Czech Champion reinforces German squad
At 22, Julia Kopecký already has a strong palmarès and a promising career ahead. A breakout win at the Belgian one-day race Leiedal Koerse while still a teenager announced her, and the next year Kopecký followed up in front of a home crowd with two stage wins and the overall victory at the Tour de Feminin.
Despite growing up in the Netherlands, Kopecký opted to represent Czechia – the homeland of her father – and has been crowned Czech Champion four times as an elite. She is the current champion in both the time trial and road race.
I've always liked the way Lidl-Trek races – with an aggressive, attacking style. I'm looking forward to becoming part of that, contributing to the team, and achieving the best possible results.
Kopecký is a reliable all-rounder, translating potential into performance and setting her sights on big results for Lidl-Trek in the classics and against the clock.
“I’m excited to race for Lidl-Trek next year – it’s a big new chapter in my career,” said Julia Kopecký.
“I’m looking forward to racing well, of course. But beyond that, I’ve always liked the way Lidl-Trek races – with an aggressive, attacking style. I’m looking forward to becoming part of that, contributing to the team, and achieving the best possible results.
“I’m familiar with some of the younger riders – I raced with them as a junior and in the U23s. It’s always nice to have familiar faces in the team, and hopefully share some good times on and off the bike. I’m also excited to be around the more experienced riders and staff; there’s a lot I can learn from them and take into my own development.
“One area I hope to improve during my time with the team is my time trialling. There’s so much technical knowledge and experience here, and I want to make the most of it to become a stronger TT rider. At the same time, as a classics rider, I’m motivated to keep progressing in the big one-day races, get into the finals, and play my part there for the team and myself.”
“Julia represents an important part of our philosophy: identifying young riders with significant potential and giving them the environment to continue developing,” said Fränk Schleck, Lidl-Trek Women’s Team Manager. “What we particularly like about Julia is that she is a true all-rounder. She can contribute in many different types of races and different situations, which gives us a lot of flexibility as a team.
“She has also shown that she can be very reliable throughout the entire season. That consistency is extremely valuable. It’s not only about being good on one particular day or during one period of the year; Julia has the ability to perform, contribute to the team and take responsibility across a long season.
“She already has the physical qualities and racing instinct to be competitive at a high level, and we believe there is still a lot more to come. We want to give Julia opportunities while continuing to develop her step by step. For us, she is not simply a rider for the future – she is someone who can already bring real value to the team from the beginning and continue growing into an even more important role.”
