"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

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."

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.

"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."

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."