Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) finished fourth at La Flèche Wallonne Femmes on Wednesday after a her gears malfunctioned, leaving her unable to change down from her big cog to the small cog as Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) rode clear on the final Mur de Huy ascent with the Polish champion finishing just six seconds back, despite her issues.
"Definitely not happy," Niewiadoma-Phinney said in a finish-line interview with Cycling Pro Net. "I was really bummed with the last climb because I got stuck on the big chain ring and then I had to just power through the climb. Couldn't shift on the small one for some reason. Not ideal."
Riding up the Mur de Huy in the big chain ring is extremely impressive as the gradients of the famous climb peak over 20% with the road surface also causing all kinds of issues. She was forced to use heavier and slower pedal revolutions, leaving her simply unable to react to her rival's acceleration when it came with about 400 metres to go.
The margins for error are always so small on this climb with the finishing places showing that. Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) saved all her energy for the final 100 metres where she rapidly closed the gap on European champion, Vollering. Giving the eventual winner the fright of her life with about 20 metres to go. They finished on the same time with Amstel Gold Race winner, Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ), finishing third at just three seconds, Niewiadoma-Phinney fourth at six seconds, and Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx - Protime) fifth at eleven seconds.
La Flèche Wallonne Femmes Results
Apr 22
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Demi Vollering | FDJFDJ United - SUEZ | 3:53:27 |
| 🥈 | Puck Pieterse | FPTFenix-Premier Tech | s.t. |
| 🥉 | Paula Blasi | UADUAE Team ADQ | +0:03 |
| 4 | Katarzyna Niewiadoma | CSRCANYON//SRAM zondacrypto | +0:06 |
| 5 | Anna van der Breggen | SDWTeam SD Worx - Protime | +0:11 |
Asked whether she felt the victory was possible without the mechanical problem, the former Flèche Wallonne winner just continued to show her immediate disappointment after crossing the finish line. "I mean, I don't know. It was just not ideal with the low cadence up the climb," she said. "But yeah, Demi was super strong. So, shout out to her for sure."
Of course, we will never know if Niewiadoma-Phinney would've been able to stay with Vollering on the climb or not if she had working gears. All that she can do now is move on to Sunday...
Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday
Niewiadoma-Phinney's attention has already turned to Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes on April 26, the final Ardennes Classic and a race whose longer, more selective climbs tend to suit her profile. When she was asked about how she feels looking towards the race, she seemed confident. "Yeah, definitely. I feel good," she said. "Hopefully on Sunday we show it even more."
The Polish champion has been consistent throughout the year with a fifth in GC at the UAE Tour, second in Omloop Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche then 11th in Trofeo Binda. Her sprint was slightly stalled with a very unpleasant crash in Milan-San Remo. She bounced back well with a solid second place in Amstel Gold Race beating Vollering in a sprint before racing today.
Liège brings the biggest challenge so far in the race that, arguably, suits her attributes the best. She will be hoping that she can take that top step after so many podiums.
Cover image credit: Billy Ceusters
