Lotte Kopecky has returned to junior men’s races as she tries to sharpen form before the world championships in Canada.
The two-time UCI world championship road race winner used the same unusual route in 2023. That season ended with her first elite road race rainbow jersey.
Kopecky is now trying to lift a quieter campaign. She has three wins so far this season, well below her most prolific years.
Her latest test came Sunday at Molenbeek-Wersbeek, where she raced against junior men. She finished 36th, 1:16 behind the winner.
The start followed a difficult spell for the Belgian. She did not start stage 3 of the Tour of Britain Women because of illness.
Why junior men’s races suit Kopecky’s worlds plan
Kopecky first adopted the approach in June 2023 at Wetteren ten Ede. That race came shortly before the Belgian national championships.
She then won both the Belgian road race and time trial titles. Four more nationally registered races followed before the Tour de France Femmes.
At that Tour, Kopecky won a stage and finished second overall. All five preparatory events featured pelotons made up of junior men.
Kopecky explained in 2023 that she wanted to feel racing rhythm. She said the young riders provide race stimuli she can use later in the season.
Cycling Flanders training coordinator Jan Vancompernolle said the reasoning remains the same. He pointed to the intensity of junior racing.
Vancompernolle said junior riders race with high energy and often at greater speed than women’s races in Belgium. He also highlighted their corner exits.
Those repeated accelerations, he said, do not appear in the same way in women’s events. He added that Belgian women currently have mainly criteriums available.
Those criteriums, in his view, unfold more passively. Kopecky therefore sought intensity and rhythm on Sunday.
World championships now become the priority
Despite her subdued results tally, Belgian national team coach Ludwig Willem believes Kopecky is trending upward again.
Willem told Sporza that Kopecky is growing back toward her level from two to three years ago. He also noted the rising international standard.
Even so, Willem said he believes Kopecky can contend for the podium. He added that her focus now sits firmly on the world championships.
The elite women’s time trial at the world championships is scheduled for September 20. The road race follows six days later.
Kopecky may still add another race against junior men before travelling to Canada. Vancompernolle said one weekend remains available before departure.
He said the effect of such racing cannot be replicated in training. However, he stressed that Kopecky has not made a final decision.
Vancompernolle also said Kopecky listens closely to her own feelings. That will guide whether junior men’s races feature once more in her preparation.
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