"This might be my biggest smile of the week" – Kopecky glad to end difficult Tour de France Femmes

Lotte Kopecky’s 2025 Tour de France Femmes never really got off the ground. Coming into the race with general classification ambitions, her plans were derailed by injury before the start, forcing a shift in focus to stage results. But even there, things didn’t fall into place, the opening day saw her lose significant time, and her best finish came on Stage 7 with an 11th place. For a rider who holds two world titles and multiple Monument victories, it was a disappointing outing.

"I think she's mainly glad it's over," said Sporza commentator Ine Beyen. "The fact that she's still attacking on Sunday proves that the team is still having fun. And I think Lotte is glad she didn't abandon the Tour, because she knows she still needs it for everything that's yet to come."

Despite the setbacks, Beyen pointed to some encouraging signs. "Lotte was increasingly showing herself in the peloton; she proved she was still eager. On Sunday, two teammates, Van der Breggen and Gerritse, escaped, and then you saw Kopecky's playful side, eager to continue. That was great to see." But Beyen’s conclusion was firm: "The final conclusion is simple: she needs to focus on what she's really good at from now on and not try to tick every box. Some boxes just can't be ticked."

Kopecky herself seemed ready to move on, even managing a laugh when speaking to Sporza after the final stage. "Sorry, this might be my biggest smile of the week," she said. "It was two very tough days, the kind we rarely encounter in women's cycling, but I had a pretty good feeling on Sunday. It's just a shame I went too far up the first climb and ended up in the wrong group. But it was the last day, so I just kept riding."

Asked how relieved she was to finish, she didn’t hold back. "How happy am I that this Tour is over? So happy," she said with a burst of laughter. But she also found pride in the team’s collective effort. "No, no, ultimately I'm happy that we were able to make it a very nice Tour with the team. We collectively got the most out of it, and we can be proud of that."

Before stepping away, Kopecky gave a nod to the overall winner, tossing flowers in the direction of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. "This is very nice for her. She's someone who can really work towards a goal, and she proved that once again. Honestly, I didn't expect it on the final day. I had pushed Gigante forward on the Col de la Madeleine, but when you ride them two or three minutes behind, you just silence everyone," she said.