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Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma won the women’s Tour de France in dramatic fashion, despite enduring the worst pain she has ever experienced, but now dreams of the day when men and women are treated equally in sport.
Nieves Doma fought off a challenge from defending champion Demi Wohlering in one of cycling’s most thrilling final stages on Sunday, with the Dutch rider crossing the line first but the Pole bravely holding on to the yellow jersey.
Wolelin was eighth overall on the final day of racing, one minute and 15 seconds off the pace, but was considered the most dangerous, and when she attacked on the penultimate climb, Niviadoma thought it was all over.
“During the climb, especially up to the Col de Grandon, there were definitely moments when I thought I had lost everything because I didn’t feel well physically and mentally,” Nivyadoma told Reuters.
“Not being there when Demi attacked didn’t help. It was mentally very tough from that moment until the end of the climb.
“On the way down, I ate all the food and regained my strength. When I started to feel my body responding on the way down, I thought, OK, I have to give it a try.”
The renewed energy only lasted for a short while, as in the final stages of the race, Niewiadoma continued to chase her opponent despite being exhausted.
“The energy only lasted until three kilometers to the finish, because from that point on, it was the worst experience I’ve ever had on a bike, in terms of pain level,” said the Canyon–SRAM rider.
“It was just a matter of staying on the bike and trying to push; I didn’t even know what my body was doing, but I tried to get there at all costs.”
Wolelin reached the finish line first and won the stage by 10 seconds, but Nievesdom fought until the end to finish fourth and win the Tour de France by 4 seconds.
“When I crossed the finish line, my mind went blank to be honest,” Niviadoma said.
“The last three kilometres were so bad, I just wanted to lie down in pain.
“I remember crossing the finish line dreaming of an open space so I could lie down and not see anyone. All of a sudden I heard screams in my ears, and it was amazing because later we learned we had won the Tour de France.”
Niewiadoma, who finished third in the previous two Tours, won the race on a signature climb and although she would have liked an easier finish, the race still captured the imagination of many.
“It was really special to finish at Alpe d’Huez, but on Saturday I was dreaming about how great it would be to finish in Paris and be sure of winning the title,” said Nieves Doma.
“But I think the last fight got a lot of attention because it was so fun to watch and you didn’t know what was going to happen until the last meter.
“I think it’s very brutal, beautiful and challenging for the riders, but also very rewarding for the sport as a whole.”
Her prize money is €50,000 ($55,735.00), while Tadej Pogacar, who won the men’s tour title last month, received 10 times more, but the 29-year-old Niewiadoma thinks that will change.
“I think eventually we’ll get to where we should be. Every rider’s goal is to one day have a daughter who competes in sports and laughs at the times when there are differences between men and women,” she said.
“It should be completely normal that the same pain will have the same reward.”
The Polish word “niewiadoma” translates to “nobody”, and although she was already a major force in the cycling world at the time, her victory in the Tour de France meant that Katarzyna Niewiadoma’s name would forever be associated with the race.
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