Published June 2, 2021 02:09PM
Lotte Kopecky, one of the most impressive and consistent riders of the 2020 and 2021 season, will join the powerhouse SD Worx team in 2022.
While racing for Liv Racing in 2021 Kopecky won Le Samyn des Dames and a stage of the LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour. She was also second at Gent-Wevelgem, fourth at the Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne, and fourth at the opening classic Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Although Kopecky has been racing since 2013, where she competed in the World Championships as a junior, 2020 was the first year she consistently impressed on a WorldTour level, winning both the road race and ITT at the Belgian National Championships, a stage of the Giro Rosa, and placing third in the Tour of Flanders.
The 25-year old rode for Lotto Soudal for five years before joining Liv Racing in 2021 on a one year deal. With 2021 only halfway done, there’s no knowing what other results Kopecky will pull off. The Belgian national champion is targeting the Madison at the Olympic Games later in the summer with SD Worx rider Jolien D’Hoore as her partner. Given the season she has had already, it’s no surprise Kopecky caught the attention of SD Worx.
“When the best team in the world asks you to join, you feel honoured of course,” Kopecky said. “This season I also have a very good feeling with Team Liv Racing, but I also have to look at my future. I know that with Team SD Worx, I will always be surrounded by a strong team. What appeals to me in Team SD Worx is that the team always attacks. It is a team that has a lot of charisma in the peloton. What also appeals to me is that the team does not always go into the races with a fixed plan, but often adjusts its tactics according to how the race develops.”
With D’Hoore and Anna van der Breggen retiring at the end of 2021 and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak retiring after the Spring Classics in 2022, SD Worx needed to add some firepower to their team. With Kopecky, they’ve hit the jackpot.
“You can see that Lotte has made considerable steps in recent years,” said Danny Stam, team manager for SD Worx. “She is an all-around star who can handle increasingly tough competitions. She impressed me last spring in the Strade Bianche, where she only lost due to a puncture at a very bad moment. I think Lotte can develop even further in our team. With her, we also have a good core for the Flemish races in the spring of 2022. Next year, with Chantal Blaak, Amy Pieters, Demi Vollering and Lotte, among others, we will spark further success.”