SD Worx’s Lotte Kopecky: Women’s cycling needs minimum salary, otherwise it ‘will not grow’

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) has backed UCI-imposed minimum salaries to help women’s cycling grow.

The 27-year-old has been part of the sport’s development in recent years, and speaking ahead of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Spring Classic, she said established salaries were vital.

“I think we’re just moving at the right speed,” she said of the sport. “Every year there are little adjustments. The evolution we saw in the last years is very nice, we also see very nice races and a lot of spectacle.”

Kopecky won the Tour of Flanders last year, and this year the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad has been added to the Women’s WorldTour schedule. Race organisers Flanders Classic will run the race after the men’s, boasting equal prize money.

Kopecky said: “It’s a very nice race that suits the WorldTour. I think it’s a good thing but if it is WorldTour or not, it’s still a very nice race.”

Discussing pay equality at the competition, she said: “It’s not the most important thing, but … although we do less kilometres, I think we still have to work for it as hard as the men. I think it’s a very nice thing that this prize money is the same.”

SD Worx have added sprinter Lorena Wiebes and she has already secured victory in a UAE Tour stage, but Kopecky hopes that is just the start.

“I saw everybody at the last camp, and we can be confident that it’s not too bad for us that it’s our first race. We had a lot of race simulations in the training camp. So I think that will not be a problem,” she said.

“I think I feel pretty good at the moment. We have a super strong team at the start. So we have a lot of options that we can play tomorrow. I hope I can have the good feeling in my legs and that with the team, we can win the race.”

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