A primary win in 5 years continued to elude Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon SRAM) as she rode to a career-best second place on the Tour of Flanders, solely lacking out behind Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek).
The ever-positive Niewiadoma wasn’t disheartened or heartbroken as she was at Strade Bianche, with seen enchancment to her race kind and solely a world-class Lidl-Trek staff efficiency denying her a go to again to the highest step of the rostrum.
Niewiadoma was the equal finest on the ultimate climb up the Paterberg, alongside the Italian champion, as they left the 2 finest riders on the planet from 2023, Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering (SD Worx), behind and with no response.
“I suppose I might really feel upset if I did not really feel that I progressed or I felt like I used to be additional behind within the ultimate. The truth that I’m getting stronger and was capable of drop Demi and Lotte on the climb could be very motivating,” Niewiadoma instructed reporters after the race.
“In fact, there’s this sense like ‘Oh shit, I want I gained’ as a result of, after all, that is what I’ve been chasing for therefore lengthy. But, alternatively, I really feel like simply seeing these different pluses of form enchancment and race enchancment offers me further motivation to not quit and search for one other alternative.”
Niewiadoma’s final victory on the street got here on the ladies’s Tour in 2019, some 1,753 days in the past at this level. She additionally gained the world title on the Gravel World Championships final fall. This spring, the Polish has been proper up there within the races she’s been at in 2024.
She was seventh at Omloop Het Nieuwblad and fourth at Strade Bianche earlier than taking the runners-up spot as we speak at Flanders. It seems that her nineteenth win on the street is simply across the nook, along with her kind persevering with to rise.
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“It was my first podium at Flanders and to be sincere, I’m pleased with my form and the preparations that went very well to date,” Niewiadoma stated.
“As a staff, we’re actually optimistic, after all, it might’ve been wonderful to win a race right here, however we’re on an excellent path to win extra races forward of us.”
Niewiadoma solely misplaced out to Longo Borghini along with her and teammate Shirin van Anrooij taking part in the Oudenaarde finale completely for the Italian to take her second Ronde title 9 years after her first.
However Niewiadoma by no means thought for a second to not contribute as soon as the three had received away from SD Worx and the remainder of the favourites.
“I didn’t think about not working,” Niewadoma admitted, with the win firmly in thoughts.
“I wasn’t pondering that I’m driving for second place or third place. I might catch myself generally pondering ‘a podium can be effective’ however then I rapidly turned that into ‘no I’m right here to win a race’.”
Niewiadoma and Longo Borghini made the junction to Van Anrooij after the Paterberg with 12km to go and, from then till the ultimate straight in Oudenaarde, labored properly to keep up their slim hole on the chasing group containing Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) and the SD Worx stars.
“I knew that by driving, I had an even bigger probability of creating it to the ultimate 100 metres and sprinting for the victory versus taking part in a recreation and being caught by the second group the place Wiebes, Lotte [Kopecky] or [Silvia] Persico are sooner than me,” stated Niewiadoma taking inspiration from Vos’ aggressive racing at Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen.
“I feel that in racing, you’ve received to take a position if you wish to win. I feel Marianne Vos confirmed one of the best instance of that by profitable Dwars door Vlaanderen. I really feel like you may solely play this recreation when you have three different teammates behind you.”
Niewiadoma was the lone Canyon-SRAM rider concerned within the exhilarating finale and maybe may’ve executed higher had she had a teammate along with her. Nevertheless, she didn’t blame any of her staff, with unhealthy luck undoing a few of their different high riders, reminiscent of Chloé Dygert, who crashed twice and on the essential Koppenberg.
“That was a really laborious, hectic and harmful race, so I’m glad that as a staff, we have been nonetheless capable of finding one another on this insanity, let’s say,” stated Niewiadoma.
“I feel that we simply should be affected person as a result of we have now a powerful staff. With extra expertise and a bit extra luck, we will flip issues round.”
Niewiadoma was significantly grateful for the positioning into the Koppenberg climb the place, by being within the entrance of the peloton, she was capable of experience the brutal 600-metre cobbled climb and never stroll as all however two of the race needed to do in 2023.
“As we knew from final 12 months, Koppenberg was crucial, so the method to that climb was insane, to be sincere. Like actually insane,” stated the 29-year-old.
“I used to be capable of get into like the highest 10 and make it over the climb with out having to stroll up there which was a giant success and from there on simply performed into a very laborious ultimate.”
Niewiadoma’s subsequent probability to interrupt her winless drought will come at Amstel Gold Race, the place she has been victorious up to now in 2019. It’s a golden probability for the Polish rider along with her form seemingly at an all-time excessive and the dominant power on the Ardennes – Vollering – showing away from her finest.
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