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Tuesday, August 5, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
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Current racing:
- August 4 - 10: Tour of Poland
- August 5 - 9: Vuelta a Burgos
Upcoming racing:
- August 6 - 8: Tour de l'Ain
- August 7 - 10: Arctic Race of Norway
Latest completed racing:
- August 3: Circuito de Getxo
- August 2: San Sebastian Classic
- July 26 - July 30: Tour de Wallonie
- July 27: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
- June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
- June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
We posted the report from second-place Paul Magnier's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Olav Kooij's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Olav Kooij has won the opening stage of the Tour de Pologne. In the streets of Legnica, the 23-year-old Dutchman convincingly claimed his sixth victory of the season.
Stage winner and GC leader Olav Kooij after the stage. Sirotti photo
“I’m pleased I could reward the team with this win,” Kooij said afterward. “Everyone contributed from the start. We executed our plan well, despite the chaos in the final kilometres. We briefly lost each other in the chaos, but I managed to move to the front at just the right moment. It’s the fourth year in a row I’ve won a stage here. I already had many positive memories of this race, so it’s great to add another one.”
The peloton set off from Wrocław for a stage of nearly two hundred kilometres towards Legnica. A breakaway of three riders was kept under control by the peloton, with Steven Kruijswijk – who recently extended his contract by a year – doing much of the work. The escape was reeled in well before the finish. The run-in to the sprint was chaotic, but Kooij managed to find his way to the front with the help of his teammates. Matthew Brennan put in a final effort in support of Kooij, who then sprinted convincingly to the stage win.
Sports director Jesper Mørkøv: “The team did an excellent job today, and it was rewarded in the end. Steven rode on the front for most of the day to keep the early break within reach. Then it was up to the rest of the team to get Olav into a strong position for the sprint. The finale was chaotic; everyone was scattered for a while, but Olav knows better than anyone how to navigate the bunch. It’s a great feeling to start this race with a victory.”
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Seventh-place Ben Turner's Team INEOS Grenadiers posted this Tour of Poland report:
Ben Turner sprinted to seventh on the first stage of the Tour de Pologne in a fast bunch finish.
Turner was perfectly delivered by Michal Kwiatkowski to unleash his sprint in the final straight, but was just pipped in the bunch finish to take seventh place.
Tour of Poland stage one finish. Sirotti photo
The 198km flat stage saw the Grenadiers ride dominantly, controlling the pace in the peloton for much of the day as an early break went up the road.
Caught in the final 38km, the peloton stayed together before the final run into Legnica. A crash in the closing two kilometers slightly disrupted proceedings, but all the Grenadiers managed to stay upright to make it to the finish.
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Team Picnic-PostNL posted this Tour of Poland report:
The sprinters had to be sharp on the opening day of the Tour de Pologne. The nearly 200 km flat stage from Wrocław to Legnica offered a prime opportunity for a bunch sprint. With wet roads after earlier rain, staying alert was key throughout the day. The breakaway formed early, with three riders going clear. The peloton — with Team Picnic PostNL riding attentively near the front to protect fast finisher Casper van Uden — kept the gap firmly under control. The escapees never gained more than two and a half minutes and were reeled in with just under 40 km to go, confirming we were heading for the expected sprint finish.
Van Uden was kept perfectly positioned by his teammates, and up until 6 kilometers to go, the Team Picnic PostNL train was running smoothly. But things got chaotic in the final phase. A small miscommunication disrupted the lead-out, breaking the team’s momentum. Then, just before the flamme rouge, a crash occurred involving Patrick Eddy. Fortunately, Eddy was able to get back on his bike, but the chaos in the closing kilometers meant Van Uden was no longer in position to fight for a top result. He lead the team home on 16th place.
Bauke Mollema & Olav Kooij just after the stage. Sirotti photo
Team Picnic PostNL coach Rudi Kemna reflected on the stage: “It was a controlled day for the team until a hectic final. We were well-positioned up to the 6 km mark, but a small miscommunication disrupted our lead-out. As a result, we lost structure and control in the final phase, which ultimately cost us a strong result. On to tomorrow, we are ready to fight again!”
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
A professional since 2017, Edward Planckaert [currently riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck] has agreed a deal with Soudal Quick-Step, which will see him ride for our team until the end of 2028. Hailing from Kortrijk, Planckaert has shown his quality many times in stage and one-day races, and in the bunch sprints, where often his lead-out skills have made a big difference to his team’s results.
Edward Planckaert racing the fifth stage of the 2018 Etoile de Besseges. Sirotti photo
“I started riding my bike when I was just eight years old, dreaming of one day joining a team like Soudal Quick-Step, and I’m incredibly happy this dream will finally become reality next year. I have always admired the Wolfpack’s fighting spirit and how they always race with their heart, so to become part of this team from 2026 onwards is something really special. As a proud Flandrien, I am ready to give everything and help my leaders and the squad get as many victories as possible”, said Edward, whose favourite races are Paris-Roubaix and La Vuelta.
“As we continue to strengthen our team for next season, we bring in Edward, who’s a rider that can do well in many different races and scenarios. He has shown what he is capable of since joining the World Tour and that makes us confident that his support and experience in the Classics, navigating Grand Tours, and flat finishes, can help us when it will matter the most”, explained Soudal Quick-Step CEO Jurgen Foré.
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