KASIA. THE POLISH CHAMPION.

Niewiadoma was soon making the men suffer — although her dad, “in the best shape out of all those guys,” was the hardest to drop. She knew she was getting close, especially on the climbs. After falling in love with a Nike tracksuit she couldn’t afford, she proposed a bet: if she could drop him on a local climb, he’d buy it for her. He accepted immediately, confident she couldn’t.

“I just remember going so hard from the start,” she says. “And he was still on my wheel. And then I was like, ‘oh shit, I'm in trouble.’”

When she felt him start to slip, her power surged. She crested the climb, triumphant. Waiting for his praise, she got excuses instead — “I was cramping,” he said. “We have to do it again.” But she got the tracksuit. And more importantly, lasting confidence.

Niewiadoma’s parents, mountain people known as Górale, were strong-willed and proud, but never pushy. As they watched their daughter rise through the regional ranks, "they definitely played it cool," she says, encouraging her gently and offering support. She talked through the big questions — like whether to go to university or pursue cycling — on rides with her dad. Though her parents dropped hints (“Oh, you're quite good. Maybe you could try racing abroad”), they never pressured her. The strategy worked. After a strong ride at the European Championships at 19, Niewiadoma was offered a spot as a trainee on Dutch powerhouse Rabobank. She accepted.

Although she was successful in Poland, she was green by international standards. It was a leap: she went from road-tripping in a van with her club team — where buying chips and Haribo gummies at the grocery store was often more exciting than racing — to pinning on a number next to Marianne Vos. She didn’t know what an echelon was. She barely spoke English. But she gave everything anyway. She was there to prove herself in more ways than one.

"There was always this prejudice about Polish people," she says of joining a Dutch team. "They think that Polish people are party people, messy, loud. I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to show them that we are better than what they think we are.’"

She learned from riders like Annemiek van Vleuten, who explained team tactics and race dynamics. She took mental notes. She didn’t back down. Racing with the best in the world was motivating. Now, over a decade later, Niewiadoma has grown into her own role as a leader — sharing wisdom, offering calm, and helping younger riders navigate the same pressure she once felt.

“When you’re young, you focus so much on yourself,” she says. “But once you’re on the other side, with more maturity, you just want to share your stories. You have a different perspective.”

Another important lesson came at the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships. Niewiadoma went into the race with low expectations — it was supposed to be a relaxed, end-of-season trip to Italy. Still, she felt unprepared. She spent the day before running errands, worrying about punctures and feed zones, her legs feeling awful on recon.

Then, on race day: “they were perfect.”

“And that actually made me realize that sometimes you just cannot control anything. You can be so good with your training and recovery and your body just doesn’t want to get in shape — and all of a sudden, there it is.”

These days, she’s no longer chasing her dad up village climbs — she’s leading her team on the world stage, racing with (a bit more) patience and perspective. But the instinct is still there: to go hard, to prove herself, to make sure the riders on her wheel are hurting just a little. That old hunger — sparked by a dare and a tracksuit — still shows up every time she pins on a number.

Kasia and her CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto teammates raced their victorious 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with SRAM RED AXS, Zipp NSW wheels, TIME XPRO pedals and Hammerhead Karoo. Effortless riding. Effortless AXS integration.