2026 Tour de Pologne-Tour of Poland (WT)

83rd edition: August 3 - 9, 2026

Tour of Poland historical results | 2025 edition | Start list
Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 | Stage 6 | Stage 7

Here's the map of the 2026 Tour of Poland. Seven stages totalling 1,111 kilometers

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Sunday, August 9: 7th & Final Stage, Wieliczka Salt Mine (Kopalnia Soli “Wieliczka”) 12.5 km individual time trial.

Stage 7 map & profile | Stage 7 photos

Gerben Thijssen, the first rider off, is about to start his ride.

Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2023 Tour de France, 2023: The Viking Again Conquers the Tour is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the city of Wieliczka at 2:45 PM, local time: 27C (80F), sunny, with the wind from the east at 11 km/hr (7 mph). No rain is forecast.

The stage: The competition in the 83rd Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour – just like a year ago – will be crowned by an individual time trial with the start and finish at the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine. The 12.4-kilometer route already showed in the previous edition that it can lead to changes at the top of the ORLEN General Classification. The stage will begin with a climb of slightly over 1.5 kilometers, and then the route will lead through flat and slightly descending terrain back to the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine, where we will find out the final results. A year ago, Brandon McNulty claimed a double victory here, and thanks to winning the time trial, he triumphed in the entire race.

The race: Patrick Gamper (Jayco AlUla) & Marceli Boguslawski (Poland) did not start.

Gerben Thijssen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) was the first rider off at 1:56 PM.

Here's the race organizer's stage seven report:

The final 7th stage of the 83rd edition of the Tour de Pologne brought incredible twists and turns along the 12.5-kilometer individual time trial, starting and finishing at the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine. Under superb weather conditions – 27 degrees Celsius, full sunshine, and virtually no wind – the riders faced an unforgiving battle against the clock. The last rider rolled off the start ramp at 4:14 PM, and high-stakes drama unfolded right from the start.

Stage victory went to Switzerland’s Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), who covered the course in 14’25” at an average speed of 51.9 km/h, edging out Finn Fisher-Black and Callum Thornley (both Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) by just four hundredths of a second. However, it was his teammate, Marco Brenner, who stole the show. The young German delivered the time trial of his life (14’37”, earning 7th place on the stage), launching a dramatic leap in the standings to seal his victory in both the ORLEN General Classification and the Lang Team Points Classification.

“Was this the time trial of my life? The short answer is yes. It was a perfect day for me. I knew I had a huge opportunity– if everything went well, winning the general classification was within my reach. I knew my potential from the past; although it slipped a bit in recent years, I put a ton of work into time trial bike training again this year. I’m thrilled that everything came together perfectly today. The turning point was the second tough stage, where I finished second. A day earlier, I was involved in a crash and didn’t know how things would unfold, but I didn’t give up. I showed that I’m one of the best climbers and believed I could fight for a podium or another big result. However, I only truly believed in the overall win yesterday after the stage when I saw my great starting position ahead of the time trial,” a thrilled Marco Brenner recounted at the finish line.

The German rider added that while he had a quick flight home to catch, he leaves Poland with unforgettable memories:

“I didn’t win a single stage here, but the ultimate success is the result of consistent riding at the very front every day. I’m much happier about the leader’s jersey than winning the points classification. Today I still must catch my flight, and what I’ve achieved will probably sink in over the next few days. The best part for me was yesterday’s route– beautiful surroundings and so many amazing fans. Polish people are truly wonderful. I raced here back in 2022 and had great memories, so I was really looking forward to returning. The entire race was brilliantly organized. Will I come back next year? We’ll see what plans the team prepares, but I would love to return.”

Time trial winner Stefan Küng was equally delighted after a race filled with breakthrough moments:

“It was the race of my life and a perfect day. The key moment for me was the stage to Karpacz – after crashing on an earlier stage, I gained confidence that I was among the best climbers and believed in a podium spot. But it was only yesterday, when I saw my position ahead of the time trial, that it struck me I could fight for the win. It was hard to sleep last night due to the excitement, but I knew how much hard work I put into my time trial riding this year. I didn’t win any stage, but the key was steady, consistent riding at the front every single day. Even though I won the points classification as well, the leader’s yellow jersey and the overall victory mean the most to me. I have fantastic memories from Poland– the fans and organization are outstanding, and the routes are beautiful. I’ll gladly come back if it fits into my racing schedule.”

Poles on the Course: Kwiatkowski’s Determination and Gruszczyński’s Promising Performance

The course in Wieliczka also brought final resolutions in the competition among Polish riders. A very strong performance was delivered by Michał Kwiatkowski (Netcompany INEOS), whose time of 15’02” made him the highest-placed Polish rider on Stage 7. The decorated cyclist emphasized how much energy he draws from domestic fans and outlined his upcoming plans for the season:

“My motivation is at one hundred percent. From the beginning of the season, my plan was to prepare for the World Championships through the Canadian classics– Québec and Montréal. I have over four weeks to catch my breath and train, and after the World Championships, I’d like to ride a few more classics and perhaps the European Championships. It will be a long journey, almost like a grand tour in terms of racing days, but I enjoy racing in Canada. Injuries and tough moments are part of my life. I do what I love, give one hundred percent every day, and I don’t see myself in any other role right now. That’s the example I want to set for the kids at my academy and for my daughters – you must approach everything professionally. What I will remember most from the Tour de Pologne is how recognizable I am and how amazingly the Polish fans support me. Sitting on the bus alongside riders like Egan Bernal or Geraint Thomas, I take immense pleasure in representing Poland and want to give that support back on the road. My rule is simple: hard work over a long period, never giving up, and doing what I do best.”

Meanwhile, the highest-placed Pole in the General Classification was Filip Gruszczyński (Polish National Team), who completed the race in a strong 25th place overall. The young national team rider summarized his start with perspective and a smile:

“I rate the race very positively– the bike from my dad worked great, and the time trial result was quite okay relative to my preparation. I leave with the title of top Pole, satisfaction, and the conviction that I can compete with the world’s elite. I’ll remember the great atmosphere, crowds of fans, and the personalized gingerbreads featuring the Tour de Pologne logo and my name that our team received. I don’t intend to keep them as souvenirs – I’m going to enjoy eating them over the next few days.”

Final standings were also settled in the other classifications: Walter Calzoni (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) defended the PZU white jersey with blue polka dots as best climber, while Radosław Frątczak (Polish National Team) sealed victory in the most active rider competition, taking the Lotto blue jersey on the podium.

