The two-time world champion from road, Lotte Kopecky will be one of the main attention-drawers at the start line of Gravel World Championships in Halle. The Belgian lady has never competed in a gravel event and this will be a trial by fire. However Kopecky is not too bothered about the result. If things go well, then be it. But if mechanical problems hamper her race, Kopecky is not afraid of ‘DNF’ next to her name.
“I have very little interest in gravel. I do it occasionally during training, just for fun. I have no racing experience at all. I also don’t think this can be compared to Paris-Roubaix or Strade Bianche (two races that Kopecky won this year, ed.). There you can always choose multiple lines, today it will often be just one line,” analyses the rider of SD Worx – Protime in a pre-race interview at Sporza.
Still, she doesn’t find it completely illogical that people look at her as the big favorite. “That will be based on my performance. Today, however, it will be about riding hard with the bike and making the right choices. I am certainly looking forward to it, I really want to enjoy myself. What do I do if I get a flat tire? Then I stop. If you have to change a tire on the way, you lose a few minutes and then it’s over,” she concluded.
The Women’s edition will be filled with stars of road peloton. The reigning champion and Tour de France Femmes winner Kasia Niewiadoma won’t defend her rainbow jersey and therefore we search for a new winner. Next to Kopecky, also Lorena Wiebes, Puck Pieterse or Marianne Vos pick up the challenge in Belgium. Will road pros prevail on the mixed parcours, or will gravel specialists show what they’re made of? We’ll find out this afternoon.
