De Keitely, coach of the national team after the World Cup: I’d rather make small mistakes with Kobeki here than in the games | Cycling World Championship

“5 medals, really a great medal tally,” National Coach Kenny D. Keatley looks back with relief at the Cycling World Championships. “Especially the two gold medals put us in a high rank compared to other countries.”

De Ketele saw “many beautiful things”, with Lotte Kopecky in particular in the spotlight. “It doesn’t really surprise me anymore,” he said. “She has once again shown what she has to offer this week.”

“At the Omnium, she was in a pretty lost position: sixth place, 18 points off the podium. Everyone in her wheel knew she was going and yet she was bumping them all. It’s incredible when you can do that.”

The national coach does not have to think long about an explanation. “I think it’s been going on since 2017, when I became world champion for the first time with Julien Dehor in Madison.”

“Since then, Lott has become a terrific example of an athlete. She leaves nothing to chance, she trains hard, and pays attention to every detail…she’s often not rewarded for her hard work yet never gives up her message to other athletes.”

Is Kopecky also an example for men? “She loves nothing more than to train with our boys. It boosts her level,” says De Ketely. “It’s a class above the rest with just a few ladies.”

“She has also raced juniors with boys in her preparation and has come second or third. That means her standard is so high that sometimes she belongs among the boys in training.”

Did Kopecky miss out on her third world title mainly in the Omnium’s rhythm race? “I dropped one point in the final, which could have saved seven places. That’s 14 points in the global.”

“These are small details that can make a big difference. But I’d rather make these mistakes here than at the Olympics.”

Will there still be a third world title on the way? “That’s a completely different story. We’ve already seen in all competitions how heavy the track is. With her form, it’s only in her favor. She’s a tumbler on the bike. I see her going very far. She has all the qualities for a very high score.”

Tuur Dens and Fabio Van den Bossche completed the Kopecky harvest with two bronze medals. De Ketele cannot say which medal shines the brightest. “It’s hard to choose between athletes, but given the history, Fabio was very special.”

“I’ve never seen him drive so fast in the Ominium, but because of a crash and a little mistake in disqualification, you could miss out on a medal. If you get a second chance in the points race and grab it, that’s really a great class.”

Robbe Ghys and Lindsay De Vylder fell just short of the podium at Madison. “I think we were beaten by our value in the last race,” the national coach admits. “We left little things here and there along the way. We’re going to do a big analysis of that, so it’s even better next time.”

Together they are under 40, so with Helen Hester and Catherine de Klerk, a future in Madison also seems assured for the women. Chari Bossuyt’s doping problems gave them the chance to participate in the World Cup.

“I’m so grateful they wanted to do this,” said De Ketely. “First of all, we managed to get a number of points, so we kept our rating. That still guarantees our chance to make a team in Madison in Paris.”

“That keeps Plan A open, should Shari be available again. But if Lott wants to keep looking forward to road racing and the aluminum and if she doesn’t want to ride Madison, it’s Plan B. Maybe in a few years we’ll have the new Kopecky in our ranks.”

“Helen will be riding the Junior World Championships in three weeks. This is unbelievable. This is a build-up for her that she can follow almost at the highest level. She can draw confidence from it.”