Lefevere, who owns AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step’s elite and development teams, as well as the men’s WorldTeam, recently said “women’s cycling is just not broad enough to justify” a minimum wage of €60,000.
The minimum salary for Women’s WorldTeams has increased to €32,102 for employed athletes and €52,647 for the self-employed in 2023, though both figures do not equal what men will earn for competing on the WorldTour.
Nevertheless, Kopecky believes the steady increase in the women’s wage structure will allow for greater depth in competition and reduce the need to have a second income.
“They need to be (in place) because otherwise women’s cycling will not grow,” Kopecky said. “Because then there will always be this big gap.”
Kopecky has risen through the ranks at an impressive rate since entering the elite peloton and the 27-year-old felt that women’s cycling was progressing at a respectable pace.
“I think we’re just moving at the right speed,” she said. “Every year there are little adjustments.
“The evolution we saw in the last years is very nice, we also see very nice races and a lot of spectacle.”
Justine Ghekiere’s victory at the Setmana Valenciana last weekend added a touch of irony to the exchange with Lefevere, according to Kopecky, who joked it “was a nice middle finger from them” to have his own rider notch her first pro victory.
Victory will also be on Kopecky’s mind during the Spring Classics, particularly as the SD Worx star aims to defend her 2022 Tour of Flanders title on home soil in Belgium.
Flanders Classics will also offer equal prize money for the top finishers across all six races this year, in a further bid to close the gap and improve overall conditions for the peloton.
“(It’s) a very nice gesture,” Kopecky added. “It’s not the most important thing, but… although we do less kilometres, I think we still have to work for it as hard as the men.
“I think it’s a very nice thing that this prize money is the same.”
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