After a promising second place in the Amstel Gold Race last weekend, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney was a favourite to win Wednesday's Flèche Wallonne Femmes , a feat she accomplished in 2024. The 31-year-old was right on the wheel of eventual winner Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) going up the Mur de Huy, but this time a mechanical meant that she had to push a big gear, leaving her unable to follow Vollering and having to let Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) and Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) past for the remaining podium spots. “I’m definitely not happy. I was really bummed with the last climb because I got stuck on the big chain ring. I had to just power through the climb and couldn’t shift to the small one for some reason. That was not ideal, and we didn’t come here for fourth, but c’est la vie,” said Niewiadoma-Phinney after the race. Article continues below “I’m super happy with how the team rode, it was a massive step up from Amstel. That was nice to see, and I felt good.…