Complete results:

Photos

12.5 kilometers raced at an average speed of 52.023 km/hr

1	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	14min 25sec
2	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	@ 4sec
3	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
4	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	0:05
5	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	0:09
6	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:10
7	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:11
8	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	0:14
9	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
10	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:16
11	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	0:18
12	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
13	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	0:19
14	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	0:20
15	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
16	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	0:21
17	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:24
18	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	0:25
19	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
20	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	0:26
21	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
22	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	0:27
23	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	0:28
24	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:29
25	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	0:31
26	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
27	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	0:32
28	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	0:33
29	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	0:34
30	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	0:35
31	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	0:36
32	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:37
33	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	0:38
34	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
35	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:39
36	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
37	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
38	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	0:40
39	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
40	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
41	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
42	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	0:42
43	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
44	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
45	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
46	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
47	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	0:45
48	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	0:47
49	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
50	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	0:48
51	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	0:49
52	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	0:50
53	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
54	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:51
55	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:55
56	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	0:56
57	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	0:57
58	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	0:58
59	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	1:01
60	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
61	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	1:02
62	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	1:03
63	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	1:04
64	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	1:05
65	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
66	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	1:06
67	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
68	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:07
69	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
70	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	1:08
71	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	1:09
72	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
73	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	1:10
74	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	1:11
75	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
76	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	1:12
77	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	1:13
78	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
79	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
80	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
81	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	1:14
82	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	1:15
83	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	1:16
84	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	1:17
85	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
86	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	1:18
87	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
88	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
89	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
90	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	1:19
91	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:20
92	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
93	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	1:24
94	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
95	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	1:25
96	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	1:26
97	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
98	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	1:29
99	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	1:30
100	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
101	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	1:31
102	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	1:32
103	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	1:33
104	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
105	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	1:34
106	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	1:37
107	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
108	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
109	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:38
110	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
111	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	1:44
112	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	1:45
113	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	1:46
114	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	1:49
115	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	1:51
116	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	1:52
117	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	1:53
118	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	1:57
119	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	1:59
120	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	2:00
121	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
122	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	2:04
123	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	2:07
124	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	2:15
125	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	2:16
126	Patryk Stosz	Poland	2:28
127	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	2:34

 

Final GC after stage 7:

• GC winner: Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)
• Mountains classification winner: Walter Calzoni (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team)
• Points classification winner: Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)
• Teams classification winner: Visma | Lease a Bike

1,096.1 kilometers raced at an average speed of 44.623 km/hr

1	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	24hr 33min 49sec
2	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	@ 10sec
3	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	0:16
4	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:19
5	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:20
6	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	0:22
7	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	0:25
8	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	0:28
9	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	0:30
10	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:34
11	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	0:40
12	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	0:48
13	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	0:52
14	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	1:03
15	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:07
16	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	1:08
17	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	1:09
18	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	1:18
19	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	1:26
20	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	2:06
21	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	2:13
22	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	2:17
23	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	2:20
24	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	2:34
25	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	2:48
26	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	3:15
27	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	3:29
28	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	3:41
29	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	4:04
30	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	4:12
31	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	4:40
32	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	5:18
33	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	6:00
34	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	6:09
35	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	6:19
36	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	7:51
37	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	8:32
38	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	8:43
39	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	9:27
40	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	9:46
41	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	10:23
42	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	10:38
43	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	11:02
44	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	11:18
45	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	11:24
46	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	11:47
47	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	12:13
48	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	13:44
49	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	13:48
50	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	16:21
51	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	17:46
52	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	18:38
53	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	19:30
54	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	20:38
55	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	20:40
56	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	21:21
57	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	21:56
58	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	22:40
59	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	23:06
60	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	23:10
61	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	23:17
62	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
63	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	23:23
64	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	23:27
65	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	23:30
66	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	23:31
67	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	24:39
68	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	24:42
69	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	25:49
70	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	26:31
71	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	27:36
72	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	27:44
73	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	27:46
74	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	27:56
75	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	28:26
76	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	28:44
77	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	29:01
78	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	29:47
79	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	30:07
80	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	30:30
81	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	31:21
82	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	31:49
83	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	32:01
84	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	32:16
85	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	32:21
86	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	32:52
87	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	33:23
88	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	33:47
89	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	34:06
90	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	34:10
91	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	34:25
92	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	34:39
93	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	34:47
94	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	35:36
95	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	35:46
96	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	36:04
97	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	37:08
98	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	37:29
99	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	38:12
100	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	38:36
101	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	38:38
102	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	38:49
103	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	38:53
104	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	39:05
105	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	39:48
106	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	39:57
107	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	40:16
108	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	40:27
109	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	41:23
110	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	41:25
111	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	42:23
112	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	44:31
113	Patryk Stosz	Poland	44:32
114	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	46:08
115	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	48:54
116	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	49:08
117	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	51:21
118	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	51:40
119	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	52:04
120	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	53:56
121	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	54:14
122	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	54:54
123	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	55:07
124	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	56:09
125	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	1:01:14
126	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	1:02:17
127	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:10:35

 

Stage 7 map & profile:

Stage 7 map

Stage 7 profile

Stage 7 photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

Stefan Küng on his way to winning the stage.

Meacnwhile, Marco Brenner's 7th in the stage was good enough to win the Tour of Poland.

Finn Fisher-Black was second in the stage and second in the final GC.

Iván Romeo's fourth in the stage was good enough for third in the final GC.

British time trial champion Ethan Hayter was eighth.

American time trial champion Artem Schmidt was ninth.

Overnight GC leader Christian Scaroni was 49th in the stage, @ 47 seconds.

Stage winner Stefan Küng

The Visma | Lease a Bike squad won the Teams Classification.

The final GC podium, from left: Finn Fisher-Black (2nd), Marco Brenner (1st), & Iván Romeo (3rd)

Marco Brenner, winner of the 2026 Tour of Poland.

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Saturday, August 8: Stage 6, Bukovina Resort - Bukowina Tatrzańska, 125.5 km

Stage 6 map & profile | Stage 6 photos

Louis Barré takes a solo win.

Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2020: The Tour During Covid-19, Better Late Than Never is available in both Kindle eBook and Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the finish city of Bukowina Tatrzańska at 2:35 PM, local time: 18C (65F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the north at 10 km/hr (6 mph). There is just a 1% chance of rain.

The stage: The penultimate stage traditionally promises an exceptional spectacle on the BUKOVINA Resort – Bukowina Tatrzańska route. This is the iconic, “queen” stage of the race. Despite a short route, it will be packed with climbs and it is possible that it will turn the ORLEN General Classification upside down. Shortly after the start, the competitors will fight at the LOTTO Sprint Prime in Biały Dunajec, and then enter the mountainous Tatra terrain. The organizers have prepared the PZU Mountain Primes in Leszczyny, Słodyczki and Pitoniówka for the competitors.

Next, the peloton will enter a lap with a demanding climb up the BUKOVINA Wall in Gliczarów, marked as a 1st category PZU Mountain Prime. Cyclists will ride through it as many as 3 times, which guarantees great emotions. The finish line in Bukowina Tatrzańska will also be located on a climb, which means that the route will not let up on the riders until the very end. Only a true mountain specialist will be able to join the prestigious group of winners in Bukowina Tatrzańska, in which there are the likes of Rafał Majka, Remco Evenepoel, Simon Yates or Joao Almeida.

The race: Here's the race organizer's stage six summary.

The royal 6th stage of the 83rd Tour de Pologne delivered immense excitement to cycling fans along the 125-kilometer route around Bukowina Tatrzańska. Following a spectacular solo charge in the closing kilometers, Frenchman Louis Barré (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) claimed the stage victory. Meanwhile, second-place finisher Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team) took over the ORLEN General Classification lead.

High-Mountain Thrills and Barré’s Solo Charge
From the very start, the racing unfolded at a blistering pace, averaging nearly 42 km/h. On the numerous climbs—including Sierockie, Słodyczki, and Pitoniówka—Walter Calzoni (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) shined brightest, repeatedly claiming PZU KOM Primes to become the new leader of the mountain’s classification.

The decisive moves came during the four ascents up the iconic Ściana BUKOVINA (1.6 km; 9.5%). With several dozen kilometers remaining, a two-man breakaway formed at the front: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) and Louis Barré. On the final climb up Ściana BUKOVINA, the Frenchman dropped the Colombian rider and launched a solo effort to the line.

Despite an attack by Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) and continuous chase attempts behind, Barré maintained his lead to cross the finish line solo in Bukowina Tatrzańska. Christian Scaroni sprinted to second place, securing the yellow jersey as the new overall leader. Filip Gruszczyński (Poland National Team) was the top Polish rider of the stage, finishing in a strong 23rd place.

