The start of 2025 had a very specific goal for Lotte Kopecky : the Tour de France Femmes. After finishing second in 2023, while supporting her teammate Demi Vollering's victory, she should have been the overall leader this year.

The World Champion seemed ready for this challenge, especially after the team changes that had made her a clear candidate for the yellow jersey. However, these plans began to fall apart when Kopecky suffered severe back pain during the recent Giro d'Italia, which forced her to withdraw.

"I just hope the pain goes away as quickly as it came. We tried to treat it as best we could; that's all we could do," Kopecky said. "Right now, the situation is pretty good, but training and racing are two different things. We'll have to see how he responds in competition."

SD Worx-Protime, which in previous editions of the Tour Femmes had always placed at least one rider in the top two overall, was forced to revise its goals. "You have to be honest with yourself and your teammates. I don't want them to sacrifice themselves for me every day and then have to say, 'Sorry, but my back hurts,' after six stages. I don't want to disappoint them," the Belgian explained.

The team, which was supposed to be completely dedicated to the overall, is now keeping that objective in the background, with the possibility that Anna van der Breggen might also have her say in the standings. "This year, we'll have to take it day by day. Right now, I'm trying to put the general classification out of my mind... We have a very strong team that can win a lot of stages," added Kopecky.

The first two stages, with their uneven terrain, could be perfect for the World Champion. Then attention could shift to Lorena Wiebes, who has already shown excellent form at the Giro, winning two stages and the points jersey, as well as surprising on the climbs.

For Wiebes, this could be the right year to aim for his first green jersey at the Tour, especially considering the team's scaled-back classification goals: "We'll see day by day. If you do really well in the two sprinters' stages, you already get a lot of points, so it would be foolish not to try."