"Last year, Demi Vollering was out of my reach" - Katarzyna Niewiadoma hoping to turn the tables at 2024 Tour de France Femmes

The 2024 Tour de France Femmes kicks off on Monday afternoon in the Netherlands. Whilst the Dutch crowd are likely to be backing home hero Demi Vollering, the Team SD Worx - Protime leader's biggest threat for the Maillot Jaune could come from Canyon//SRAM Racing's Katarzyna Niewiadoma.

In 2023, the Pole was best of the rest behind Vollering and Lotte Kopecky, finishing in 3rd overall. With the world champion absent from the Team SD Worx - Protime lineup this time around, Niewiadoma would theoretically prove the biggest challenger to Vollering.

"The Tour ’23 didn’t just come down to that third place on the podium. I also finished with the polka-dot jersey, while my teammate Ricarda Bauernfeind won stage 5 in Albi," the 29-year-old recalls in conversation with Velo. "Given there was such a small gap (I was less than one second behind Lotte Kopecky), I almost feel like I finished second rather than third. So, my 2023 Tour was more spectacular and more successful."

"At 29, I still feel like I’m continuing to make progress on certain points, thanks to greater experience, a more measured way of racing and better knowledge of myself in terms of preparation," admitting her intentions of competing for the coveted Maillot Jaune. "It would obviously be a dream if one day I could add a touch of yellow to that wall (which also includes the polka-dot jersey and the gravel world champion's jersey ed.)! Last year, Demi Vollering was out of my reach, but I want to believe that if I keep working hard and believing in myself, I’ll be able to turn the tables."

With the iconic Alpe d'Huez an added test this year, the women's World Tour peloton continues to take on the most exciting tests in the sport. "I’ve never climbed the Alpe, but I’m obviously going to make the time to do a reconnaissance. After a week of racing over a wide variety of terrain, I’m expecting an eyeball-to-eyeball battle on this mythical peak between the best in the peloton. The high mountains never lie," Niewiadoma concludes.