Katarzyna Niewiadoma, the revenge of the eternal second

The Polish woman won her first Grand Tour on Sunday after having been circling around for a long time to win.

Always placed, never rewarded, Katarzyna Niewiadoma finally warded off fate on Sunday, August 18. The Polish rider won the 2024 Women’s Tour de France at the end of a race full of unbearable suspense. Virtually stripped of her yellow jersey on the Col du Glandon following Demi Vollering’s attack, she fought until the end of the climb of Alpe d’Huez to limit the damage to the Dutch rider. It all came down to just four seconds.

“I hated every moment of that climb. When I found out I had won, I couldn’t believe it”delivered the 29-year-old runner, radiant, for her first interview after crossing the line. It must be said that the latter had become the specialist in barely touching victories. Before climbing to the top of the podium on Sunday, she had accumulated, since 2020, 15 second places for a single victory, on the Flèche wallonne last spring.

Caught up in the whirlwind of media protocols, she was still struggling to realise the extent of her performance at the press conference, more than two hours after the finish. “To be honest, I still need some time, for everything to settle down. I’m just waiting for one thing, to get to the bus to celebrate with the girls. That’s when I’ll realize what just happened.”explained the leader of the Canyon-SRAM Racing team, who was not helped that much by her teammates in the high mountains.

Personally, this victory has exceeded almost all her expectations. Two years ago, she said in her official portrait before the first edition of the Tour de France that she had “three objectives”: “win a stage, wear the yellow jersey and finish in the Top 3 of the general classification”. The final win was not even considered. She also said that yellow was “his favorite color”but also that of the first bike she rode as a child, inherited from her big brother.

She will have achieved the feat of resisting the return of the wounded beast Demi Vollering, inconsolable despite the prestigious victory at the top of one of the most legendary climbs in the history of cycling. Some will say that without the latter’s fall on the 5th stage (where Vollering lost 1’53”, bonuses included), there would not have been so much suspense at the finish. “If I had gotten back on my bike a little faster… If I had beaten Puck [Pieterse] in Liège… If I had attacked earlier yesterday… Ifs don’t buy anything”the Dutch woman said, bursting into tears.

There is no doubt that “Kasia” Niewiadoma will be there in 2025 to defend her title. The Polish rider has been on the podium in the first three editions (3rd in 2022 and 3rd in 2023). She is also the most consistent rider, having spent a total of 14 stages in the Top 3 of the general classification (far ahead of Lotte Kopecky’s eight). With the returns of the ambitious Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt and Anna van der Breggen, the fight will be even tighter.