KASIA WINS POLISH NATIONAL ROAD TITLE, WITH 5 MORE NATIONAL MEDALS FOR TEAM

It was a masterful display of teamwork and strength at the Polish Road National Championships, as Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka combined forces in an exemplary manner to secure first and third place.

For Kasia, the title marked a triumphant return to Polish Nationals after a nine-year absence – her last appearance being the edition where she first pulled on the red and white Eagle jersey. As she crossed the line, a wave of joy and relief washed over her, the realisation settling in: the champion’s kit was once again hers.

“Wearing the Polish jersey for the year definitely means quite a lot to me just so I can show our beautiful colours during massive races like Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift. I think that fighting for the victory with the national jersey is always something super special and I’ve been definitely dreaming of doing that for a very long time.”

To overcome the numerical advantage of two large domestic squads – Mat Atom Deweloper and TKK Pacific Toruń Nestlé Fitness, fielding nine and ten riders respectively – Kasia and Agnieszka had to act early. Very early. On the first climb of the 135km race, just 7km in, Kasia began applying pressure from the front with Agnieszka tucked in just behind. Very quickly, the winning break formed. Kasia explains the thinking behind their strategy – one that didn’t wait for more of the 2800m in elevation gain to take its toll.

“Having done recon of the course, we knew that the first part of the lap is harder than the second part, and that’s why we wanted to basically open up the race instantly. Also, we didn’t just want to sit in the wheels, or waste time sitting behind somebody. We knew that the harder the race, the better for us, not only because we can get the result, but also because we can have a proper training ride ahead of Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift. So, that’s what we did. I attacked on the first climb and then a breakaway of four was formed, but the other girl dropped, so then we were three. Agnieszka did amazing job as always, doing such strong, long pulls which allowed us to quickly create a really good gap to the chasers.”

Their bold approach was the right one, with Kasia, Agnieszka and Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE) forming the leading trio and building a one minute lead with over 100km to go. Just 10km later, the gap had doubled. With just over 60km remaining, Kasia attacked on a short 700m ramp with pitches over 15% and after a dogged response from defending champion Włodarczyk, was able to open up daylight.

“When I managed to get the gap, I just knew I needed to ride hard and I was actually, to be honest, thinking about Col de Madeleine [Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 8]. That’s going to be an over-one-hour hard effort. So, even though it was hilly, up and down with not many long climbs – they were all around 1km – I just needed and wanted to have a really long proper effort simulating the hardest stage of the Tour.”

Reversing their time trial results where Agnieszka claimed victory, it was Kasia who stood atop the final podium after a far more impromptu solo pursuit. Włodarczyk split the CANYON//SRAM Zondacrypto pair in second place, +2:23 mins behind.

Kasia’s strong presence proved particularly decisive for Agnieszka, who secured only her second road race podium in a decade of championships participation. Together, they delivered an essentially perfect 2025 nationals campaign. Agnieszka reflects on a challenging day, where, like Kasia, she essentially rode another time trial effort just days after Thursday’s individual race – although promising preparation ahead of the Tour.

“Oh my gosh, it was super tough day. Already from the start, Kasia went on the climb and together we created quite a hard first lap. Then on the second lap, Kasia tried another attack and went with Dominika – they then played a tactical game but Kasia could go solo. Everyone was alone on the second lap doing their own time trial which was super hard, but I’m happy that we bring this jersey back after a few years. We were quite stressed before because everyone was looking at us, but in the end, the race went quite smoothly.”

Before the start, along the roadsides, beyond the finish line, and around the team’s set-up, friends, family, and fans gathered in meaningful numbers. This groundswell of support in Poland added a special dimension to an already memorable pair of races. Kasia reflects on the experience:

“I was definitely super happy and stoked to see so many familiar faces. It’s always really nice to see how cycling connects a lot of people across the world. Personally for me, it was super nice to see people during these Nationals that I used to ride with and that connected me with cycling, so even just exchanging a couple words was very meaningful. I’m always very grateful for all the people that come out to cheer us on and support us during our sufferfest. And, of course, being able to perform in front of your own audience – your own people – always feels more special just because they know you, they understand you.”

Meanwhile, nine hours away in Germany, our six-strong contingent put up a brave fight but ultimately fell short of the national title. Antonia Niedermaier, Rosa Klöser and Justyna Czapla finished second, third and fourth respectively, behind a classy and powerful Franziska Koch (TPP). Antonia shared her reflections:

“Today was not super satisfying, but we tried everything to win this road race. Unfortunately, there was someone stronger than us, and me, but we played all the cards we had and we were trying really, really fighting. In the end, there there was someone stronger, and I think we have to accept that. I’m also proud of how the other girls raced – I’m really happy to see that Joëlle and Jule were so confident and so good. It was nice to see that with everyone, we could race really good as a team.”

Over in Portugal, Maria Martins claimed a bronze medal via a reduced bunch sprint, after four laps of an undulating 90km circuit. Across continents in Rwanda, Diane Ingabire’s three-win streak in the time trial came to an end as she finished second by 28 secs in today’s 25km event. Not the desired result, but one that will fuel her fire for Sunday’s road race.

Finally, in Italy, Soraya Paladin was left wondering what might have been. She initially made it into a five-rider selection over the top of a key climb, but later found herself on the back foot when motorbikes ahead appeared to aid the front attackers in pulling further away. Stranded in no-woman’s land, Soraya was eventually caught by a chasing group sprinting for fourth and crossed the line in sixth – deflating, but still a solid result in the fiercely competitive Italian Nationals. Generation rider and mountain-bike standout Valentina Corvi, in just her second-ever road race, was initially apprehensive about riding in the peloton but put in a productive and impressive performance, closely shadowing seasoned pro Soraya throughout the race.