Kasia Niewiadoma claimed third place in the general classification after today’s last stage of Itzulia Women. The CANYON//SRAM Racing rider was in a tight battle for the final place on the podium and managed to retain third which she had held since the first stage. The tour overall was won by stage winner Marlen Reusser (SDW), taking it from her teammate Demi Vollering in a change of GC leader in the final 13km.

Kasia showed her climbing strengths on the final stage and came to the line with a group of six riders, sprinting to fifth place. Teammate Pauliena Rooijakkers had been in the early breakaway and finished twelfth on the stage, jumping to tenth overall and second place in the final mountain classification.

Kasia says, “I’m happy to finish the first part of the season with the podium spot. I felt that I was stronger than what my results were showing so far, so the GC podium is nice for the morale and for the motivation going forward.”

In the final two kilometres, four riders played cat and mouse, slowing to an almost standstill which allowed two more riders to re-enter ahead of the sprint.

“It was weird. Between Annemiek, Olivia and I, only a few seconds were separating us on GC, so I guess each of us was expecting attacks for those extra seconds. We ended up riding two kilometres per hour for the last two kilometres, which was frustrating.”

Kasia adds, “I really enjoyed racing with my teammates. We had a small but dedicated group that wanted to make the best of every stage without focusing on GC. We were present in most of the moves and gave a good fight on each stage. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get any victories, but we are happy with the progress we make every race.”

Facebook

Twitter