Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney swaps Canyon-SRAM for Lidl-Trek after nine years in major women’s peloton transfer

Matilda Price

Assistant Features Editor

It’s pretty unusual to see a rider have arguably the best year of her career, thriving at the team she’s been with for nearly a decade, and still choose to leave. It’s clear that Niewiadoma-Phinney is happy at Canyon, and they love her, so I believe her when she says it must have been a tough decision, but at a certain point, being happy and comfortable is no longer enough – you need to be pushed. And Lidl-Trek will certainly do that, with Niewiadoma-Phinney set to be out of her comfort zone in a well-resourced team, but also no longer the one big name on the team, which could go one of two ways.

At 32, the Polish rider certainly isn’t old, but I do get the sense that she’s coming into the part of her career where she knows there’s a limited amount of time left to achieve what she wants to. She could probably stay at Canyon and keep podiuming the Tour, or she could take a leap to Lidl-Trek and see if she can turn second into the win. It’s a risk and a gamble, and it might not pay off, but at this stage she has nothing to lose, so she had to do it.

One really important element will be whether her coach goes with her – she’s been coached by Annemiek van Vleuten’s former coach this year, clearly to great success, and I think when it comes to the Tour, her personal ability to keep improving is probably more important than what team she is in.

Lidl-Trek will only be the third team of Niewiadoma’s career, having turned pro at 18 with Rabobank-Liv Giant, then moving to Canyon-SRAM in 2018.

For Lidl-Trek, who have been building their men’s and women’s programmes steadily since Lidl came on board as sponsors and owners, securing one of the very top GC riders on the market is a huge get.

“Bringing Kasia into Lidl-Trek is a significant moment for our women’s program,” women’s team manager Frank Schleck said.

“She is one of the most accomplished and respected riders of her generation, but what excites us most is the way she races. Kasia is courageous. She is aggressive. She is willing to take responsibility and make a race rather than simply wait for it to happen. That mentality fits perfectly with the identity we want for this team.

“Her arrival gives us another major leader for the biggest races on the calendar, but her impact will go far beyond results. Her experience, professionalism and competitive mentality can help raise the level of the entire group.”