26.04.2026 World-Tour, News, Race news

KASIA RETURNS TO THE TOP 3 IN LIÈGE-BASTOGNE-LIÈGE

Nine years after her last podium at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney was once again in the top 3, riding strongly to third behind runaway winner Vollering (TFS).

This marks Kasia’s fourth Women’s WorldTour one-day podium this season, having most recently finished runner-up in Amstel Gold Race exactly one week ago. While her toughest rival managed to get away, she was nevertheless satisfied with this latest result.

“I’m happy about it. I definitely believe that as a team, we rode a nicer race – we were together and I was pleased that I could pull off a podium. I’ve been close many times here, so I’m happy that I could round it up to the top three this time.”

The route for the 10th edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes – a race in which Kasia is the only rider to have completed every edition – featured a couple of key tweaks from last year, and was billed as the hardest ever used. The peloton accumulated nearly 2800m of elevation across 156km of technical, twisting roads, tackling a relentless sequence of climbs through the rugged, unspoilt Ardennes region.

Heading into the final 50km, the peloton was already heavily reduced, the pace and terrain taking their toll. Antonia Niedermaier was active at the front in support of Kasia, and joined a seven-rider move with 45km to go. The dangerous group was brought back in time for the iconic Côte de la Redoute (1.5km at 9.3%), where Vollering rode clear on the steep slopes. While the Dutch rider went on to a 35km solo victory, Kasia settled into a chase group alongside Pieterse (FDC) and Holmgren (LTK).

The trio worked well together, staying united for much of the final climb, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (1.2km at 10.7%), until Holmgren was eventually distanced on the final ramps, while van der Breggen (SDW) bridged across from behind. With a new three-rider dynamic in play, the collaboration remained strong over the fast final 9km, but the gap to Vollering steadily climbed north of one minute. In the sprint for the two remaining podium spots, Kasia couldn’t quite match Pieterse, but had enough in the tank to secure third.

Kasia reflected on the race and her ride, the latest in a consistent run of top performances this season.

“It was hard racing from the start and I’m definitely a big fan of that because there’s just action from early on. You stay focussed and concentrated, and there’s a natural selection that is then deciding the front group. It was a shame for me not to be able to follow Demi because it never feels good if you cannot follow the main attack, but I also feel confident that I can still improve myself. Demi was incredibly strong, but it just gives me extra motivation to work harder so that eventually I close the gap. But, definitely pleased about the result, and now spring racing is finished, and I feel ready for the next chapter.”

“It was nice that we were all committed and that everyone wanted to contribute to the chase,” she added about the situation after La Redoute. “I definitely was surprised with Anna [van der Breggen] bridging over from the back – we lost Isabella [Holmgren] and gained Anna in the end. I was definitely feeling less confident with Anna in the sprint mix because of course she’s also fast, but I think at the end of such a hard race you never know who’s going to have what kind of legs. So, I was really happy that I could jump on the podium.”

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