Glasgow Worlds: No Madison defence for Kopecky after companion Bossuyt’s constructive
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Lotte Kopecky will revise her rainbow-jersey ambitions on the observe on the upcoming Glasgow World Championships, eradicating the Madison from her competitors line-up for the foreseeable future after her occasion companion Shari Bossuyt returned a constructive check for the banned substance Letrozole in March.
Kopecky spoke with Cyclingnews on the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in Clermont-Ferrand earlier than the race started, revealing that she’s going to give attention to the Elimination Race, Factors Race, and Omnium on the observe after which the elite ladies’s highway race on the first-ever mixed World Championships held from August 3-13.
Kopecky and Bossuyt are the reigning world champions in Madison, having received their world titles on the 2022 Worlds in Saint Quentin en Yvelines, France. It was Kopecky’s second world title within the occasion, having additionally additionally taken victory with companion Jolien D’hoore in Hong Kong in 2017, the primary time the ladies’s Madison was supplied on the Worlds. Kopecky can be the reigning world champion within the Elimination Race.
“I’ll do three occasions on the observe and the highway race,” Kopecky confirmed. Requested if she was disenchanted to take away the Madison occasion from her line-up at Worlds, she mentioned, “It is fairly onerous, sure, however at this second, I hope for Shari that she will be able to show that she is harmless; that’s crucial factor.”
Bossuyt, who’s underneath contract with Canyon-SRAM on the highway, and her supervisor have advised the group that her A and B samples examined constructive for Letrozole. She now awaits a remaining verdict from the French Agence française de lutte contre le dopage (AFLD), who carried out the check on March 19 through the Tour de Normandie Féminin. Canyon-SRAM prolonged her contract on April 5 however has put her on ‘provisionally non-active’ standing.
Kopecky mentioned any future plans for that occasion are on maintain provided that she doesn’t have a companion. She additionally mentioned the Belgium nationwide group will change her and Bossuyt with a pair of up-and-coming riders for the Madison in Glasgow.
“For these Worlds, we’re sending two younger riders, Hélène Hesters and Katrijn De Clercq; we’ll see how they do it. For the Olympics, nothing is absolutely for positive, it’s important to qualify, in fact, however nothing is for positive about what we’ll do; it is going to be clear within the subsequent months.”
Kopecky competed on the Tokyo Olympic Video games and completed fourth within the highway race. Nevertheless, within the Madison and Omnium, unhealthy luck and crashes prevented her from reaching her objective of successful a gold medal. She is going to give attention to the highway and the Omnium on the upcoming Paris Olympics and with the Madison depending on Bossuyt’s case or if she has a brand new companion.
“At this second, my ambitions are solely within the Omnium, however we’ll see within the subsequent months how these younger ladies develop and the way the case with Shari develops; it isn’t one thing I can reply at this second,” Kopecky mentioned.
“At this second, I have never been coaching for the Madison. Within the subsequent months, if we go to the Olympics, in fact, we’ll choose it up once more.”
In Glasgow, Kopecky will give attention to the three observe occasions and the highway race with a group that features Sanne Cant, Julie de Wilde, Justine Ghekiere, Marthe Goossens, Lone Meertens and Marthe Truyen.
“I’ve bold objectives on the observe and the highway on the Worlds,” mentioned Kopecky, who’s at present competing on the Tour de France Femmes the place she received the opening stage to take the primary chief’s jersey of the eight-day race that finishes in Pau on Sunday.
She famous that the racing on the Tour de France Femmes matches completely together with her preparations for the World Championships.
“I additionally suppose, you probably have this Tour de France, which is positioned inside the subsequent two weeks earlier than Worlds, you’ll not do that tremendous massive coaching anymore. With the observe being very brief efforts, racing the Tour de France is superb planning for the highway race on Sunday, August 13. I feel it’s extremely manageable all collectively.”
Kopecky completed a detailed second place on the Wollongong Worlds after Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) made a shock last-kilometre assault and crossed the road solo to win the world title simply forward of the dash. She additionally completed sixteenth within the Flanders Worlds in 2022.
“It will likely be a totally totally different course in Glasgow. It is a course that basically fits me, however it additionally fits numerous different riders. I am going there with the ambition of turning into the world champion, however I additionally know it is going to be a tough activity,” Kopecky mentioned.
“The possibilities that it would not work out are larger than if it can work out. We’re going there with six different riders, who will get 200% assist, so I hope the race situation is to our benefit and we will make an unforgettable day of it.”
On the Tour de France Femmes, SD Worx helps Demi Vollering for the general title and Lorena Wiebes within the sprints, whereas Kopecky has been given a wildcard function to win levels.
She confirmed she wouldn’t depart the Tour de France Femmes early, forward of the GC-decisive penultimate stage 7 Tourmalet. “I’ll race the entire Tour,” mentioned Kopecky, the double Belgium Champion waiting for the finale time trial.
“If I nonetheless really feel recent, I’ll go all out within the time trial. I am going to see the place this race brings me. If I really feel that it has been sufficient, I’ll go straightforward within the time trial and attempt to make it a great restoration day.”
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