Stage Winner’s Statement – Louis Barré:
“It’s a pity we lost the leader’s jersey, but the time trial is ahead of us and we are still aiming for the general classification win. My attack today came from great form and the desire to make up for yesterday’s third place. Huge thanks to the whole team for their hard work – this is our shared success. Tomorrow, I’ll give it my all and we’ll see what the time trial brings.”

New General Classification Leader – Christian Scaroni:
“To be honest, I didn’t expect to take the leader’s jersey today. At the start of the stage, I didn’t feel my best and suffered quite a bit in the peloton, but the whole team did a massive job for me. Visma controlled the tempo for most of the day, which worked in our favor because Alberto Bettiol and I know we are fast on these short, steep climbs. Before the final lap, we took initiative and pulled hard at the front to set up the finish. It’s a shame that one rider got away and we finished second, but I am extremely proud of the guys. We have the leader’s jersey, and even though tomorrow’s time trial isn’t my specialty, we will definitely give everything to secure the best possible result.”

Best Polish Rider on Stage 6 – Filip Gruszczyński:
“I thought that instead of letting go, I’d take a risk and jump into the breakaway. Besides, it was easier to ride my own pace than to slow down and accelerate again. I had a tough start because I don’t really like dynamic starts and need time to ease into the stage, but Kuba Kaczmarek helped me out on the first kilometers. I survived and made it to the finish. As for my family – mom and dad will definitely be in Kraków. My dad has supported me from the very beginning, and if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. He’s an amateur cyclist himself, so he doesn’t pretend to be my coach or advisor, but his everyday support is simply invaluable.”

LOTTO Most Active Rider Leader – Radosław Frątczak:
“I was worried about making the time limit, but I managed to finish with plenty of time to spare. The fear and the incredible fans gave me huge motivation – thanks to their cheering on the course, my legs hurt less. It was great to see iconic characters along the way, like the Devil or Jack Sparrow. I slept peacefully before the start, my recovery is going well, and I’m hoping for a similar, restful sleep tonight. Tomorrow is the final day, so we’re going full throttle – I’ll give everything I’ve got! See you next year.”

Complete results:

Photos

125.5 kilometers raced at an average speed of 39.831 km/hr

1	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	3hr 9min 3sec
2	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	@ 10sec
3	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
4	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
5	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
6	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
7	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
8	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
9	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
10	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
11	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	0:15
12	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
13	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
14	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
15	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
16	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
17	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
18	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
19	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
20	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
21	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:25
22	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	0:33
23	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	0:36
24	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	0:44
25	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	1:23
26	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
27	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
28	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
29	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
30	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	s.t.
31	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
32	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	2:15
33	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	3:18
34	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
35	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
36	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
37	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
38	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
39	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
40	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
41	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	5:14
42	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	5:56
43	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	6:35
44	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	7:43
45	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
46	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
47	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	7:57
48	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
49	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
50	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	9:28
51	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	10:12
52	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
53	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
54	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
55	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	11:23
56	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
57	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
58	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
59	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
60	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
61	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
62	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
63	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
64	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
65	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
66	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
67	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
68	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
69	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
70	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
71	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
72	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	11:47
73	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	12:38
74	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	14:18
75	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
76	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	14:50
77	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	16:29
78	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	17:59
79	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
80	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	18:25
81	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
82	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
83	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
84	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
85	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
86	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
87	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
88	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
89	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
90	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
91	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	19:55
92	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
93	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	22:40
94	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
95	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
96	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
97	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
98	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
99	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
100	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
101	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
102	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
103	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
104	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
105	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
106	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
107	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
108	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
109	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
110	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
111	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
112	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	s.t.
113	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
114	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	s.t.
115	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
116	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
117	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
118	Patryk Stosz	Poland	s.t.
119	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
120	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	s.t.
121	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
122	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
123	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	27:07
124	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
125	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
126	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
127	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
128	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	27:26
129	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	s.t.

 

GC after stage 6:

• GC leader: Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana)
• Mountains classification leader: Walter Calzoni (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team)
• Points classification leader: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• Teams classification leader: Visma | Lease a Bike

1,083.6 kilometers raced so far at at average speed of 44.561 km/hr

1	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	24hr 19min 2sec
2	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	@ 3sec
3	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:05
4	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:11
5	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	0:23
6	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:28
7	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
8	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	0:32
9	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
10	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	0:33
11	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
12	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:38
13	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
14	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	0:41
15	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	0:44
16	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	0:55
17	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:56
18	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	0:58
19	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
20	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	1:13
21	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	1:31
22	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:49
23	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	1:52
24	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	1:53
25	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	2:04
26	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	2:26
27	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	2:31
28	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	2:50
29	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	4:01
30	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	4:20
31	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	4:34
32	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	4:50
33	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	5:08
34	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	5:22
35	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	5:25
36	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	6:56
37	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	8:09
38	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	8:23
39	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	8:31
40	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	9:26
41	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	9:32
42	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	10:35
43	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	10:44
44	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	10:51
45	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	11:01
46	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	11:05
47	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	11:22
48	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	12:56
49	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	13:12
50	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	16:15
51	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	16:42
52	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	17:55
53	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	18:46
54	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	19:40
55	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	19:55
56	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	20:06
57	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	20:55
58	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	21:02
59	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	21:51
60	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	22:05
61	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	22:50
62	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
63	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	22:52
64	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	23:06
65	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	23:07
66	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	23:12
67	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	23:45
68	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	24:02
69	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	24:41
70	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	25:31
71	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	25:40
72	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	26:07
73	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	26:29
74	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	27:12
75	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	27:18
76	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	27:28
77	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	27:51
78	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	28:50
79	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	29:06
80	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	29:27
81	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	30:09
82	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	30:41
83	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	31:04
84	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	31:12
85	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	31:36
86	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	31:52
87	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	32:19
88	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	32:32
89	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	32:52
90	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	32:55
91	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	33:04
92	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	33:29
93	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	33:43
94	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	34:06
95	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	35:17
96	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	35:19
97	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	35:46
98	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	35:54
99	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	37:24
100	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	37:34
101	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	37:36
102	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	37:44
103	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	37:57
104	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	38:15
105	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
106	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	38:20
107	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	38:42
108	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	38:45
109	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	39:24
110	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	40:34
111	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	41:30
112	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	41:35
113	Patryk Stosz	Poland	42:26
114	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	42:54
115	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	43:31
116	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	44:14
117	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	47:41
118	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	48:37
119	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	50:05
120	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	50:10
121	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	50:57
122	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	52:51
123	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	53:01
124	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	53:29
125	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	53:52
126	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	54:53
127	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	59:39
128	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	1:00:05
129	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:08:57

 

Stage 6 map & profile:

Stage 6 map

Stage 6 profile

Stage 6 photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

The peloton races across the Polish countryside.

Racing through a Polish town.

Wilco Kelderman and Louis Barré, among others, on a climb.

Louis Barré with an XDS Astana escort.

Louis Barré wins stage six.

Christian Scaroni beats Marco Brenner in the sprint for second place.

Eleventh-place Jan Christen leads his group across the line.

Overnight GC leader Bart Lemmen in his last moments in the GC leader's jersey.

Jonathan Milan leads the points competition

New GC leader Christian Scaroni will start the seventh & final stage in yellow.

---

Friday, August 7: Stage 5, Opole - Kocierz Resort, 218.9 km

Stage 5 map & profile | Stage 5 photos

Jan Christen wins stage five.

Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 1: 1903 - 1975 is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the city of Wilamowice, on the route, 59 km from the finish, at 3:00 PM, local time: 23C (73F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the east-northeast at 11 km/hr (7 mph). There is a 7% chance of rain.

The stage: On the fifth day of the struggle in the 83rd Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour, the riders will cover 218 kilometers. The stage will begin in Opole, where 3 years ago Olav Kooij reached for victory, from where the riders will set off towards the Beskids. Along the way, they will finish at the LOTTO Sprint Primes in Ujazd, Pisarzowice in the Wilamowice Municipality and Bielsko-Biała, the Polish Capital of Culture.

In addition, a DPD Special Prime is located on the route. Riders who find themselves well in mountainous terrain will in turn fight at the PZU Mountain Primes on Mount St. Anne and the demanding Przegibek Pass, from which less than 40 kilometers will remain to the finish line. The finish line will once again be located on a climb – this time at Kocierz Resort. In the past, the Tour de Pologne peloton passed through this climb, but for the first time we will know the stage winner there.

The race: Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ United), & Jardi Van Der Lee (EF Education-EasyPost) did not start.

Here's the race organizer's stage five report:

The peloton of the 83rd edition of the Tour de Pologne provided fans with unforgettable excitement on the 218.9 km stage from Opole to Kocierz Resort. After a fierce battle in a dynamic finale, the sensational Swiss rider Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) claimed a solo victory, launching a decisive attack in the final kilometers and holding off the chasing group by a narrow margin. The shift at the front of the race also brought a new overall leader—Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) took over the ORLEN yellow jersey.

Mountain Tests and the Crucial Przegibek
The route presented riders with their first serious tests in demanding, hilly terrain. Among the key highlights was the ascent of Przegibek (4.1 km; 5.7%), where the pace in the peloton surged dramatically. Driven by the high speed and continuous attacks at the front, the breakaway was eventually reeled in with 4 kilometers remaining.

Late Attacks and the Swiss Champion’s Solo Charge
In the final 3 kilometers, teams seeking an opportunity before the ultimate climb came to the fore—Lidl-Trek riders and Michał Kwiatkowski (Netcompany INEOS) pushed hard at the front of the peloton, causing significant splits in the pack. Neilson Powless (EF Education – EasyPost) upped the tempo, but it was a powerful attack by the Swiss champion, Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), that proved decisive.

Christen established a slim lead and began his solo charge against the peloton with 1,600 meters to go. With just 400 meters remaining, Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) launched a dangerous counterattack, drawing nearly level with the Swiss rider. However, Christen maintained his pace and was the first to cross the finish line in Kocierz Resort.

“Our plan was to watch our rivals or fight in the sprint. I knew everyone was waiting for my attack, so I waited patiently. When I saw the others suffering, I made my move—even though my back was hurting badly from yesterday’s crash. In the final meters, I controlled the group and saved energy for the final sprint, which brought the win. Today’s dynamic profile suited me very well. We came here with a four-rider squad, so there is no pressure on us. I already have a stage win and a good GC position, so I’m approaching the coming days with calm and without pressure,” said Jan Christen at the finish line.

“This stage was bittersweet for me—I’m happy to be the top Pole, but I lacked the legs a bit on the final wall. This is my first time riding such a big race as a team leader, which is a completely different challenge than helping teammates in the club. I moved closer to the top 20 in the general classification, but my time losses grew, so I need to adjust my strategy. On the upcoming tough mountain stages, I’ll look for opportunities in breakaways, hoping my rivals might underestimate me a bit, and I can fight to climb up the GC in a heavily split field,” summarized Filip Gruszczyński.

Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) expressed his joy at taking the general classification lead: “It was a tough stage, but we had everything under control from the start. The real racing began on the first major climb, and on the final wall, it came down to who had the best legs. I’m happy to have taken the yellow jersey, but crucial days lie ahead—tomorrow will be a hard battle right from the start, and we’ll have to give absolutely everything in the final time trial. My path to the professional peloton was unusual, as I served in the Royal Netherlands Air Force from 2014 to 2022, including as a protection platoon commander. I started racing as an amateur in 2017, and step by step, season by season, I reached where I am today,” highlighted the race leader.

Complete results:

Photos

218.9 kilometers raced at an average speed of 44.744 km/hr

1	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	4hr 53min 32sec
2	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
3	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	@ 4sec
4	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	0:05
5	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
6	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
7	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
8	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
9	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
10	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
11	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
12	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
13	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
14	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
15	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
16	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
17	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	0:11
18	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	0:13
19	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
20	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
21	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
22	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:16
23	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
24	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	0:23
25	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
26	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	0:26
27	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	0:36
28	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
29	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	0:40
30	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
31	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	0:44
32	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	0:49
33	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
34	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
35	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
36	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
37	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
38	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	0:53
39	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
40	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	1:02
41	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	1:08
42	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	1:21
43	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:23
44	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	1:29
45	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	1:31
46	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
47	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
48	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
49	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
50	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	s.t.
51	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	1:34
52	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:40
53	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	2:04
54	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	2:22
55	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	2:38
56	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	2:44
57	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
58	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
59	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
60	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
61	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
62	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
63	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
64	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
65	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
66	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	s.t.
67	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
68	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
69	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
70	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
71	Patryk Stosz	Poland	3:44
72	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	s.t.
73	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
74	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
75	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
76	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
77	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	4:12
78	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	4:32
79	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
80	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
81	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
82	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
83	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
84	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
85	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	4:35
86	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	5:13
87	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	5:22
88	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
89	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
90	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
91	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	5:31
92	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	5:51
93	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
94	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
95	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
96	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
97	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
98	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
99	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
100	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
101	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
102	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	s.t.
103	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
104	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
105	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
106	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
107	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
108	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
109	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
110	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
111	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	6:01
112	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	6:58
113	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	7:27
114	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	7:33
115	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	8:54
116	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	9:05
117	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
118	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	9:49
119	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	10:03
120	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	10:14
121	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	10:37
122	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
123	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	12:00
124	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	12:01
125	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	14:22
126	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
127	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	14:52
128	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
129	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
130	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	s.t.
131	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	15:40
132	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	15:46
133	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	15:52
134	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	s.t.
135	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	16:13
136	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	26:07

 

GC after stage 5:

• GC leader: Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Mountains classification leader: Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco AlUla)
• Points classification leader: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• Teams classification leader: Visma | Lease a Bike

