About the person
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'Ardèche
- 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
Katarzyna Niewiadoma in a TOUR interview
Interview Andreas Kublik
TOUR: You witnessed the so-called sensation at the World Cycling Championships in Australia. Despite her heavy crash in the team time trial, Annemiek van Vleuten surprised everyone and won. How did you experience that - and what do you think about the broken bone?
Niewiadoma: From what I've seen: It didn't look like Annemiek had a massive break. Nevertheless, I didn't believe during the race that she would be the one to win. She is simply very experienced and clever. The way she attacked was really brilliant. We can all learn something from that.
TOUR: How do you rate Annemiek van Vleuten's renewed success?
Niewiadoma: She is my opponent. Sometimes I get frustrated that I can't beat her. But she's simply an admirable athlete - I was happy for her.
TOUR: In an initially cautious race, you launched the first attack, were in a leading group twice and were caught up shortly before the finish - in the end you came eighth. Couldn't you have done better?
Niewiadoma: I rode the race in my head a few more times afterwards and thought about what I could have done better. For example, I tried to attack in places where it was pretty predictable - on the climbs where everyone was alert. And then you saw with Annemiek how you can also win: attacking when nobody expects it. I want to do that better next year: attack when I can surprise others and not be too conspicuous.
TOUR: Shortly before the end of the race, you were at the front of a group of five - van Vleuten, Marianne Vos and defending champion Elisa Balsamo were left behind. As an observer, you asked yourself: Why didn't you work better with Liane Lippert on the way to the finish - there would have been a good chance of a medal?
Niewiadoma: It's nice to win a medal. But Liane was the fastest of us - crossing the finish line with her would have meant that she would have won the World Championships.
TOUR: But you all got caught up and were left empty-handed ...
Niewiadoma: I had initially thought about attacking at the last roundabout, similar to what Annemiek did, but it was too late for that. I had no idea that the chasing group was already coming from behind - we had zero information.
I still have that drive on the bike to get somewhere I haven't been before - and just have a great day out in the fresh air.
TOUR: You were surprised by the chasers around van Vleuten because you didn't know the gaps between the groups. Do you share Wout van Aert's criticism that the World Championship races without radio are no longer up to date?
Niewiadoma: It would have been nice if we'd had some kind of information. Without a radio, it was of course difficult to know what was going on behind us. We should definitely have been better informed by the support bikes. But basically, I don't care whether we ride with or without a radio.
TOUR: You say Lippert was the fastest in the World Championship race. In the end, she only managed fourth place. What else can the German fans expect from her?
Niewiadoma: She has always been a very good racer, a great classics specialist. It will be exciting when she rides with Annemiek at Movistar next year (Lippert is moving from Team DSM to Spain; editor's note). I think that will help her to win more races - when you have two strong riders in the team, you can play several trump cards.
TOUR: Your professional team Canyon-SRAM is also getting reinforcements from Germany - 22-year-old Ricarda Bauernfeind is moving up from the junior team to the World Tour. She won bronze twice in the U23 class at the World Championships.
Niewiadoma: She is impressive, very strong. So young, but so talented! I watched her at the World Championships and was pleasantly surprised - she knows how to fight for position, where to be and when. Definitely a star in the making!
Cycling means freedom for me
TOUR: It sounds like you would like to be a mentor for the young female racers?
Niewiadoma: I like working with young female racers - they have this crazy energy. Everything is new to them - they get really excited about things that I don't even notice after so many years. It reminds you how cool some things are.
TOUR: Who has influenced you as a role model in cycling?
Niewiadoma: Anna van der Breggen is still my role model. I was always very fond of the way she raced, the way she approached cycling - it seemed very natural, despite her popularity. She always had a sense of family, friends, things outside of cycling. And she still does so many things that she hardly says a word about, such as her commitment to a foundation for children in Africa. She is simply generous and has an incredibly big heart. And she has always remained herself.
TOUR: You are now the leader of Team Canyon-SRAM - the rider with the greatest potential in big races. How difficult do you find it to fulfil this role?
Niewiadoma: When I switched to Canyon-SRAM, I was one of the strongest riders in the team - and in a way I was afraid of it. I came from Team Rabobank, where I rode with Marianne Vos and Anna van der Breggen - I was never in charge, I had Anna or Marianne behind me. During the corona break, I had a lot of time to think about what had changed in my life. Since last year, I have felt able to fulfil this leadership role.
TOUR: The past season was characterised by the new edition of the women's Tour de France. You won the team classification with Team Canyon-SRAM and came third in the individual classification. Does the Tour experience give you legs?
Niewiadoma: Yes, I would say it pushed the whole peloton. The race was fast and hard. Everyone wanted to get a result. And the organisers did a great job, they were broadcasting with so many bikes and cameras that it made you want to watch. In fact, the whole world suddenly knew about us. It's crazy how this one race suddenly got so many more people interested in women's cycling. I got comments after every stage from friends who I always thought didn't know much about cycling. You realise: Okay, now we're visible! The next day you want to be even better. It was great motivation, for sure!
I don't like the arithmetic at the end of men's races. It's too much about numbers and not about emotions.
TOUR: As a spectator at the Tour, you've noticed that the races are a bit different for women than for men: The women's races are slightly different to the men's races. There are many reasons for this. You said in interviews during the race that women's cycling will adapt to that of the men. What did you mean by that?
Niewiadoma: At first I thought that women's cycling was adapting to men. But I realised that: We still ride the way we always have. We certainly have less structure. And it's certainly a bit more hectic for us.
TOUR: Would it be desirable for women to adapt to men?
