“It’s about being strong, but also about being super sharp and mentally ready to fight for positioning” is how Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) summed up her approach to Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this weekend, where she’s aiming to be in the thick of the action and polishing her Classics racecraft even if her biggest goals of the spring are yet to come.
With 10 participations to her name in the Opening Weekend event, it’s fair to say that Omloop Het Nieuwsblad holds few secrets for the Polish star, whose best performance was two years ago, when she placed seventh in the first chase group behind winner Marianne Vos and three other breakaway riders.
“I like starting my classics season with Omloop Nieuwsblad because it’s a great race to get a reminder of what the spring classics feel like. Of course, it’s about being strong, but also about being super sharp and mentally ready to fight for positioning,” Niewiadoma said in a team press release revealing the full lineup for Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto this Tuesday.
“You have to be turned on from the start and keep fighting for your place in the peloton; it’s something that’s really easy to lose over the winter because you’re just comfortably training on your own or with a small group. For me personally, Strade is the first big goal, so I just want to make sure that I have an opener before then.”
“A successful Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for me would definitely be finishing with a podium spot. I would say that a successful race is when I feel like I can take my chance by creating a group or attacking. I’m not only following, but I’m actually making the race.”
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