Tour de Frances Femmes 2023: Interview with Katarzyna Niewiadoma: "Tourmalet shows who is the strongest"

Katarzyna Niewiadoma is sitting relaxed on her sofa in the Novotel in Clermont-Ferrand when she takes the time to speak to TOUR. She seems relaxed - even though the Grand Depart of the Tour de France Femmes, the race in which she is determined to shine, is less than two days away.

The 28-year-old Polish rider finished on the podium behind Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) and Demi Vollering (SD Worx) at last year's inaugural Tour of France. The two Dutchwomen are also her biggest rivals this year, and have each taken plenty of victories this season - van Vleuten in the tours, Vollering in the classics.

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Niewiadoma has always had to queue at the back and has now been without a win for more than four years. However, top 10 results and podium finishes are a constant feature of her results lists. Recently, her form has continued to improve. In May, she finished third in the Tour of the Basque Country and fourth in the Tour de Suisse a month later. She has not raced since mid-June in favour of a long training block.

Interview with Katarzyna Niewiadoma

TOUR: They were actually always among the front runners throughout the season. But the absolute top results didn't materialise. What are you missing at the moment for the very front?

Katarzyna Niewiadoma: If you want to achieve something special in the classics season in spring, you need to head to the mountains early in the season to train. That gives you the extra per cent you need. I had to realise that without an altitude training camp you are only good enough to finish fourth or fifth. The differences are huge, we saw that especially with the girls from SD Worx. They were in altitude training twice, whereas I hadn't been at all at this point in the season. And so I have to take the back of the queue.

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TOUR: What conclusions have you drawn from this?

Katarzyna Niewiadoma: That women's cycling has become very professional, you have to think about every detail. Especially the young riders who are just starting their journey through cycling are so full of energy and train outside every day, far away from home. I have learned that I have to change my winter programme. What I did in the winter just wasn't enough. I wasn't prepared enough for the battle with SD Worx.

TOUR: What does that mean for your ambitions at the Tour de France?

Katarzyna Niewiadoma: Nothing more, I think. As the season progressed, I got better, as the results in the Basque Country and at the Tour de Suisse showed. After that I also went to an altitude training camp with my coach Nate Wilson. I'm glad that I had enough time to prepare really well for the Tour. I was able to concentrate on certain training effects, for example riding intervals, which will be particularly important on the Tourmalet. That boosted my confidence a bit more.

TOUR: You were third at the premiere of the Tour de France. Is that also a realistic result for this year?

Katarzyna Niewiadoma: Anything is possible. I'm physically ready and well prepared for the mountains. Hopefully I'm also mentally strong enough not to lose faith. We have a good team at the start. We haven't come here to watch, we're here to fight, to go on the offensive. We don't want to be afraid to attack or work a little harder because the day after might be tough.

TOUR: What do you think will be the key stage: the one up to the Tourmalet or the final time trial?

Katarzyna Niewiadoma: I think every day will be decisive. When I first looked at the profiles, I also thought it was the Tourmalet or the time trial. But after we looked at the stages, I realised that it's almost always up and down, left and right. If you're not focussed, you can lose a lot of time everywhere. But it's also clear that if you're really strong on the Tourmalet and you're maybe five minutes ahead of your rivals there, that can also be the decisive attack to win the Tour. When it comes to second, third, fourth or fifth place, the second stage can also play a big role.

Katarzyna Niewiadoma had already spoken to TOUR at length during the winter and talked about many private topics, among other things.

TOUR: Winning a stage or finishing high up in the overall standings: what would be more important to you?

Katarzyna Niewiadoma: That has a similar meaning for me. I've been chasing a stage win for so long now. But once you've celebrated a victory, you also play a good role in the overall classification - and then it becomes important. I took a particularly good look at the second stage. I hope that I can show my strength there and compete for victory. But I have to be clever about it. Of course, the stage to the Tourmalet is also interesting. Because that is a climb that shows who is the strongest.

TOUR: You have already mentioned the dominance of SD Worx yourself. Have you and your team already developed a tactic to counter this?

Katarzyna Niewiadoma: Our plan is to isolate them. It's similar to what we did on the last stage of the Tour de Suisse. I was in a breakaway and then they had to follow. We have to get them to work harder. It didn't quite work out on the stage, they still won in the end (noble helper Niamh Fisher-Black won at the same time ahead of Niewiadoma and the other two SD-Worx riders Marlen Reusser and Vollering, who both finished solo with significant gaps, ed.) because they benefited from our work. But we proved that it is possible to put them in difficult situations, even though they have super-strong riders. But it's quite a long race. Everyone can have a bad day. Our aim will be to stay calm and then surprise the others.

TOUR: Annemiek van Vleuten, one of the top favourites, is already 40 years old. However, there are also many very young riders who are pushing towards the top. Gaia Realini, Shirin van Anrooij (both Lidl-Trek) and Juliette Labous (DSM-firmenich) are just a few examples.

Katarzyna Niewiadoma: I don't focus on age, I treat the girls the same, regardless of whether they are 19 or 38 years old. The older ones are more experienced, have more race kilometres under their belts, know exactly how to train, how to prepare, how to recover properly, who can best help you on your way. But it's also nice to see the many young girls who have taken our path and are entering the field with a bang. I like that, they have a lot of energy, more hope because maybe they haven't allowed so many falls yet. They are more positive and have a different approach, which is very motivating. But the fact is: as long as you work well, you can achieve good results at any age.

TOUR: You're 28 years old now, but you've also been a pro for ten years. Can you imagine another ten years to reach the same heights as van Vleuten?

Katarzyna Niewiadoma: No, definitely not. I love sport, I love cycling, but it's not everything in my life. I'm enjoying the time now and I'm very grateful for the journey I'm on. But it has to end at some point. If you want to be really good, you have to make so many sacrifices. I'm happy to do that at the moment, but it's getting more and more every year. If I realise that I won't play a part in the final at some point, then of course it could end quickly. Hopefully it won't be in the next two or three years, but it definitely won't be ten years either.