Kopecky draws a line under injury-plagued season, ruling out Track Worlds
Lotte Kopecky has not had a great year. It's not been a complete drought for the reigning Tour of Flanders champ, but lingering injuries have curtailed her results all season. Now, after crashing out on stage 3 of the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche, Kopecky has been forced to end her season before her next big target of the track World Championships in Chile next month.
"It’s more than a week since my crash in Ardèche. A stupid one with some **** consequenses," Kopecky wrote on Instagram, describing the vertebral fracture picked in France. "I had to give it some time to see how quick it may go into the right direction. Unfortunately not as fast a I wanted. It is the most wise decision to definitively end my season, so no more Track Worlds for me."
2025 was meant to be the season when the multiple world champion (track and road) might take yet another step forward, especially in her return to the Tour where she'd finished runner-up to teammate Demi Vollering in 2023, but injuries persistently got in the way.
"Last year, I injured my knee. Back then I just wanted to train ASAP. Which led to setback after setback and in the end running even more behind. So let’s approach this one right. I’ll give myself the time to let my body and the fracture heal properly."
