Dutch team SD Worx-Protime faced challenges at the start of Tour de France Femmes, with Lotte Kopecky finishing over a minute behind the leader. Despite downplaying her general classification chances, Kopecky's poor performance came as a surprise to her team manager, Danny Stam, who noted a lack of communication regarding Kopecky's fitness. Anna van der Breggen also struggled, finishing seven seconds behind the winner. The team must now analyze the situation and consider the implications for their overall strategy in the competition.
"It's clear Lotte didn't have the legs. This wasn't what we were hoping for. Lorena and Anna were going to prepare the sprint for Lotte, but she wasn't where she should have been," Stam said.
"We didn't receive any indication that Lotte wasn't feeling good. That's why this is a surprise to us," Stam said.
"This climb doesn't lie. The GC wasn't an option for Lotte anyway. Now, that is completely off the table," the team manager admitted.
"We still have to see how [my back] will respond in the coming days," Kopecky remarked.
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