Lotte Kopecky can look back on a more than successful comeback to competition. The Belgian claimed the national omnium title on Saturday—two months after her spinal fracture. Afterwards, there was relief and joy, but Kopecky still has some doubts.
We already knew that Kopecky would soon line up for the Six Days of Ghent. But the Belgian made her return to the cycling peloton this weekend on the second day of the Belgian Track Cycling Championships in Ghent. And with success, as Kopecky convincingly took the Belgian omnium title.
The 29-year-old star proved too strong for her rivals. "It went fairly smoothly, but that doesn't change the fact that I started with question marks," Kopecky told Sporza afterwards. "Since September I hadn’t raced at all, especially not on the track. Naturally, I had doubts, but it went better than I thought."
After her crash in the Tour Cycliste Féminin de l’Ardèche, Kopecky quickly decided to focus on the new cycling season. "I wanted to give my body time to recover. I chose not to push myself for the Track Cycling World Championships because that was quite unrealistic. I think it was the best decision to give myself rest and immediately think about next season."
Words of caution
How does Kopecky feel now, two months after her serious crash and subsequent rehabilitation? "The recovery is going well, but the injury still remains a question mark. Definitely. A vertebral protrusion was fractured, and the muscles around it also took a heavy hit."
"So far it's going well, but I hope it won’t cause problems later when the load increases and I ride more races," Kopecky keeps a cautious mind. However, the SD Worx-Protime rider is mainly looking forward to the new road season. "It's still a ways off, but I'm already looking forward to it. I hope to be back in the spring. I am really excited about what’s coming—that’s the most important thing."
