Lotte Kopecky will wrap up her spring classics campaign with Sunday's Amstel Gold Race Ladies edition and then turn her attention from the road to the velodrome at the UCI Track Nations Cup in Milton, Canada, April 20-23.
The reigning world champion in elimination races and Madison, she will be aiming for a key point for her goal of competing on the track at next summer's Paris Olympics.
"My goal is to get points there to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. After that, the belt is off for a week. After all, it has been a tough spring, and a week of rest will do me some good. But first, a few more ......" Kopecky said.
Kopecký won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Nokele Koase, and Tour of Flanders during the spring season, and finished second in Strade Bianche.
Although it was disappointing to finish seventh in the Hell of the North and miss out on the Flanders and Roubaix double, she heads into the Amstel Gold Race in impeccable form, looking for more chances to win.
Kopecky has never competed in the Amstel Gold Race, but the longer, tougher route could favor her as one of the favorites to win, and she will use her wildcard status in the SD works with Demi Vollering and Lorena Wiebes.
"I ran perfectly in the spring, but I'm going to squeeze everything out of the Amstel Gold Race again. It's my first time participating, so I have very little experience. There are hills and I don't know. We will go into the start with a strong group. So again, there are several possible scenarios. Nevertheless, we will start with a healthy ambition," Kopecky said.
"We are still fresh enough to play one last time this spring. We can give it everything. So I'm really going to go all out here in Amstel. I'm going to race hard again."
Kopecky competed at the European Championships in February and the Nations Cup in Canada, two events that will be her priorities at the first UCI World Championships in Glasgow in August.
"With the federation and SD Worx, we tried to find a balanced program. It won't take a lot of energy, but we will get enough points to achieve our qualifying goals," Kopecky said in an interview earlier this season.
Comments