Starting her training at 14, she swiftly began winning medals and gained early recognition. Zbigniew Klęk, her first cycling mentor who has guided young cyclists at the Krakus Swoszowice club for 40 years, remarked in an interview with Polish Radio that she was "better than the seniors" even as a junior.
Breaking stereotypes: from "too pretty to race" to Tour de France champion
Coach Klęk described Katarzyna Niewiadoma in "Gazeta Wyborcza" two years ago, noting that as a teenager, she focused entirely on cycling, leading a lifestyle very different from her peers, with no parties or laid-back weekends.
Early in her career, Niewiadoma often heard comments that she was "too pretty to be racing."
According to the Polish state news agency PAP, she mentioned on TVN24 that her first coach motivated her by saying that competitive cycling was not for women.
"He taught me what cycling is, and I always wanted to show him that it is for women," said the 2024 Tour de France winner.
Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Peter Dejong/Associated Press/East News)
Who is Katarzyna Niewiadoma?
Katarzyna Niewiadoma comes from Ochotnica Górna in the Podhale region of southern Poland.
After moving to the Netherlands and joining the Rabobank team, she has been representing the German-American team Canyon-SRAM Racing since 2018.
Following her recent successes, she is now preparing for the World Championships in Switzerland, but for the next few days, she doesn't even plan to get on a bike.
Recovery, training, and social media silence: Niewiadoma's next steps
"Five or six days without the bike. Then I’ll head to a high-altitude training camp, where I’ll prepare for the upcoming World Championships in September.
My goal is to win the championship title and the rainbow jersey," Niewiadoma stated on TVN24, revealing that "the entire Sunday stage was a crazy rollercoaster" for her.
After her victory, Niewiadoma completely disconnected from social media and only learned during the interview that Iga Świątek had sent her congratulations.
Source: Paryz2024.polskieradio.pl/Wyborcza.pl/Eurosport.tvn24.pl/PAP
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