At the press conferences preceding the Tour de France Femmes, Lotte Kopecky, one of the strongest riders in the peloton, also spoke. Lotte is the woman who changed the face of women's cycling in her country, Belgium. A two-time world champion, winner of the biggest classics and symbol of a movement that has grown extraordinarily in recent years, the thirty-year-old from Antwerp arrives at the Tour de France Femmes with a husband who carries an important surname: since May, she has officially entered the most famous family in world cycling, following her marriage to Axel Merckx, son of the legendary Eddy.

A story that unites two generations of champions and two completely different eras of Belgian cycling. On one side the "Cannibal," the man who rewrote the history of this sport; on the other, the woman who helped revolutionize women's cycling in her country. Kopecky perfectly understands how much the landscape has changed since she started pedaling.

«In recent years we have witnessed enormous and very positive development. Our sport has become extremely professional and the level of the peloton has grown tremendously. All of this makes races much more spectacular».

An evolution that, according to the Belgian champion, would not have been possible without growing media attention. «The fact that in the last five years many races have been broadcast on television has allowed girls to dream of a career in cycling. If a young girl doesn't see women's cycling, she's unlikely to become passionate about it. The media played a fundamental role and continue to do so».

Kopecky is perfectly aware that she has been one of the protagonists of this transformation. «It's always difficult to talk about yourself, but I believe that my two seasons as world champion gave a message of hope and motivation to young female cyclists». A huge change from when she was a child. «My brother rode a bike and I thought: why can't I do it too? Twenty years ago, cycling was considered more as a sport for boys. Today, instead, if a girl says she wants to race on a bike, it's completely normal. When I started, there was no future like the one we see today for women in this sport. Now there is».

Her role models also tell how different women's cycling was. «As a child I had practically no female idols. I really liked Fabian Cancellara. The only female cyclist we really knew was Marianne Vos, who is still in the peloton today». Today, instead, it is the girl from Antwerp who represents a point of reference for an entire generation of Belgian girls.

On the eve of the Tour de France Femmes, Kopecky has very clear ideas about her team's objectives. «We will aim for the general classification with Anna van der Breggen. As for me, a stage victory would be a beautiful bonus. For the sprint finishes we have Lorena Wiebes. It's a Tour that offers many opportunities, but the team's direction is well defined».

Then there will be the season's major appointment. «The World Championships in Montréal will be extremely difficult but also beautiful. Last year in Kigali we saw a truly particular race and something similar could happen this year too. My goal is to arrive in Canada in the best possible condition».

Being among the best in the world inevitably brings different pressure. «Sometimes it's really complicated. Everyone always expects me to be at the front, even when perhaps my condition isn't perfect. But it's normal: when you have this role, others are constantly watching you». Since May, Kopecky has become the daughter-in-law of Eddy Merckx, the greatest champion in cycling history. A connection that might suggest tables laden with stories about bikes, races, and strategies. Reality, however, is different. «We really talk about everything. It's true, cycling comes up fairly often, especially when Eddy tells some funny anecdote. But I don't like talking about races all day either and I think it's the same for them. Eddy follows women's cycling with great interest, perhaps even more now, but rest assured: we don't talk about races from morning to night».

It is the portrait of a champion who has managed to build her own legend without living in anyone's shadow. Before entering the Merckx family, Lotte Kopecky had already written fundamental pages in the history of Belgian cycling. Two world jerseys, victories in the classics, and her role as an ambassador for the women's movement made her a national symbol.

Today she has united her surname with one of the heaviest in cycling history but only in her private life, while on the roads she continues to be simply Lotte Kopecky: the champion who has forever changed the way Belgium looks at women's cycling.