Belgium stands behind Lotte Kopecky as contender for third World Championship title in Montréal

Former two-time World Champion Lotte Kopecky will return to the UCI Road World Championships after skipping Rwanda in 2025 due to mental and physical fatigue.

She leads a strong Belgian contingent of six riders for the elite RR on Saturday, September 26, with Shari Bossuyt, Lotte Claes, Justine Ghekiere, Julie van de Velde, and Margot Vanpachtenbeke also selected by national coach Ludwig Willems.

"She is returning to the level of 2 or 3 years ago," Willems said according to Sporza. "She is ready to make a bid for a strong performance."

Despite her struggles in recent seasons with knee and back injuries and fatigue, Kopecky remains one of the top one-day racers in the world, and won't be underestimated by her rivals. But with all the climbing on the 180km route, even her team aren't calling her the top contender.

"Demi Vollering is the absolute top favorite, but Lotte Kopecky can certainly be placed just below her," said Willems on Monday, as reported by HLN.

Kopecky was recently forced to pull out of the Tour of Britain Women, but that was due to illness and not a longer-term problem. She got back to racing at the Molenbeek-Wersbeek national race on Sunday, where she finished 36th. Her top result from 2026 remains the victory at Milan-San Remo back in March.

It will be intriguing to see what role Kopecky plays at Worlds, against riders who on paper are better suited to the 2,502m of elevation gain and eight laps of the 13.4km punchy Mount Royal circuit.

The Belgian media were sure to emphasise that Kopecky's new father-in-law Eddy Merckx won his third world title the last time Worlds were held in Montréal in 1974. Kopecky has a chance to repeat that exact feat.

"We also know that Lotte can react very coolly. Deep down, she certainly dreams of it, but everything has to fall into place just fine," Willems said.

For the elite time trials on Sunday, September 20, Belgium will have Kopecky and Claes competing in the women's race, and Evenepoel, Segaert, and Rune Herregodts all taking on the men's event.

Belgium for the UCI Road World Championships Elite Women

• Road Race
  • Lotte Kopecky 
  • Shari Bossuyt 
  • Justine Ghekiere 
  • Lotte Claes 
  • Julie Van de Velde 
  • Margot Vanpachtenbeke
• Time trial
  • Lotte Claes 
  • Lotte Kopecky

U23 Women

• Road Race
  • Lore De Schepper
  • Febe Jooris
  • Tess Moerman
  • Fleur Moors
  • Emma Siegers
• Time trial
  • Febe Jooris
  • Luca Vierstraete

Junior Women

• Road Race
  • Yana Decruyenaere
  • Laura Fivé
  • Manon Mahy
• Time Trial
  • Laura Fivé

For unbeatable coverage across road, gravel and tech, subscribe to Cyclingnews. You'll get comprehensive race coverage of La Vuelta a España, subscriber-exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.