in helping Lorena Wiebes win Milano-Sanremo and
Gent–Wevelgem.
Opening up about her mindset and physical struggles, Kopecky
wrote, “I wasn’t looking looking for excuses and being straight forward is what
I stand for. So when I said ‘I should be happy with this spring after the
winter I had’ in the interview after LBL I should’ve thought twice before
staying it.
“But I was really done with the opinions, high expectations and really had the
feeling I am just not good enough anymore. We need media. But sometimes it is
hard to hear everything people are saying about you without having any clue
what’s happening in our lives.
We set goals, but that doesn’t mean we’ll succeed them all. In the end we lose
more than we win.”
The Belgian explained how her knee injury meant a stop-start
winter, both physically and mentally exhausting for someone as driven as
Kopecky.
“I’ve been struggling with my knee this winter, being on and
off the bike the whole time.
Mentally pretty challenging for someone who’s kind of addicted to sports. But again, I learned a lot about my body.”
She had always planned a late start to her season, targeting
Milan–Sanremo as her return to racing. While she didn’t contest the victory
herself, she took pride in helping Wiebes cross the line first.
“I already planned last year to start the season only in
Milan San Remo, I am happy I made it just in time & was able to help Lorena Wiebes to the win.
I wasn’t able to make differences myself, so it made me really happy to help
the team to win.”
Kopecky gradually built form through the Classics campaign,
though she acknowledges she never quite reached her top level.
“I could feel my body needed a lot of race rhythm because I
didn’t do any intensity training this winter. But race by race I had some
improvements, sometimes big, sometimes little.
Trying to trust the proces, relying on my base I built over the past years.
"But
never reached my full potential. Just like many of you, I wanted more victories
myself and honour this amazing jersey. In general I am happy the way things
went, coming out of the classics with good form, kind of fresh feeling and very
hungry for wins.”
Kopecky concluded her message with a note of optimism and
determination, “Sometimes things happen for a reason. I’ll keep up the hard
work, aiming & dreaming of big things this summer!”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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