'It sums up my entire season' - Another near miss for Niewiadoma in Worlds duel
The rainbow jersey belongs to Demi Vollering, but Kasia Niewiadoma played her part in making the elite women’s road race the most gripping spectacle of the Montreal World Championships thus far.
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Like at the Tour de France Femmes in August, it all came down to a hand-to-hand combat between Niewiadoma and Vollering, the best riders on show here and across the entire season.
Like in Nice, Vollering won the duel, but Niewiadoma made it a tighter contest. After chasing down Vollering on the penultimate lap in the company of Elisa Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma found herself alone with the Dutchwoman ahead of the final climb.
Niewiadoma placed a fierce acceleration on the Avenue Pagnuelo with 4km, but Vollering just about resisted. The Pole initially stole a march in the two-up sprint at the finish, but Vollering had just too much for her on the final drag to the line.
“I was just not thinking, I was just all-out,” Niewiadoma told Eurosport of her finishing effort. “I know that I can be fast, and I knew that I just had to be patient. I gave my best, honestly. Demi was fastest at the end of the day, she is super fast.
“I’m happy in some ways to see that I am capable of closing this gap and coming closer, so that’s a positive thing for the future, but maybe not so great a positive thing for now, because I lost the rainbow jersey. But yeah, you know, I keep fighting and believing that it’s going to come.”
It was Niewiadoma’s second medal at the Worlds after she took bronze in Leuven five years ago, and it was her seventh top 10 finish at the event. It comes at the end of a season that saw her perform consistently across the calendar, taking second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race and the Tour Femmes. The 31-year-old’s lone victory of the year was a spectacular one, as she soloed clear on Mont Ventoux at the Tour Femmes.
“I mean, it’s definitely great to be part of the final during the World Championships, and it kind of like sums up my entire season in some ways,” Niewiadoma said.
“It was a really great season. Together with my coach, we were able to improve to make steps forward, like always. So that gives me also a lot of confidence and motivation for the next years. You know, sometimes maybe it’s less about improving physically but mentally. So with that part, I’m really happy where I am at.”
Result: World Championships elite women's road race
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