959.5 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 45.337 km/hr

1	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	21hr 9min 49sec
2	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	@ 6sec
3	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:15
4	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	0:18
5	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:23
6	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	0:27
7	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	28
8	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
9	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
10	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	0:32
11	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:33
12	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
13	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
14	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
15	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	0:36
16	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	0:39
17	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	0:41
18	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	0:50
19	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:51
20	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
21	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:53
22	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
23	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	0:58
24	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	1:08
25	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	1:13
26	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
27	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	1:19
28	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	1:26
29	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
30	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	1:37
31	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	1:59
32	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
33	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	2:00
34	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	2:14
35	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	2:15
36	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	2:16
37	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	2:17
38	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	2:23
39	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	2:54
40	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	3:04
41	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	3:06
42	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	3:10
43	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	3:18
44	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	3:35
45	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	3:37
46	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	3:48
47	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	3:50
48	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	5:02
49	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	5:15
50	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	5:21
51	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	5:29
52	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	5:57
53	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	6:36
54	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	6:52
55	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	7:18
56	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	7:52
57	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	8:26
58	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	8:27
59	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	8:42
60	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
61	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	8:53
62	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	9:22
63	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	9:31
64	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	9:42
65	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	10:34
66	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	10:35
67	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	10:59
68	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	11:13
69	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
70	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	11:30
71	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	11:36
72	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	11:37
73	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	11:39
74	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	11:49
75	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	11:59
76	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	12:26
77	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	12:47
78	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	12:49
79	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
80	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
81	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	13:16
82	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	13:22
83	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	13:23
84	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	13:24
85	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	13:29
86	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	13:50
87	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	14:04
88	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	14:27
89	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	14:37
90	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	14:40
91	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	14:47
92	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	14:54
93	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	15:06
94	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	15:16
95	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	15:27
96	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	15:29
97	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	15:32
98	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	15:45
99	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
100	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	15:59
101	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	16:05
102	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	16:12
103	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	16:15
104	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
105	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
106	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	16:54
107	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	16:59
108	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	19:00
109	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	19:29
110	Patryk Stosz	Poland	19:56
111	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	20:24
112	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
113	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	21:44
114	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	22:07
115	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	22:19
116	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	23:08
117	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	23:20
118	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	23:24
119	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	23:26
120	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	25:11
121	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	25:55
122	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	25:57
123	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	26:04
124	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	26:07
125	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	26:32
126	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	27:07
127	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	27:40
128	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	27:56
129	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	28:27
130	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	30:21
131	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	31:21
132	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	31:22
133	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	32:49
134	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	37:09
135	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	37:18
136	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	42:00

 

Stage 5 map & profile:

Stage 5 map

Stage 5 profile

Stage 5 photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

Netcompany INEOS riders head to the start.

Valentin Madouas signs in

Ethan Hayter looks ready to go race bicycles.

A bunched peloton makes its way across the Polish countryside.

And here's the peloton a bit stretched out.

Jan Christen beats Marco Brenner for the stage win.

Jan Christen celebrates his victory.

Louis Barré was third acorss the line.

Axel Laurance beats Paul Lapeira for fourth.

GC leader Bart Lemmen finishes eleventh.

Stage winner Jan Christen, who is the current Swiss road champion.

GC leader Bart Lemmen will start stage six in yellow.

---

Thursday, August 6: Stage 4, Żagań - Karpacz, 176 161.9 km

Stage 4 map & profile | Stage 4 photos

Bart Lemmen beats Christian Scaroni for the stage win and takes over the GC leadership.

Les Woodland's book Cycling’s 50 Craziest Stories is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the finish city of Karpacz at 2:30 PM, local time: 26C (80F), showers in the vicinity, with the wind from the west-southwest at 6 km/hr (4 mph). At 3:00 PM there is a 64% chance of rain, dropping to 12% at 4:00 PM.

The stage: The fourth stage of this year’s Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour will be the first truly mountainous challenge. The competitors will face the demanding and picturesque routes of Lower Silesia. The stage will begin in Żagań, and the terrain in which the cyclists of the best teams in the world will compete will gradually rise. On the route there will be two Special Primes – Hotel Gołębiewski and Hotel Seidorf, as well as the 3 PZU Mountain Primes – in Antoniów, Borowice and Karpacz, just 4 kilometers before the finish line. The end of the stage is full of difficulties, and the riders will be taken their toll by both the categorized climbs and the final wall at Orlinek in Karpacz. The iconic finish line of the Tour de Pologne, which remembers the triumphs of Alberto Contador, Matej Mohoric, Thibau Nys or Paul Lapeira, will once again be the arena of a great cycling spectacle.

The race: Anton Schiffer (Visma | Lease a Bike) & Maurice Ballerstedt (Alpecin-Premier Tech) did not start.

Here's the race organizer's stage four report:

The peloton of the 83rd Tour de Pologne entered the mountains, kicking off the first act of the mountain triptych on a 161.9 km stage from Żagań to Karpacz. The final climb delivered great excitement, with Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) emerging as the hero of the day. After taking the stage victory with a time of 3:54:45, he also put on the yellow jersey as the leader of the ORLEN general classification.

Crash, neutralization, and route change at riders’ request

Before the resolution on the final climb, the progression of the fourth stage was heavily disrupted 42 km from the finish, where a crash involving around 30 riders took place. Among those on the tarmac were overall leader Jonathan Milan and João Almeida, while an injured Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates) was forced to withdraw.

The organizers reacted with a neutralization of the stage. Following consultations with the peloton, the decision was made to alter the route and bypass a dangerous, slippery descent.

"When we saw the crash, we neutralized the race to give the affected riders a chance. Then the unions asked to bypass the slippery descent. We accommodated the riders. As soon as the emergency services confirmed readiness, we directed the peloton onto an alternative route," summarized Tour de Pologne race director, Czesław Lang.

Solo attack in Karpacz and Team Visma | Lease a Bike masterclass

After racing resumed and reached the approach to the final ascent, Team Visma | Lease a Bike set the pace. With under 6 kilometers to go, a strong four-man group formed at the front: Bart Lemmen, his teammate Tijmen Graat, Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team), and Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling Team).

When Graat dropped from the lead group, Bart Lemmen launched a decisive attack. The Dutchman won the 1st category mountain prime in Karpacz and established a strong solo pace, pulling away to a 15-second lead. Despite a chase from Christian Scaroni, who managed to drop Marco Brenner, Lemmen held his advantage to cross the line just ahead of the Italian. Third place went to Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS), 14 seconds behind.

At the finish line, Bart Lemmen reflected on his performance and the events on the road: "It’s an amazing feeling, I still can’t believe it. I’ve been saying for a long time that I was fed up with not winning, and today it finally happened. After the crash, I had huge doubts about whether to even continue riding. Everything hurt, but once I got back on the bike, the adrenaline kicked in. I also wanted to help Louis Barré. After that crash, the peloton rode a bit more cautiously, which opened up space for me to attack. I took a risk – I figured it was easier to give it my all when nobody was sitting on my wheel. After so many attempts, I could finally cross the finish line with my hands up and put on the leader’s jersey."

Complete results:

Photos

161.9 kilometers raced at an average speed of 41.380 km/hr

1	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	3hr 54min 45sec
2	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
3	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	@ 14sec
4	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
5	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:16
6	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
7	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
8	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
9	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
10	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	0:20
11	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
12	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	0:21
13	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
14	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
15	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
16	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
17	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
18	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
19	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
20	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
21	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
22	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
23	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
24	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
25	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	30
26	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
27	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
28	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
29	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
30	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
31	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
32	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
33	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
34	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
35	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	0:44
36	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	0:46
37	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
38	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	s.t.
39	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
40	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
41	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	0:58
42	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	1:20
43	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	1:24
44	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	1:27
45	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
46	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	1:32
47	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
48	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	2:04
49	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	2:09
50	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	2:11
51	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	2:14
52	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	2:22
53	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	2:30
54	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	2:39
55	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
56	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
57	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	2:45
58	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	3:06
59	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
60	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	4:19
61	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
62	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
63	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	4:55
64	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	5:01
65	Jardi Van Der Lee	EF Education-EasyPost	5:34
66	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	5:47
67	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	5:51
68	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
69	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
70	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
71	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	s.t.
72	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
73	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
74	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
75	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	7:44
76	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
77	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
78	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
79	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
80	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
81	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
82	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	s.t.
83	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	7:55
84	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
85	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	8:35
86	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	9:58
87	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
88	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
89	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
90	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
91	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
92	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
93	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
94	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
95	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
96	Samuele Battistella	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
97	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	10:15
98	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
99	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	10:17
100	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
101	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	s.t.
102	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
103	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	s.t.
104	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
105	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
106	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
107	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
108	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
109	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
110	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
111	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
112	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
113	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
114	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
115	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	10:27
116	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	10:38
117	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	10:39
118	Patryk Stosz	Poland	s.t.
119	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	10:48
120	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	10:56
121	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	11:33
122	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	11:50
123	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	12:40
124	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	13:22
125	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
126	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	13:28
127	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
128	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	14:33
129	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	14:49
130	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	15:46
131	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
132	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	s.t.
133	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
134	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
135	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
136	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
137	João Almeida	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	16:00
138	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
139	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	16:23
140	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
141	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	19:13

