Stefan Tabeling, dpa
Amidst all the hectic hustle and bustle of Nice, Frieda the dog was a must-have. Antonia Niedermaier even shared the last few drops from her water bottle, even though she could have done with that sip herself after a gruelling Tour de France stage. Over the next few days, the nature-loving woman from Rosenheim will swap the stressful life in the Tour entourage for the peace and quiet of Austria.
Her plans for the future are simply to relax by the lake with Frieda and her partner Jakob, after the 23-year-old made an astonishing debut at the world’s most important cycling race. She returned from France having secured fourth place in the general classification and the White Jersey as the best young female rider. In German cycling, Niedermaier is regarded – much like Florian Lipowitz among the men – as a great prospect for the future.
Niedermaier as a future Tour winner?
Whether on Mont Ventoux or at the thrilling finale on the Côte d’Azur, Niedermaier was a regular fixture at the Tour ceremonies every day. “It was massive, and everything was somehow new and grand. I think it’s absolutely brilliant for her. Hopefully, at some point, the colour will change from white to yellow,” said sports director Rolf Aldag to ARD, setting the tone.
The German Canyon-Sram team are well aware of the real gem they have in their ranks. “For now, she’s with us until the end of 2028, which I’m very happy about. (...) She’s happy, we’re happy with her, and we’ll continue to develop her and hopefully turn her into the next Tour winner,” added team manager Ronny Lauke.
At 23, Niedermaier was the youngest of the top five riders. “I don’t think the prospects could be any better for her; she has the potential and still has room for improvement. She can still learn a lot and mature further, and we want to support her and help her along the way,” said Lauke.
Second place in the Giro
The career changer – Niedermaier originally switched from ski mountaineering to cycling – has catapulted herself into the world’s elite this year. She has already finished second overall in the Giro d’Italia, and is now delivering strong performances on the biggest stage. She is already climbing the mountains alongside the best, and is also performing well in time trials. The Bavarian has everything it takes to potentially succeed Tour winner Demi Vollering in the future.
Niedermaier doesn’t want to think that far ahead at the moment; she hasn’t really taken it all in yet anyway. “But in any case, it was a brilliant tour,” said Niedermaier. Referring to the white jersey, she added: “I hope it’s an inspiration for all the young girls who cycle. I hope I can inspire them in some way.”
Perfect teamwork with Niewiedoma
Typical of Niedermaier: the former U23 time trial world champion remains modest – and embodies the spirit of teamwork. During the Tour, she had no problem putting the team first and supporting her captain, Kasia Niewiadoma, who ultimately finished second.
When the Polish rider triumphed on Mont Ventoux, Niedermaier was the first to congratulate her (“You’re the queen”). And a day later, when he lost the yellow jersey, she was quick to offer comfort at the finish line. The Leipzig team’s dual leadership came to life and perhaps served as a lesson for Red Bull, where there was friction over the division of roles between Remco Evenepoel and Lipowitz.
In fact, it was actually by chance that Niedermaier ended up taking up cycling. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, there were no more mountain runs. Niedermaier switched to cycling. A stroke of luck, as it turned out.
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