SD Worx-Protime team leader and world champion Lotte Kopecky couldn’t have been clearer coming into the Giro d’Italia Women that stage wins, not the general classification were the aim for the world champion but now, after stage 5, she is sitting just three seconds back from the coveted maglia rosa.
Kopecky has Italian favourite Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) just ahead of her and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-SUEZ) hovering 35 seconds behind, while last year's runner-up Juliette Labous (dsm-firmenich-Post NL) is 46 seconds in back from the Belgian.
All those rivals have over time been perhaps more noted for their climbing than Kopecky, as her strength lies in the fast finishes and lumpy courses, however after coming sixth on the Tourmalet finish of the Tour de France Femmes last year and winning atop Jebel Hafeet at the UAE Tour Women at the start of this season, she's a rider that's hard to rule out despite the brutal ascents ahead.
“I am here to prepare for the Olympics. This stage win is a boost. I am now three seconds off leader Elisa Longo-Borghini, which is a nice position," said Kopecky, who is also wearing the red sprinters' jersey in a quote shared on social media by SD Worx-Protime.
"I am realistic that the next three days will be very tough. I don’t feel any pressure towards the general classification. I am trying to recover as well as I can."
The rider from SD Worx-Protime who did go into the race with an eye to the tough mountain stages is Niamh Fisher-Black, who is now sitting seventh overall though just 1:07 back from overall leader Longo Borghini.
The stages ahead could contribute significant losses and gains from the lumpy stage to Chieti on Friday, the queen stage finishing atop Blockhaus on stage 7 and even on the final day of racing in the Apennines, the terrain still provides a chance to alter the GC.
"Tomorrow will already be a hard day, and Saturday for sure with the Blockhaus climb. I’ve never ridden it before, but if you look at the profile, you can see it’s a tricky climb."
Stage 7 on Saturday delivers 3,600m of vertical elevation gain, venturing onto the Blockhaus slopes twice, the first time up to the Lanciano Pass, which is 12.4km at 8.3% with a maximum gradient of 13% and the second finishing climb adds another 5.3 kilometres at 7% for a total climb of 17.7 km
"I’ll see how far I get. I have nothing to lose,” Kopecky concluded.
