"I'm not sure that everyone will be on the same page" - Kasia Niewiadoma suggests Anna van der Breggen's presence won't bring order into the chaotic Dutch National Team
Cycling
After become the unlikely Gravel World champion last year, Kasia Niewiadoma had become an unlikely champion of Tour de France Femmes this summer. One would say it's not a coincidence anymore. The 30-year-old lady from Poland has been among the top for many years now, but it's only in recent years she started to rack up the big victories, even if she may have been a bit lucky at times...
But what certainly isn't a coincidence is the increase in amount of non-Dutch flags on top of result sheets of the biggest races. Yes, Demi Vollering is arguably still the strongest rider in the peloton, but it's other women who have got to celebrate in 2024.
Niewiadoma believes the trend is only to continue: "It's a good thing," she says about the recent massive diversification of women's cycling, previously dominated solely by Dutch ladies, in an interview for WielerRevue. "There are other countries that also perform well. For example, Elisa Longo Borghini is always there."
Anna van der Breggen
The Dutch team will gain another "new" card to play with Anna van der Breggen, former world champion, making a comeback to competition next year:
"I'm very curious to see what it will be like when Anna van der Bruggen returns to the peloton. But I'm not sure if that will work to the advantage of the Dutch team, to be honest. All the strong Dutch women will be riding in other teams next year and I'm not sure that everyone will be on the same page during the championships," she points out.
"Anna is an extremely talented rider. I wish her the best and I think she is a great rider to race against. She can give women's cycling an extra boost," Niewiadoma praises her future opponent.
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"Can she become as good as she used to be? I don't know. Three years out is quite a long time. On the other hand, she was a coach at SD Worx so she knows the wattages of the top riders and she also knows whether she is still able to produce them herself. If she didn't come close, I don't think she would start a comeback."
Marianne Vos
Finally, the Polish rider speaks about her idol who happens to be another Dutch (three-time) world champion - Marianne Vos. "When I started cycling I looked up to her a lot. She dominated women's cycling at that time. She was the best everywhere. When I googled 'women's cycling' at that time she was the first person I came across. And even now she is still the face of the sport. I always wanted to be Marianne Vos and I still want to be."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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