"Last year I lacked freshness," she admitted. "I
want to be fresher in the Walloon classics than last year, and especially to
start fresher in the Tour. That is why I am competing later."
Kopecky’s growing ambitions for the general classification
stem from her promising performances on hilly and mountainous terrain. She
referenced the Tour de France Femmes' 2023 stage to Blockhaus as a true confidence
booster.
"Especially that difficult stage to Blockhaus, where I
was one of the better climbers." But can Kopecky be one of the best
climbers throughout the entire race? That is the question she hopes to answer
with an emphatic yes this year.
While discussions about her potential as a GC contender
began during the 2024 season, Kopecky and her team waited to assess the Tour’s route
before committing to an all-out bid.
"But we wanted to wait for the course first. And that
turns out to be a very difficult one, it is not the ideal Tour."
Renowned as one of the best one-day specialists in the
peloton, Kopecky acknowledges the physical adjustments required to transform
into a general classification contender.
"In the classics, you can afford to be a bit heavier,
because it is only one day. But we have to pay enough attention to the weight,
to be able to survive those cols in the Tour every day."
With the departure of
Demi Vollering from Team SD
Worx - Protime, Kopecky is set to take on sole leadership duties in stage races.
However, the recent return of
Anna van der Breggen to professional cycling
presents an interesting dynamic within the team.
What does Kopecky think of Van der Breggen’s return?
Kopecky expressed her enthusiasm about Van der Breggen’s
return, praising her leadership qualities.
"I am very happy that Anna is back," she said. "It
is important to get everyone on the same page, to achieve those goals
together."
While Van der Breggen is expected to support Kopecky at the
Tour de France Femmes, Kopecky remains pragmatic about leadership roles and
race-day decisions.
"I assume that I will be the leader. But I think it
would be wise to have other options open. But to have such a rider next to you
in the Tour is a great honour."
Comparing Van der Breggen’s role to that of Vollering,
Kopecky highlighted the differences in their racing dynamics.
"I think that is mainly due to the person Anna. If you
had Demi in front of you, Demi would have had a lot of trouble if she had to
ride in my service in the Tour. Demi and I both wanted to win. We were both
leading women. That is also what we are paid for, to win races."
"That's not the case with Anna. Nothing bad about Demi,
but Anna is a rider with a big heart. It's give and take."
Kopecky remains realistic about the potential challenges
ahead, acknowledging that team decisions will need to be made based on
real-time race scenarios.
"If I can't keep up uphill, and Anna can, then it's
clear. Then we're not going to lose the Tour because Anna has to drop me to a
podium place. We have to be very honest about that at the moment itself."