Lotte Kopecky is the latest pro rider to put the spotlight on the risky topic of weight loss, revealing that she tried to shed kilos to boost her Tour de France Femmes chances but that the effort backfired.
The former world champion’s statement was made during a video interview with Het Nieuwsblad. It comes in the same week as the American rider Veronica Ewers ended her pro career following an 11 year battle with eating disorders anorexia and bulimia.
The EF Education-Oatly rider’s long-running problems with RED-s-Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport-saw her hormone levels skew,her mental health deteriorate,her bones suffer and her performances crater.
In an emotional post on Substack Ewers revealed she has not had her period since 2014. She said that she and team doctors had together decided her best chance of a full recovery necessitated stepping away from pro competition.
Kopecky, fortunately, didn’t experiance the same repercussions, but her Nieuwsblad interview also emphasized the cost and unforeseen consequences of her own drive to reduce weight.
“At some point, I had an enormous calorie deficit. The strange thing was that my weight didn’t go
## Lotte Kopecky Abandons GC Ambitions After Disastrous Tour de France Campaign
Lotte Kopecky experienced a deeply disappointing 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and has announced a shift in focus away from general classification (GC) contention, citing a detrimental weight loss attempt and the resulting mental strain.Her experience stands in stark contrast to that of Pauline Ferrand Prévot, who successfully shed weight under medical supervision and went on to win the race by nearly four minutes.
Kopecky’s attempt to reach a lower weight for the Tour proved unsuccessful and ultimately hampered her performance. She admitted her campaign “didn’t get a fair chance,” attributing the failure to inadequate preparation. While acknowledging a degree of regret,Kopecky stated she doesn’t entirely dismiss the possibility of future GC attempts,but only on courses that perfectly suit her strengths.
“With the preparation that wasn’t good,it was a hopeless case. Focusing on a general classification in the Tour wasn’t the very best choice, but I also can’t say I regret it. Otherwise, after my career, I might have regretted never having tried,” she explained to reporters.
The experience took a meaningful mental toll. Kopecky began working with a dietitian last season, but found the emphasis on numbers and drastic changes overwhelming. “Last season I started working with a dietitian, and that was a big burden for me,” she said at the Belgian track championships, as reported by Sporza. “Now the numbers came into play and you expect very big changes. But they did not come. In preparation,it was already mentally too much.”
Kopecky is now prioritizing her well-being and a return to successful racing. She will refocus her efforts on track cycling and the Classics, abandoning the pursuit of Tour de France victory – at least for the foreseeable future. “I’m not saying it’s 200 percent off the table, but for now, it is,” she told Het Nieuwsblad. “I would only do it on a course that suits me 200 percent.”
Her change in approach comes after Ferrand Prévot’s win, which she achieved after losing four kilos, but cautioned that her physical changes were made under expert medical supervision and were intended to be temporary. Despite these precautions, Ferrand Prévot experienced a dip in form later in the season.
Kopecky’s experience highlights the dangers of extreme weight loss in cycling and the importance of a holistic approach to performance. It also underscores the potential risks associated with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), a condition that can severely impact an athlete’s health and career. Learn more about REDs here.