Niewiadoma: It's nice to see women's cycling growing and developing, but not necessarily emulating the men. I don't like the calculating nature of their races towards the end - it's too much about numbers and not about emotions. Every team knows exactly the pace they have to ride at to catch up with the breakaway. But that's kind of boring.
TOUR: At the Tour de France Femmes, almost all the World Tour teams had a large team bus. Your German team Canyon-SRAM drove up with a camper van. At first glance, you might think it wasn't super equipped. Nevertheless, you have committed to Ronny Lauke's racing team for a very long time - up to and including 2024. Why is this team your sporting home?
Niewiadoma: Well, I've been there since 2018. It was never important to me whether the team had a bus or anything like that. Other things are very important to me: they understand me there, Ronny understands me. I'm talking about freedom.
TOUR: What kind of freedom do you mean?
Niewiadoma: When I'm overwhelmed by something, I want to escape, to break free. It's just that sometimes I need time to myself, so I switch off my phone, unplug from social media and just cycle and train. And I get the impression that Ronny really understands how to make me a better cyclist. He also does his best to add something to the team every year. It's just the team I belong in. I don't need anything else and I believe we can continue to improve together.
TOUR: Many fans have now seen how you race at the Tour - that you are one of the strongest in the peloton. How does a young girl from the province in the south of Poland, from the small town of Ochotnica, get into cycling?
Niewiadoma: Mainly through my father, who was very active. We were always out and about with my siblings and my cousins. When my father and brother started riding road bikes, they didn't take me with them at first because they were always afraid that I might hurt myself as the youngest.
TOUR: Is that what particularly appealed to you?
Niewiadoma: I really wanted to ride a bike - especially because I wasn't allowed to! But when I was 15 and would have been allowed to, I had other things on my mind - friends, for example.
TOUR: But your father gently forced you by buying a racing bike and taking you to a race ...
Niewiadoma: I thought: OK, let's do it then. It was a time trial that I won against the boys. A coach then wanted to take me to the next training camp. It was an opportunity for me to see something other than Ochotnica. But even back then, I could never have imagined that I would one day become a cyclist.
TOUR: You once said that you started cycling mainly because you saw the chance to meet good-looking guys. Is that true?
Niewiadoma: (laughs) Yes, definitely! When you're 15, that's what you're interested in. I'm outgoing and want to meet new people. I took every opportunity to get out and about. My partner is a cyclist - so it worked out.
TOUR: You live in Andorra with the US ex-pro Taylor Phinney. What does the bike mean to you both?
Niewiadoma: We found out together that we both remember our first time on a road bike. I remember feeling this independence and freedom from the first day on the bike - a freedom that I hoped had a deeper meaning. You feel so strong and satisfied - I remember so many positive feelings. And then I wanted to do it again: ride longer, see more new things without being controlled. When I went for rides, I could choose the roads. My parents didn't talk me into it because they were happy that I was training. The bike was simply a very motivating device for me. I still have that drive to get somewhere I haven't been, to just have a great day out.
TOUR: They say that you and your partner still go bikepacking even when you're on holiday after the season. Can't get enough of cycling?
Niewiadoma: When I really have time to take a break from training, I love going on tours with friends - without a training plan, without intervals. I usually spend so much time alone because I have to prepare myself. When I cycle with friends, it's like being a kid again. It's the little things that make us happy.
I just want to be the best. And I want to feel that satisfaction that you get after every hard training session. When you think you have no strength left for anything else.
TOUR: Is Taylor, who finished second in the individual time trial behind Tony Martin at the 2012 World Championships, also a kind of counsellor? What role does his work play for you?
Niewiadoma: It's now three years since Taylor ended his career. It wasn't always easy because he was totally against cycling at the beginning of our relationship; he was completely through with the subject. While I was right in the middle of it. He now enjoys being back on his racing bike.
TOUR: He had a complicated leg fracture and fought with a lot of pain to return to the top of the world - three years ago, at the age of 29, he gave up. How did you deal with this crisis - he at the bottom, you at the top?
Niewiadoma: I think we've always loved each other, seen the good and the bad. It didn't drive us apart, we worked on helping each other and seeing the good sides. I think he gives me a lot of important advice and he knows how it feels when you come home from races, have travelled a lot, had intense races and you're just a wreck. He then helps me to find my balance again.
TOUR: Do you also train together?
Niewiadoma: He doesn't stand a chance in the mountains! But he still has that cadence that kills me - especially on the flat. And he still wins every local sign sprint against me - he simply knows exactly when he has to start and how best to use his speed. He still has a lot to teach me. And also how to use his power cleverly in the races. Hopefully I'll be able to put it all to good use one day!
TOUR: Taylor comes from a well-known cycling family. His father Davis Phinney was once the first stage winner from the USA in the Tour de France, his mother Connie Carpenter-Phinney was the first Olympic road race champion in 1984. How does that influence you?
Niewiadoma: I love hearing her stories from the past. And when I talk to Connie before the races, it really helps me to calm down. Thanks to her experience, she can give me valuable tips.
TOUR: You enjoy cycling - but you also seem very ambitious. What drives you in cycling?
Niewiadoma: I just want to be the best - it's as simple as that! And I want to feel that satisfaction you get after every hard workout. When you think you have no strength left for anything. And of course I also like the race atmosphere, the tension at the start, the moments after the races when everyone comes together at the camper with so many different feelings: Some are happy, some are disappointed. Some want to cry or go home. It's like being on a rollercoaster - with all the ups and downs. And I get to understand so many different people that I would never have to deal with if we weren't in the same team.
TOUR: What will you take with you from this intensive season into next year?
Niewiadoma: I'm proud that I've managed to improve my skills on long climbs - for example during the Tour de France. I want to work on this even more next year so that I can win the race.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
