Kopecky puts 2025 behind her as she adds to her growing Monument collection

Cor Vos

It was no secret that 2025 was not an easy year for then-world champion Lotte Kopecky. After two incredible seasons including wins at the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Strade Bianche, and the World Championships, Kopecky set her sights on the yellow jersey of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2025. It didn't seem like it would be that tall a task for the Belgian, who had won the opening stage in 2023 and then wore the yellow jersey for most of the race before finishing second overall, but going one better proved more difficult than she'd originally thought.

To start with, Kopecky's preparation for 2025 didn't go to plan, and apart from a win at the Tour of Flanders in the rainbow jersey, and the Belgian national time trial title, she didn't achieve even close to what was expected of her. Coming into 2026, the question of whether or not the once-dominant rider would be back to winning ways was at the top of everyone's list.

It took a few weekends, but after her win at Milan-San Remo on Saturday, it looks like Kopecky is back, and she's picking up Monuments. With her return to the top step, Kopecky has also put SD Worx-Protime back on track this Classics season.

Lotte Kopecky is back on top at Milan-San RemoThe race came down to a group of five that broke away on the Poggio.Escape CollectiveAbby Mickey

Unstoppable Kopecky

During the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Kopecky truly looked like she could do it all. Already in 2022, she won Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders, but in 2023, Kopecky's second season with SD Worx-Protime, she won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the Tour of Flanders, both national titles, two stages and the overall at the Simac Ladies Tour, and a stage of the Tour. It was an incredible run of results only topped by her 2024 season, where she racked up a similar list of victories, including Paris-Roubaix, Strade Bianche again, the UAE Tour, the Tour of Britain, and second overall at the Giro with a stage along the way.

One of her very few disappointments was at the Olympic Games in Paris, where she finished third in the road race, but overall her win rate was second to none. And it looked like she would only get better.

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