Lotte Kopecky spotted on recon of Paris Olympics road race route

Road world champion Lotte Kopecky was in Paris, France at the weekend, riding on streets that will be used for the road race at the Olympics next summer. 

The 27-year-old donned full race kit, wearing her rainbow bands, in what looked to be a recon of the route. 

Accompanying Kopecky was her SD Worx teammate Christine Majerus, who shared a picture of the Belgian on her Instagram with the caption “A good day for the memories”.

In the image, Kopecky is shown cycling on Rue Norvins in Montmartre, one of the cobbled streets that will be used in the finishing circuit at the Olympics. 

The world champion has spoken openly about her ambitions for the Games, and recently told Sporza that her main target is the Omnium. “Of course it is in my mind to win the Games, but I know how difficult it is to win even a normal race,” she said. 

“I dream of a medal. I really hope my training goes as well as possible [because] if it goes perfectly, you will normally be in your best shape at the Games."

At the Tokyo Olympics, Kopecky combined road and track, finishing fourth in the road race, before lining up in the Madison and the Omnium in the velodrome. 

She swapped disciplines again at this year’s UCI World Championships in Glasgow, and took home three rainbow jerseys, winning the points race, the elimination race and finally the elite women’s road race. 

The cycling events at next year’s Games in Paris will run from 27 July to 11 August, with the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift beginning the following day. 

Kopecky’s priorities, she made clear to Sporza, lie with the Olympics. “Not doing the Olympics Omnium will not be an option,” she said. “We will soon find out with the team and the federation and we will have to find a compromise.”

The women’s road race will take place on 4 August, with the track events beginning the following day in the suburb of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. 

It is uncertain whether Kopecky will compete in the Madison at the Games, after her partner, Shari Bossuyt, tested positive for the banned substance Letrozole in June this year. The 23-year-old is currently suspended from racing. 

The road races will begin and end at Trocadéro, near the Eiffel Tower, with the men riding 273km, and the women 158km. 

For Majerus, the event will mark her last as a professional cyclist, as she plans to retire from her 17-year career.