Belgian road and track cyclist Lotte Kopecky, 27, will be racing the Nokere Koerse on Wednesday despite her brother’s death just a few days ago.
Her team, SD Worx, confirmed the news that Kopecky’s brother, Seppe, recently and unexpectedly passed away March 11 at the age of 29.
Racing to honor her brother, who inspired her to start riding
Seppe also raced on the road for 7 years, and he was an inspiration for Lotte to get on the bike herself. Seppe had a reputation as an excellent sprinter, and found himself on the podium often as a junior.
More From Bicycling
Kopecky was not originally scheduled to race Nokere Koerse, but it’s easy to speculate why she wanted to be on the bike.
Her team asked on social media that everyone “respect her privacy in these days following the death of her brother. And to leave her alone as much as possible around the race in Nokere as well.”
VeloNewsr eported that Lorena Wiebes is due to lead the team at Nokere Koerse, as the defending champion, and it’s not clear who Kopecky will replace on the roster
What is the Nokere Koerse and how can I watch it?
The Nokere Koerse one-day race is a 129.1K semi-classic that starts in Deinze and ends in Nokere and includes 15 k.m. of cobbles.
There are nine major climbs, including the 7.6% climb of the Petegemberg. It’s a race that notoriously has a lot of crashes and mechanicals. It's a race that requires incredible skill and maybe a little luck.
It will be an exciting race to follow, and Kopecky will certainly add a special energy to the field, being the force she is both on the track and the road.
She finished fourth in the individual road race at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She won the Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders in 2022.
This year she’s already won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and came in 2nd at Strade Bianche. This year she’s already won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and came in 2nd at Strade Bianche.
You can watch Nokere Koerse tomorrow in GCN+. We will be cheering for Lotte.