 

GC after stage 4:

• GC leader: Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Mountains classification leader: Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Points classification leader: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• Teams classification leader: Visma | Lease a Bike

740.6 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 45.519 km/hr

1	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	16hr 16min 12sec
2	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	@ 6sec
3	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	0:26
4	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	0:27
5	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:28
6	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
7	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
8	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
9	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
10	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	0:32
11	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	0:33
12	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
13	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
14	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
15	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
16	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
17	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
18	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
19	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
20	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
21	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
22	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
23	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
24	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	0:42
25	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
26	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
27	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
28	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
29	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
30	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
31	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
32	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
33	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
34	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	0:56
35	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	0:58
36	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
37	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
38	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
39	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	s.t.
40	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
41	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	1:10
42	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	1:32
43	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	1:36
44	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	1:38
45	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	1:39
46	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
47	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:44
48	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	2:15
49	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	2:16
50	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	2:23
51	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	2:26
52	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	2:34
53	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	2:42
54	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	2:51
55	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	2:57
56	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	3:18
57	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
58	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	4:03
59	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	4:29
60	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	4:31
61	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	5:13
62	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
63	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	5:48
64	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	5:51
65	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	5:59
66	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	6:03
67	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	s.t.
68	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
69	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
70	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
71	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
72	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	7:56
73	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
74	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
75	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	8:07
76	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	8:18
77	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
78	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	8:41
79	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	9:08
80	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	9:59
81	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	10:06
82	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	10:10
83	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
84	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
85	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
86	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
87	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
88	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
89	Samuele Battistella	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
90	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	10:11
91	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	10:13
92	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	10:17
93	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	10:19
94	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	10:27
95	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
96	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	10:29
97	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
98	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
99	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
100	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
101	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
102	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
103	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	10:39
104	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	10:40
105	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	10:44
106	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	10:49
107	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	10:50
108	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	10:51
109	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	11:00
110	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	11:08
111	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	11:08
112	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	11:22
113	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
114	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	12:21
115	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	12:52
116	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	12:53
117	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	13:14
118	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	13:40
119	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
120	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	14:01
121	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	14:08
122	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	14:38
123	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	15:34
124	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	15:57
125	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	15:58
126	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
127	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
128	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
129	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
130	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ United	16:10
131	João Almeida	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	16:12
132	Patryk Stosz	Poland	16:17
133	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	16:35
134	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
135	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	17:02
136	Jardi Van Der Lee	EF Education-EasyPost	18:14
137	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	18:17
138	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	19:25
139	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	22:52
140	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	23:01
141	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	25:04

 

Stage 4 map & profile:

Stage 4 map

Stage 4 profile

Stage four photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

Speedy sprinter Paul Magnier before the stage start.

Lotto-Intermarché riders before the race.

A lined-out peloton zooms across the Polish countryside.

The finish: Bart Lemmen is first across the line with Christian Scaroni slightly behind.

Bart Lemmen wins stage four with Christian Scaroni right on his wheel.

Christian Scaroni finishes second.

Axel Laurance was third.

Fourth-place Marco Brenner

Fifrth-place Louis Barré leads in a small group.

Stage winner and new GC leader Bart Lemmen

---

Wednesday, August 5: Stage 3, Gorzów Wielkopolski - Zielona Góra, 193.5 km

Stage 3 map & profile | Stage 3 photos

Hat trick! Jonathan Milan gets his third consecutive stage win in this Tour of Poland.

Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the finish city of Zielona Góra at 2:30 PM, local time: 28C (83F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the west-southwest at 8 km/hr (5 mph). There is a 57% chance of scattered thunderstorms at 3:00 PM. dropping to 11% at 4:00 PM.

The race: Here's the race organizer's stage three report.

The peloton of the 83rd edition of the Tour de Pologne continued its battle, delivering another round of thrilling action to fans on Stage 3. For the third consecutive time, the in-form Italian Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) proved untouchable in the sprint finish, securing the stage victory and strengthening his lead in both the ORLEN General Classification and the Lang Team Points Classification.

Fierce Breakaway Battle and Controlled Pace
Right from the start, the racing was extremely fast, with the stage averaging over 45 km/h. The race saw multiple reshuffles along the route. In the early phase, Polish national team rider Radosław Frątczak joined a breakaway, leveraging his aggressive riding and a win at the first prime to extend his lead in the LOTTO Most Active Classification.

Stage three gets started.

"From the start, we tried to get into the breakaway, and we succeeded, although a rider from Lotto Dstny joined me. It was quite an interesting situation because an UAE Team Emirates rider rode up and asked if I wanted to go with him and pick up points. I bridged up to the leader, and together we formed the break. I won the first prime, which allowed me to expand my lead in the classification. Towards the end of the race, a six-man breakaway formed and put a lot of pressure on the peloton – the gap reached 1 minute and 40 seconds, and the terrain was quite hilly. However, the biggest teams joined the chase, and the peloton eventually reeled us in. In the sprint, Marceli and I were riding together. Over the final 100–150 meters, we lacked a slightly better position due to braking on the left side, but we fought right to the very end," summarized Radosław Frątczak.

In the decisive phase of the stage, a strong 6-man breakaway established itself at the front, featuring Sjoerd Bax, Fabio Christen (both Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Matteo Sobrero (Lidl-Trek), Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco AlUla), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ United), and Taco van der Hoorn (Lotto Intermarché). The breakaway built an advantage reaching 1:40, dictating a hard pace across the hilly terrain. Out of the lead group, Dries De Bondt claimed a valuable point at the Category 3 PZU KOM prime in Przytok (1100 m; 4.1%), solidifying his lead in the PZU Mountain Classification.

"I was never really focused on winning the jersey. On the first day it was more of an attack attempt with the idea of reaching the finish line, and today I was thinking more about winning the stage. But if you’re riding in the leader’s jersey and points are up for grabs on the route, you go for them. From the point where we launched the attack to the climb itself was still a long way. We simply tried to create a scenario where we could fight for the stage victory.

"As you can see, it’s extremely hard to beat Jonathan in a bunch sprint. So we have to be creative and look for opportunities to avoid a sprint. I think we managed to work out that scenario today, but unfortunately, I got cramps in the final section and couldn’t fully cooperate with the guys in the breakaway. A great shame. Riding in Poland is great, the first three days have been really fantastic. Now I’m very curious about the mountains here. We’ll see how it goes – the real climbing starts now," said Dries De Bondt at the finish line.

Peloton Sprint and Another Victory for Milan
The charging peloton set a hard pace over the final kilometers. With 27 km to go, the breakaway’s lead stood at 1:05, dropping to just 20 seconds with 10 km remaining. The breakaway’s move was officially neutralized 4 kilometers from the line.

The closing moments saw a fierce battle between sprint trains, with Lidl-Trek and Tudor Pro Cycling Team driving the pace at the front. On the final meters, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) proved unmatched once again, claiming his third consecutive stage victory ahead of Noah Hobbs (EF Education-EasyPost) and Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana Team).

"A breakaway formed with our rider, and the peloton settled in to control the race. Around the 30th–40th kilometer, the break was caught, and then another one formed. And that was the story all the way to the line – the sprinters’ teams kept everything under control. However, the last 10 kilometers were insanely chaotic. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to contend because I was way too far back heading into the final roundabouts.

