Lotte Kopecky brings the type of her life into mixed Glasgow Worlds
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Lotte Kopecky will convey the type of her life into the first-ever mixed UCI World Championships, the place she is going to purpose for a number of world titles throughout three monitor occasions and the street race in Glasgow.
The Belgian turned heads with an opening stage victory in Clermont-Ferrand, wore the yellow jersey for six days, climbed with the very best to the summit of the Col du Tourmalet, after which stormed to 3rd place within the time trial in Pau.
She closed out the eight-day race successful the inexperienced factors jersey and second total behind her SD Worx teammate Demi Vollering.
“I shocked myself rather a lot, particularly yesterday [stage 7 on the Col du Tourmalet], additionally with being one of many higher sprinters and, in the long run, one of many higher climbers, additionally a superb time triallist …,” Kopecky mentioned within the post-race press convention whereas sporting the inexperienced jersey.
“This tour was superb for me. Earlier than, this was probably not how I approached this Tour de France. Every part went actually good and I recovered daily tremendous good. It is good to be second on this Tour de France, successful the inexperienced jersey, and likewise having a tremendous staff round me.”
Kopecky admitted that the efficiency that shocked her essentially the most was ending sixth on the Tourmalet. She shaped a part of a choose chase group that shaped over the Col d’Aspen and up the bottom of the Tourmalet. After Vollering made her successful assault, Kopecky mentioned she settled right into a rhythm to see how far she might go surrounded by the very best climbers on the planet.
She crossed the end line 3:32 behind Vollering whereas additionally forward of her had been solely Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal-QuickStep) and Juliette Labous (Group dsm-firmenich).
Though Kopecky had misplaced the yellow jersey to Vollering on that climb, she went into the closing time trial in fourth total. Nonetheless, her efficiency in opposition to the clock, the place she completed third behind teammates Marlen Reusser and Vollering, noticed her leapfrog each Niewiadoma and Van Vleuten to safe second total.
“I used to be fairly certain that yesterday I might lose the yellow jersey. This morning, I used to be fourth within the common classification, however I used to be pondering that the rostrum was not unimaginable,” Kopecky mentioned.
“If I’m to be sincere, earlier than this Tour, I used to be not aiming for the GC or fascinated with this, so I used to be like, no matter occurs as we speak occurs, and I’ve nothing to lose.
“There was no stress earlier than the time trial, I used to be simply making an attempt to deal with what I needed to do and attempt to give the whole lot I had left.”
Tour de France victory sooner or later?
Kopecky has revealed in a number of interviews through the Tour de France Femmes that she is happy along with her function at SD Worx and that she doesn’t want to be the only chief of one other staff.
Requested if she felt she might at some point win the Tour de France Femmes, Kopecky didn’t rule it out sooner or later however mentioned she nonetheless has ambitions within the Classics.
“It isn’t one thing that think about for the time being. I am pleased with the sort of rider that I’m for the time being. I like the Classics and that’s nonetheless my primary objective. That’s what I like essentially the most,” she mentioned.
“I am not going to vary into making an attempt to be one other sort of rider. I imply, not for the approaching years, however possibly after I’ll give it a strive, I do not know. To this point, I am pleased with what I’m for the time being.”
Kopecky has ignited an enormous fan following throughout Belgium, noting within the post-race press convention that her telephone was blowing up with messages throughout social media about her success on the Tour de France.
“I heard just a few issues, however my social media on my telephone in my again [pocket] has been vibrating the entire time. I believe I do not realise it, however they’re going fairly loopy,” Kopecky mentioned, noting that the Tour de France Femmes has helped to raise ladies’s racing as an entire.
“We already noticed this final 12 months that it is one of many greatest races there may be. Having this dwell on TV daily, we did not see any boring phases, daily was thrilling and had nail-biting finishes. That is actually good for girls’s biking and hopefully encourage younger women.”
There isn’t a relaxation for Kopecky, who will board a flight to Scotland on Monday, which is able to give her sufficient time to coach within the Velodrome and put together for the primary monitor occasions subsequent weekend on the World Championships.
“I fly to Glasgow tomorrow, and I begin my first occasion on the monitor subsequent Sunday. I’ll attempt to get well nearly as good as doable from the Tour de France, and I hope I keep wholesome.”
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