Interview Kasia Niewiadoma: "At the Col du Glandon, I really thought it was over"
Jens Claussen
· 17.09.2024
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift took place for the third time in its current form. It started in Rotterdam and finished in Alpe d'Huez. On seven driving days and eight stages, a total of 949.7 kilometres covered. TOUR spoke to this year's winner.
About Katarzyna "Kasia" Niewiadoma
- Born29.9.1994 in Limanowa
- Size: 1,65 m
- Weight: 49 kg
- Place of residenceAndorra
- Marital status: in a relationship with Taylor Phinney (2012 World Championship individual time trial runner-up)
Teams
- 2013 - 2016 Rabobank-Liv
- 2017 WM3
- since 2018 Canyon-SRAM
Important successes
- 2015 European U23 road race champion, World Championship bronze medallist in the team time trial
- 2016 European Championship road race runner-up, Polish road and EZF champion, Giro del Trentino, Festival Elsy Jacobs
- 2017 Women's Tour
- 2018 Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Tour de l'Ardeche
- 2019 Amstel Gold Race
- 2020 European Championship runner-up road, runner-up Giro d'Italia
- 2021 World Championship third road
- 2022 Third Tour de France, third Women's Tour
- 2023 Third Tour de France, Gravel World Champion
- 2024 Fleche Wallonne winner, Tour de France Femmes winner
TOUR: Did you travel to the Grand Depart in Rotterdam with the feeling that you could beat the big favourite Demi Vollering this time?
Kasia Niewiadoma: As a rule, I always start races rather calmly and have a certain conviction that things will turn out well. At the start in Rotterdam, the top priority for all of us was simply to get me safely through the first hectic stages. I knew that even if I came out of the time trial a little behind Demi, my time would come in the tough, mountainous terrain. I just had that feeling of calm inside me, which made me strong.
TOUR: Is the victory - after two third places in previous years - also a kind of satisfaction?
Kasia Niewiadoma: The victory is not necessarily a satisfaction for the third places of the last two years, but rather for what I have achieved over the last few years and throughout my entire career. And not just for myself, but also for all the sacrifices and efforts that my husband, coach and family have made on my behalf.
TOUR: Was there a key moment for you on this year's tour?
Kasia Niewiadoma: It's hard to say, because there were some precarious moments on this last day of the tour. For example, when Demi left me standing on the Col du Glandon. I really thought it was over then. But probably the real key moment was the climb up to Alpe d'Huez. I felt that the yellow jersey was in danger of slipping out of my hands in those last few kilometres. But I refused to accept that. There was no other option for me in those moments, I couldn't slow down! In the team car they were literally shouting at me up the last two kilometres, every second was pure suffering.
TOUR: You seem to get on well with Demi Vollering. Was that still the case after the fifth stage? When Vollering crashed, the group with you at the front didn't wait and attacked the yellow jersey.
Kasia Niewiadoma: I definitely wouldn't describe this situation as an attack on the yellow jersey. Crashes are part of the race and we really wanted to go for the stage win in the constellation that arose. I was very disappointed when Kata Blanka Vas overtook me in the sprint and I only finished second. Only afterwards did we find out that I was in the yellow jersey.
TOUR: Demi Vollering seems quite emotional in some racing situations, whereas you always act calmly and deliberately on the bike. Did this possible difference in mentality tip the scales at the Tour?
Kasia Niewiadoma: I don't really want to go into that in detail. You shouldn't just focus on Demi and me, that's been far too much in the foreground of the Tour for my liking. We've seen so many more incredible performances from other riders during this Tour who deserve to be in the spotlight just as much. We are a group of close friends at Canyon//SRAM and I want to achieve even more with them.
TOUR: You haven't won a race for four years. By winning the Fleche Wallonne this spring, you were able to end this streak. How important was this success in your preparation for the Tour?
Kasia Niewiadoma: Of course, winning the Fleche gave me a lot of motivation. But I would rate the process that we have gone through as a whole team since the start of the season as even more important. It started well in Australia and then the team had an extremely good spring with further good results over the course of the season. We were able to build up a lot of confidence during these months and knew that we just had to be patient from stage to stage at the Tour.
TOUR: You are the first Polish woman to win the Tour de France Femmes, although your country has already produced a number of successful professional riders. Can you name a young female rider in Poland who could perhaps follow in your footsteps one day?
Kasia Niewiadoma: There are some young female riders in Poland with a lot of potential. There are also athletes from the U17 category who have already shown their skills, especially on the track. But if I had to name one, it would be Dominika Wlodarczyk. She was already very successful as a junior and in the U23 category and was rewarded this year with a World Tour contract with UAE Team ADQ.
TOUR: You've been under contract with Team Canyon//SRAM since 2018 and are still tied to them until 2026. What does this team have that others might not have?
Kasia Niewiadoma: When I joined this team, it was like a kind of voyage of discovery for me. And this journey remains exciting to this day. Every time I could have changed teams, I thought: why? We have built up so much together here and, despite all these years, I still feel that I can develop as a rider and as a person in this great environment. I wouldn't describe Canyon//SRAM as a professional cycling team, but rather as a group of close friends with whom I want to achieve even more.
Tour de France Femmes 2025
Next year, the women's Tour de France will start in Brittany, Some details about the route are already known.
