"Please leave her alone around the race as much as possible": Lotte Kopecky will race Nokere Koerse despite passing away of her brother

Lotte Kopecky will be at the start of Nokere Koerse after a tragedy happen in his family with the sudden death of her 29 years old older brother. Her team, SD Worx made a statement asking for respect for her privacy.

"Lotte Kopecky will start in Nokere Koerse next Wednesday, SD Worx asks everyone to respect her privacy due to the death of her brother. Please leave her alone around the race as much as possible", said her team SD Worx in an oficial statement via Twitter.

Nothing has been disclosed about the cause of her brother's death last Saturday. The SD Worx rider was due to ride her next race in Gent-Wevelgem but has added Nokere Koerse to her calendar reportedly to keep her mind busy.

CyclingUpToDate would like to extend it's condolences to friends and family of the Kopecky family.