"I got boxed in and couldn’t even launch my sprint at the end. There’s a bit of disappointment because it was the conclusion of a flat sprinter stage, so it’s a real shame. Overall, we’re happy with how things are going. Taking 9th place in such a stacked field against the best sprinters in the world is a big success for us. A top ten finish is something we can be very satisfied with," commented Marceli Bogusławski.

Complete results:

Photos

193.5 kilometers raced at an average speed of 46.099 km/hr

1	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	4hr 11min 51sec
2	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
3	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
4	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
5	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
6	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
7	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
8	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
9	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
10	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
11	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
12	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
13	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
14	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
15	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
16	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
17	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
18	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
19	Sebastian Molano	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
20	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
21	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
22	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	s.t.
23	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
24	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
25	Maurice Ballerstedt	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
26	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
27	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	s.t.
28	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
29	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
30	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
31	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
32	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
33	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
34	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
35	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
36	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
37	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
38	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
39	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
40	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
41	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
42	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
43	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
44	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
45	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
46	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
47	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
48	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
49	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
50	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	s.t.
51	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
52	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
53	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
54	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	s.t.
55	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
56	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
57	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
58	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
59	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
60	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
61	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
62	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
63	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
64	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
65	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
66	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
67	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
68	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
69	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
70	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
71	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
72	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	s.t.
73	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
74	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
75	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
76	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
77	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
78	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
79	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
80	Benoît Cosnefroy	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
81	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
82	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
83	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
84	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
85	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
86	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
87	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
88	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
89	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
90	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
91	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
92	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
93	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
94	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	s.t.
95	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
96	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
97	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
98	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
99	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
100	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
101	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
102	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
103	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
104	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
105	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
106	Anton Schiffer	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
107	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
108	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
109	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
110	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
111	João Almeida	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
112	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
113	Samuele Battistella	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
114	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
115	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
116	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
117	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
118	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
119	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
120	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
121	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
122	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	@ 22sec
123	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
124	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	0:34
125	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
126	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
127	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	1:04
128	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
129	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
130	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:17
131	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	1:29
132	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	1:43
133	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
134	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	1:52
135	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	2:15
136	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
137	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
138	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	2:39
139	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	3:12
140	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	5:28
141	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
142	Patryk Stosz	Poland	s.t.
143	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	6:45
144	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
145	Jardi Van Der Lee	EF Education-EasyPost	9:05

 

GC after stage 3:

• GC leader: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• Mountains classification leader: Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco-AlUla)
• Points classification leader: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• Team classification leader: Alpecin-Premier Tech

578.7 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 46.849 km/hr

1	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	12hr 21min 9sec
2	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	@ 14sec
3	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	0:20
4	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:22
5	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	0:24
6	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
7	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	0:25
8	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	0:26
9	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
10	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:28
11	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
12	Anton Schiffer	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:29
13	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	0:30
14	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
15	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
16	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	s.t.
17	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
18	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
19	Sebastian Molano	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
20	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
21	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
22	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
23	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
24	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	s.t.
25	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
26	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
27	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
28	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
29	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
30	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
31	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
32	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
33	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
34	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
35	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
36	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
37	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
38	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
39	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
40	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
41	Maurice Ballerstedt	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
42	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
43	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
44	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	s.t.
45	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
46	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
47	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
48	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
49	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
50	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
51	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	s.t.
52	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
53	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
54	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
55	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
56	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
57	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
58	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
59	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
60	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
61	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
62	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
63	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
64	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
65	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
66	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
67	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
68	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
69	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
70	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
71	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
72	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
73	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
74	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
75	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
76	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
77	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
78	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
79	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
80	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
81	Benoît Cosnefroy	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
82	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
83	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
84	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
85	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
86	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
87	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
88	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
89	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
90	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
91	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
92	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
93	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
94	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
95	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
96	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
97	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
98	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
99	João Almeida	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
100	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
101	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
102	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
103	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	s.t.
104	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
105	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
106	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
107	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
108	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
109	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
110	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
111	Samuele Battistella	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
112	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
113	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	0:50
114	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	0:52
115	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
116	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	1:01
117	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	1:04
118	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
119	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
120	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	1:06
121	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	1:12
122	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	1:23
123	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	1:34
124	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	s.t.
125	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	1:42
126	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
127	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:47
128	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	1:59
129	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	2:08
130	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	2:22
131	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	2:45
132	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
133	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	2:54
134	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	3:14
135	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	3:42
136	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	4:02
137	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	4:21
138	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	5:36
139	Patryk Stosz	Poland	s.t.
140	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	5:58
141	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	7:24
142	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	8:30
143	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	10:00
144	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	10:49
145	Jardi Van Der Lee	EF Education-EasyPost	12:58

 

Stage 3 map & profile:

Stage 3 map

Stage 3 profile

Stage three photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

GC leader Jonathan Milan signs an autograph before the stage starts.

Jan Christian heads to the start.

Andrea Vendrame gets his bike.

Jonathan Milan gets his bike.

Team Lotto Intermarché before the race.

A compact peloton heads down the road.

Here they come...

Jonathan Milan wins stage three.

Milan sits up after winning the sprint.

Jonathan Milan will start stage four in yellow.

---

Tuesday, August 4: Stage 2, Międzyzdroje - Szczecin, 150.1 km

Stage 2 map & profile | Stage 2 photos

Two stages and two stage wins for Jonathan Milan.

Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click olidln the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the finish city of Szczecin at 2:40 PM, local time: 26C (79F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the east-northeast at 11 km/hr (7 mph). There is a 5% chance of rain, though there was rain at the start.

The race: Here's the race organizer's stage two report.

The peloton of the 83rd edition of the Tour de Pologne moved onto the route from Międzyzdroje to Szczecin, delivering another round of high-octane drama in a bunch sprint. For the second consecutive day, Italian Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) proved to be the fastest, unleashing a powerful sprint to seal the stage victory and consolidate his lead in the ORLEN general classification.

Coastal start and a fierce breakaway battle
The route of the second stage took the riders from picturesque Międzyzdroje straight to the capital of West Pomerania. The pace was blistering right from the gun, with a strong four-man breakaway taking shape out front: Radosław Frątczak (Polish National Team), Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco AlUla), Anton Schiffer (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), and Jonas Rutsch (Lotto Intermarché).

The escapees carved out a lead of under a minute, engaging in a spectacular battle at the intermediate sprints. Polish national team representative Radosław Frątczak put on a stellar performance, winning three LOTTO Intermediate Sprints to collect valuable points and bonus seconds. As a result, the Pole took the lead in the LOTTO Most Active Rider classification, putting on the blue leader’s jersey.

“At the beginning, we had to put in a massive effort to build a gap and hold our pace ahead of a charging peloton. I’m thrilled to have won the intermediate sprint in Goleniów and bagged those crucial points. I felt really good today, and wearing the blue jersey as leader of the active classification is a huge reward for me and the entire national team for fighting hard on the road,” Frątczak said after his ride.

Peloton control and a chaotic sprint finish in Szczecin
The chasing main field gave the breakaway no chance of going all the way. With 28 kilometers remaining, the gap shrank to 25 seconds; soon after, Frątczak began to drop back, followed shortly by Schiffer. The breakaway was officially reabsorbed by the peloton with 21 kilometers to go.

The closing kilometers saw lead-out trains vying for dominance. With 3 kilometers to go, Decathlon CMA CGM Team set the tempo. The sprinters needed maximum focus: a crucial road pinch point awaited them just 1 kilometer from the line, followed by a sharp hairpin turn a mere 450 meters out.

