Emotional Kopecky after dramatic opening weekend: "I didn’t get much sleep last night"

Before the Tour, SD Worx-Protime had already significantly lowered expectations. Kopecky had recovered from her problems in the Giro, but this meant she had not had ideal preparation. Sports director Danny Stam mentioned two good, punchy opportunities in the opening weekend in Brittany. After that, they would assess the situation. “Maybe there are still opportunities to ride for the GC, and then we will go for it.”

With that in mind, Kopecky's Dutch team also rode all out for the Belgian in the first stage, but by the time Blanka Vas and Anna van der Breggen had done their work, Kopecky was unloaded. She lost more than a minute and entered the bus without saying a word. "It's better that she doesn't do any interviews or look on social media right now," said Van der Breggen about that Sunday morning.

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On Sunday, Kopecky lost ground early in the final, although she did come back and gave it her all for Lorena Wiebes (who finished second) and Van der Breggen. The latter said, "The pressure is off her now. This Tour will be different from what she had imagined, but if she can bounce back, she can still do very well in these kinds of stages. I hope we can help her with that and cheer her up. Hopefully, things will suddenly turn around."

Kopecky drew the same conclusion after the second stage, when she took some time to speak with Belgian media. "The feeling isn't great, and that's quite frustrating. I'm not someone who looks for excuses. It's just not working out. I've been away from home for a long time and have done everything I can to succeed here, but it's turned out completely differently. It's certainly not a nice feeling. I didn't get much sleep last night. It is what it is. We have to accept it."

The fact that she showed character and rode hard for Wiebes in stage 2 said a lot about her. "I really struggled on that last climb, but the team shouted that they still needed me, so I pushed with all my strength to get back, for one last effort. Unfortunately, we just fell short. (...) Let's hope we can take the victory with the team tomorrow. Our Tour isn't lost yet. We can still make it a great week. Giving up? No way."