Kopecky’s form in question before Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) lost more than two minutes on stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia Women on Monday and fell out of GC contention. The 92km stage from Clusone to Aprica was classified as a hilly stage, with the only obstacle a third-category climb averaging 3.5% in the last 14km. But with more than 10km remaining on the climb, Kopecky was dropped after a steep ramp of 11.8% and never regained contact with the lead group of 23 that went on to finish 2:08 minutes ahead of her.

While Kopecky finished in a talented group of 19 that included Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Évita Muzic, Léa Curinier (both FDJ-SUEZ), Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ), and others, Kopecky’s performance doesn’t instil much confidence for next month’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

In a press release before the race, sports director Danny Stam stated that Kopecky’s main goal was to use the Giro as prep for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. “Lotte Kopecky will ride the Giro d’Italia in preparation for the Tour de France Femmes. The overall classification in France is her main goal," he said. "The Giro is a great race on the way to peak form in the Tour. In Italy, we will not put any pressure on Lotte to perform in the general classification. There is a lot of climbing in this Giro d'Italia. Of course, she will undoubtedly choose a stage where she wants to dominate, but otherwise the aim is for her to build confidence ahead of the Tour de France Femmes."

Concerns about Kopecky’s performance in stage 2 were expressed Monday night on Sporza’s post-race show, Vive le Vélo, where Dutch journalist Marijn de Vries was of the opinion that Kopecky’s performance was not part of some plan to ride conservatively and definitely not a good sign. "I can't imagine this was her intention," de Vries. "If she's trying to test herself for the Tour and she can't stay with that group, then I'm not sure that's a very good sign. I'm really curious to see if things improve over the coming days."

Former teammate Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, also on the post-race show, was a bit more optimistic, but cautionary about Kopecky’s present form. "Lotte is still discovering her abilities as a climber. She’s clearly stated that she’s targeting the Tour. But I’m not sure where her form is at right now. She’ll definitely be aiming for a stage win in the coming days. And she’s perfectly capable of that."

Whatever the reason may be for her stage 2 performance, whether it was a bad day, illness, or something else, Kopecky will need to find her legs very soon – in less than three weeks – if she hopes to find success at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.