Lotte Kopecky is the general classification rider to watch in 2025

The newly-crowned European TT champion could win the Tour de France Femmes next year, if given the chance

Lotte Kopecky on the podium of the European Championships
Lotte Kopecky on the podium of the European Championships
(Image credit: Getty Images)

It should not be be a surprise when Lotte Kopecky wins a bike race. The 28-year-old has won 47 of them across her career, including seven individual time trials before Wednesday. However, to win so dominantly at an elite TT, as she did this week at the European Championships, hints that there are bigger things to come for the Belgian.

She was not the favourite coming into the race, with former world champion Ellen van Dijk and Riejanne Markus both on the start list, but ended up winning from Van Dijk by 43 seconds on an incredibly flat course. It was a statement win, and one that puts her into the equation for victory at the World Championships in a fortnight.

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Adam Becket
News editor

Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.

Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.