Kasia Niewiadoma finished seventh place at today’s opening weekend at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Ninove, Belgium. A five-rider breakaway formed after the official race start was given, building a lead of over six minutes on the peloton. Racing kicked off only in the final 60 kilometres, but a series of crashes and constant attacks kept the intensity and excitement high.

As the ever-decisive Muur Kapelmuur loomed large, Kasia led a 12-rider leading group into the base of the climb. Over the top, four riders moved clear with Kasia in the first chase group, also consisting of four riders. Despite several changes in the lead, Marianne Vos (JVW) won the sprint from the group of four, one minute ahead of Kasia who sprinted to the line for seventh.

RIDER REACTIONS

Kasia Niewiadoma: “It was very slow for the first 50-60km and then everything turned insane. Lots of attacks shredded the peloton to a group of around 8-10 riders. The cold air made it challenging to stay sharp and keep focus. Unfortunately, Elise was involved in a crash and could not be part of the final as that would have been helpful.”
“We didn’t race well today. We lacked riders in position when needed, and we lacked riders in the front group before the Muur. I felt okay, though not amazing. I spent a lot of energy fighting for position and could feel that I was losing some of my explosivity with each acceleration.”

“On the Muur, I took the front, setting a high pace, but when Lotte came around me towards the end of the climb, I had nothing more to give. It’s not a race day we can be proud of. Sometimes, you need that to find extra strength for what is coming next. It’s a pity we only came home with seventh.”

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