QUEEN OF THE HEARTS, KASIA NIEWIADOMA-PHINNEY SECOND AT STRADE BIANCHE

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney raced inspiringly in today’s Strade Bianche, emerging from a group of eight riders who entered the brutal finale from Santa Caterina, before diving into the heart of Siena.

Kasia’s disappointment in narrowly missing victory in one of her favourite races on the calendar was hard to hide despite delivering a strong and heroic ride.

Immediately after the race, Kasia admitted:

“I’m just feeling quite upset. I’ve been aiming for the victory here for many years, and it’s hard to come so close again.”

The race truly ignited on the four-star, leg-sapping ramps of Colle Pinzuto at the 85km mark. Kasia looked composed and sharp here, riding with calm authority and carefully measuring how she spent her energy.

Breakaway attempts came and went as the heavily reduced peloton charged into the final 50km across a relentlessly jagged and snaking route – one that steadily drained both physical and mental reserves.

With 13km to go, a group of nine reached the final white road sector of Le Tolfe (0.6km at 11.3%). Pieterse lit the fuse with a fierce early tempo before Kasia and Longo Borghini (UAD) went shoulder-to-shoulder, briefly escaping together before Pieterse fought her way back.

On the sharp tarmac rises that followed, Kasia tried to shake her rivals, but the trio remained evenly matched.

Inside the final 6km, the group swelled to seven riders, with Koch and Chabbey (TDS) notably joining. A quiet understanding settled over the contenders; everything would now be decided on the looming Santa Caterina climb. It was the largest group ever to thunder into the base of the brutally steep Santa Caterina together.

“I was isolated for much of the race without any teammates and had to play my cards well. The pace was incredibly high for the final 50km, and the race situation changed so many times. I thought after the second time up Le Tolfe that the three of us would stay away until the finish, but at some point, the others came back, and then it was like, okay — who is going to do something now?”

Almost immediately on the final climb, Kasia, Longo Borghini, Chabbey and Koch rose above the rest – a pure rider-against-rider showdown to the summit of the narrow, foreboding straight. With 15% gradients cleared, the fight for victory came down to a gripping three-way duel between Kasia, Longo Borghini and Koch through the penultimate stone-walled bend.

A slight misjudgement could have brought all three down, but Kasia emerged in the lead and hit out for home with 300m to go. Heartbreakingly, former teammate Chabbey, who had hung back, saw a clear opportunity and opened the afterburners, surging in front before the final turn.

The rider who exits the final corner at 100m can almost always hold their advantage to the line, and this was the unfortunate case for Kasia. She burst out into Siena’s spectacular Piazza del Campo to cement a heroic second place, adding another runner-up finish to the three she recorded between 2016 and 2018.

Kasia reflected:

“If you want to win in the piazza in Siena, unless you’re solo, everything needs to go perfectly in the last 500m. I feel like we were all so tired at the top of the final climb, and then it was about who brakes the least in the corners to the finish. Elisa and I were coming into the left bend too hot, and we had to brake, where Chabbey could use the speed from behind and could get a perfect run. It’s beautiful to be on the podium on such an amazing race, but it’s far, far from the victory personally.”

Few races mean as much to Kasia as Strade Bianche, and victory here would be a priceless Italian jewel to adorn her glittering crown of achievements. On such a brutally selective course, victory can only be awarded to the best of the best, and throughout the 2026 edition, Kasia once again showed she had every right to dream of it.