Kopecky and Wiebes⁣ Set Sights on Tour ‍de France Femmes Stage⁢ Wins as GC Ambitions Take a Backseat

As the peloton gears ⁤up for the highly anticipated ⁣Tour de France Femmes, star riders ‌Lotte Kopecky and​ lorena Wiebes of SD worx-Protime are focusing their immediate ambitions on stage victories, with overall general Classification (GC) goals taking a more ⁣measured approach.

Kopecky Prioritizes Stage Success in Early ‌Stages

Lotte Kopecky, a formidable force in ​womenS cycling, has openly stated her primary objective for the upcoming Tour de France Femmes is to secure stage ​wins. While acknowledging the team’s strength, Kopecky ‌admitted that the GC is not her immediate focus.

“For this year, we really have to see​ day by day and at this moment, I just try to get⁤ GC out of my head,” Kopecky said. “We ‌just need to​ dare to ‌say we let it ‍go and we are here​ with⁣ a really strong⁤ team who can win a lot of stages.”

When pressed on‍ whether the overall classification was entirely off her radar, Kopecky clarified,‌ “I ⁤mean we are still going to see day by day but, at this moment, I would be really happy to win a ​stage.”

The early stages of the race present ideal opportunities for kopecky to achieve her goal. The opening two stages are characterized by lumpy⁣ terrain, which Kopecky ​described as ⁤”perfect for me.” this suggests she is poised to make⁤ an early impact and​ contend for victory ⁣in the initial stages.

Wiebes Eyes Sprint Stages ⁤and Potential Green Jersey‌ Bid

Following Kopecky’s lead, Lorena Wiebes, another powerhouse ⁢rider on the SD Worx-Protime squad, is‍ also⁤ targeting stage wins, notably the⁣ flatter sprint stages. Wiebes, who has enjoyed a stellar season with two stage wins at ⁤the⁤ Giro d’Italia and⁢ a strong​ showing on the ⁣climbs, believes the‌ early sprint stages​ are within her reach, despite their challenging finishes.

“Stages three and ​four, on paper, they are the sprint ⁣stages, but I⁢ think they are still ‌quite tough finishes, because it’s not really, really flat,” ⁢Wiebes⁤ commented. ⁤Her impressive⁣ climbing form, evidenced by⁤ her performance at Milan-San⁤ Remo were she stayed with the leading riders on ⁣the​ poggio,‍ suggests​ these “difficult” finishes could play to her ⁤strengths.The question ‌of whether Wiebes might pursue the green jersey, awarded to the‍ points classification leader, has also arisen, especially with the team’s ​GC ambitions being less pronounced this year.”That’s, I think,⁤ also‍ we need to see day by day,” Wiebes responded ‌when‌ asked ‌about the⁢ green‍ jersey. “At the Giro it was not⁣ a goal,‍ but as at one point, you get closer to it and⁢ you wear it, than you think, ‘maybe​ I can keep it’ and then can get some points.”

She further elaborated on the ⁣strategic advantage ⁤of⁤ targeting ⁤early sprint‍ stages: “I mean, if you ⁢do really good in the two⁤ sprint stages then you get already a lot of points so then it will be stupid to not go⁤ for it.”

With both Kopecky and‍ Wiebes aiming for stage success, the SD Worx-Protime team appears to have a potent strategy for ⁣the Tour de France Femmes, promising exciting racing and a strong challenge for individual ​stage victories.

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