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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