Lotte Kopecky is still aiming to win three medals in the individual time trial, road race, and Omnium at the Paris Olympic Games, which will be held from July 27 to August 11 despite having to recover from a COVID-19 infection caught after the Giro d'Italia Women last week.
The Belgian all-rounder is the reigning World Champion in the road race and medallist in the Omnium and says her chances of securing gold medals are higher in those two events. However, she will also try her best in the individual time trial, which will kick off the cycling events on Saturday.
"For me, too, [the time trial] is a question mark," Kopecky told Sporza. "I have worked on it very hard. But I came out of the Giro Donne with COVID. I think I'm immune to it for a while now.
"I took it easy for a few days. This weekend, my training during the track camp went well, and my values were good. I don't think that will be the problem."
Kopecky finished the 2023 season at the first-ever combined UCI World Championships in Glasgow, winning three of the four world titles she pursued in the Elimination Race, Points Race, and then taking a hard-fought solo victory in the road race. She also earned a bronze medal in the Omnium.
She's carried that success into this year with a focus on the Spring Classics, where she won Paris-Roubaix, and the Giro d'Italia Women, where she finished second overall behind Elisa Longo Borghini. She also won double road and time trial titles at the Belgian Championships.
She said that she'd been training more on her time trial bike this year in the lead-up to the Games and questioned whether a gold or silver medal might be out of reach against riders like reigning World Champion Chloé Dygert.
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"I don't have much experience in this part, but my form is good, and I'm giving the best of myself. I have to be optimistic," Kopecky said. "It is true that my chances are greater in the other events, I have more references there."
Kopecky said that while she believes she has done everything she can to be in top form ahead of the Olympics, the time trial is an event where she would like to make more improvements.
"I've only been working on it for a year. My position has improved a lot, the material and the clothing are good. I have done the maximum for these Games, but there is still room for improvement," Kopecky said.
"I think I'm ready, and my form is good. If I get a medal on Saturday, that would be great. If that doesn't work out, I know that there will be days with slightly higher chances."
The women will compete in a 32.4km time trial that starts upstream from the Eiffel Tower at Invalides. The start ramp is on the Esplanade, and the finish is on the Pont Alexandre III. The route has twists and turns and is somewhat technical, but it is generally flat with a 5km finishing straightaway
"It's not super technical, but the road surface is not in good condition everywhere. You have to watch out for potholes," Kopecky said of the course. "It's a long time trial, and my strength comes when fatigue sets in, although that's also a mental game. I hope to wake up on Saturday with really good legs."
(Image credit: SWPix)
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