Lotte Kopecky Abandons Tour de France Ambitions After Weight Loss Struggles
Belgian cyclist Lotte Kopecky has announcedโ a shift in focus โaway fromโ contendingโ for the general classification in the โคTour de France, โคciting a โdetrimental experience wiht weight loss efforts duringโค her 2024 โcampaign.โ Kopecky, who finished secondโ overall in the 2023 Tour, experienced her weakestโ performance to date in theโค race this year, finishing โฃ45th overall with a best stage result of 11th.
The athlete’s struggles stemmed โfromโ a readinessโค strategy centeredโ around weight reduction, a method successfully employed by rival Pauline Ferrand Prรฉvot, who shed four โฃkilos prior to winning โคthe event by nearly four minutes. However, Kopecky’s attempt provedโฃ counterproductive.
“It didn’t get a fair chance,” Kopecky stated regarding โher Tour โคcampaign. “With the preparation that wasn’t good, it wasโ a hopeless case.Focusing on โฃa general โฃclassification in the Tour wasn’tโ the very โbest choice, but โขI alsoโ can’t say I regretโค it. โคOtherwise, after my career, I might โhave regretted never โขhaving tried.”
Kopecky revealed the process of working โwith a dietitian became a โขnotableโ mental burden. “Last season โขI startedโ working with a โคdietitian, and that was a โbig burden for me,” she saidโ at the Belgian track championships, according to Sporza.โ “now โthe numbers came into play and you expect very big changes. But โthey did not come.โ In preparation, it was already โmentally too โmuch.”
Whileโข acknowledging the โpossibility of future โTour de France participation, Kopecky โคemphasized a change in approach. “I’mโ not saying it’s 200 percent off the table, but for now, it is indeed,” โshe told โฃHet Nieuwsblad. “Iโ would only do โit โon a course that suits me 200 percent.”
Kopecky intends to prioritize track racing and the classics,โค aimingโ for a returnโ to a healthier and more accomplishedโ racing โstyle. The experience highlights the delicate balance between performance optimization and athlete well-being in โฃprofessional cycling,notably concerningโ weight management. Ferrand Prรฉvot herself โขcautionedโ thatโค her โsuccessful weight loss was achievedโค under โexpert โmedical supervision andโค was intended โto be temporary,later experiencing a dipโ inโ form.
Kopecky’s experience underscoresโฃ the potential pitfalls โคofโข aggressive weight loss strategies, even when undertaken with the โbestโฃ intentions.