In the midst of the positional battle, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) was once again unbeatable. Timing his acceleration to perfection, the Italian crossed the line comfortably in first place ahead of Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana Team).

“It was another very fast and demanding stage. The team did a fantastic job controlling the breakaway and guiding me perfectly through those tough, technical sections in the final kilometer. The road pinch and the turn right before the line required full concentration, but we found ourselves in the ideal position. Taking a second straight win in the yellow jersey feels extraordinary,” Jonathan Milan stated at the finish.

Marceli Bogusławski (Polish National Team) also delivered a strong performance, claiming 9th place.

“The finish in Szczecin was extremely dynamic and technical. The key was positioning yourself right before the squeeze and the tight turn 450 meters out. The guys from the national team did an amazing job again helping me hold my position up front. Finishing in the TOP 10 shows that our hard work is paying off. I’m looking forward to the next chances!” commented Marceli Bogusławski.

Complete results:

Photos

150.1 kilometers raced at an average speed of 48.519 km/hr

1	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	3hr 5min 37sec
2	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
3	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
4	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	s.t.
5	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
6	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
7	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
8	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
9	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	s.t.
10	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
11	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
12	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
13	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
14	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
15	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
16	Sebastian Molano	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
17	Maurice Ballerstedt	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
18	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
19	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
20	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
21	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
22	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
23	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
24	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
25	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
26	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
27	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
28	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
29	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
30	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
31	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
32	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
33	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
34	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
35	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
36	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
37	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
38	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
39	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
40	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
41	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
42	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
43	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
44	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	s.t.
45	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
46	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
47	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
48	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
49	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
50	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
51	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
52	Benoît Cosnefroy	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
53	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
54	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
55	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	s.t.
56	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
57	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
58	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
59	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
60	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
61	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
62	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
63	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
64	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
65	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
66	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
67	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
68	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
69	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
70	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
71	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
72	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
73	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
74	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
75	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
76	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
77	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
78	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
79	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
80	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
81	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
82	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
83	João Almeida	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
84	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
85	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
86	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
87	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
88	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
89	Anton Schiffer	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
90	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
91	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
92	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
93	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
94	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	s.t.
95	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
96	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
97	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
98	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
99	Patryk Stosz	Poland	s.t.
100	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
101	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
102	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	s.t.
103	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
104	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
105	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
106	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
107	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
108	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
109	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
110	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
111	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
112	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
113	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
114	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
115	Samuele Battistella	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
116	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
117	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
118	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
119	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
120	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
121	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
122	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
123	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
124	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
125	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
126	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
127	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
128	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	s.t.
129	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
130	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
131	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
132	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
133	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
134	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	@ 36sec
135	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	0:42
136	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	0:53
137	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	s.t.
138	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	1:12
139	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
140	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
141	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	1:32
142	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
143	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
144	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	2:08
145	Jardi Van Der Lee	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
DNF	Jonathan Vervenne	Soudal Quick-Step

 

GC after stage 2:

• GC leader: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• Mountains classification leader: Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco AlUla)
• Points classification leader: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• Teams classification leader: Alpecin-Premier Tech

385.2 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 47.219 km/hr

1	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	8hr 9min 28sec
2	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	@ 8sec
3	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:12
4	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	0:14
5	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	0:16
6	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
7	Patryk Stosz	Poland	0:18
8	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
9	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
10	Anton Schiffer	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:19
11	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	0:20
12	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
13	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
14	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
15	Sebastian Molano	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
16	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	s.t.
17	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
18	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
19	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
20	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
21	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
22	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
23	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
24	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
25	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
26	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
27	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
28	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
29	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
30	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
31	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
32	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
33	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
34	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
35	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
36	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
37	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
38	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
39	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
40	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
41	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
42	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	s.t.
43	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
44	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
45	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
46	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
47	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
48	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	s.t.
49	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
50	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
51	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
52	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
53	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
54	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
55	Maurice Ballerstedt	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
56	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
57	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
58	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
59	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
60	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
61	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
62	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
63	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
64	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
65	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
66	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
67	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
68	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
69	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
70	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
71	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
72	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
73	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
74	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
75	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
76	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
77	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
78	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
79	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
80	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
81	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
82	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
83	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
84	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
85	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
86	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
87	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
88	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
89	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
90	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
91	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
92	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
93	Benoît Cosnefroy	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
94	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
95	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
96	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
97	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
98	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
99	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
100	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
101	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	s.t.
102	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
103	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
104	João Almeida	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
105	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
106	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
107	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
108	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
109	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
110	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
111	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
112	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
113	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	s.t.
114	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
115	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
116	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
117	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
118	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
119	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
120	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
121	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
122	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
123	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
124	Samuele Battistella	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
125	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
126	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
127	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
128	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
129	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	0:51
130	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
131	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	0:56
132	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	1:02
133	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	1:13
134	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	s.t.
135	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	1:32
136	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
137	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	1:35
138	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:58
139	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	2:47
140	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	3:07
141	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
142	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	3:43
143	Jardi Van Der Lee	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
144	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	5:11
145	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	5:31

 

Stage 2 map & profile:

Stage 2 map

Stage 2 profile

Stage two photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

Magnus Sheffield gets his bike.

Ethan Hayter before the stage.

Ivan Garcia Cortina

Alexey Lutsenko

Here they come....

Two stage wins in a row for Jonathan Milan.

A happy Jonathan Milan salutes the crowd.

Valentin Madouas just after finishing the stage.

King of the Mountains Dries De Bondt

Stage winner Jonathan Milan

---

Monday, August 3: Stage 1, Gdynia - Koszalin, 234.2 km

Stage 1 map & profile | Stage 1 photos

Jonathan Milan wins the first stage. Photo: Szymon Gruchalski

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the finish city of Koszalin at 2:30 PM, local time: 26C (78F), partly cloudy, with the wind from the east-northeast at 10 km/hr (6 mph). There is just a 1% chance of rain.

The race: Here's the race organizer's stage one report:

After a 24-year hiatus, Koszalin welcomed back the Tour de Pologne peloton, and the opening stage of the 83rd edition provided fans with immense excitement. Italy’s Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) proved to be the fastest in the bunch sprint, taking the first stage victory and donning the yellow jersey of the ORLEN General Classification leader.

Exceptional start in Gdynia and a sentimental journey to the roots
The cycling celebration under the motto “North-South” began in a maritime setting. Following the ceremonial team presentation on board the museum ship ORP “Błyskawica”, the peloton set off from Kościuszko Square in Gdynia, which is celebrating its centenary this year.

It's time to go race bicycles in Poland. Photo: Szymon Gruchalski

The route of the first section was also the longest challenge of this year’s Tour de Pologne – riders had to cover a daunting 234 kilometers through the hilly and picturesque landscapes of Pomerania and Kashubia.

"The first stage holds a special, personal meaning for me. The peloton passed through the areas where I grew up and where my cycling journey began. Returning to Kashubia and the surroundings of Bytów is a deeply emotional trip back to my roots" – emphasized Czesław Lang, General Director of the Tour de Pologne, at the start line.

Active break by the Poles and a solo move on Chełmska Mountain
Before the sprinters had their say, we witnessed dynamic action from the breakaway riders. For many kilometers, the pace was set by a 5-man group featuring great performances from Polish representatives – Kamil Małecki (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and Radosław Frątczak. Małecki won, among others, the 3rd LOTTO Intermediate Sprint in Polanów, securing the navy-blue jersey of the Most Active Rider Classification leader.

"At the beginning, I had to put in a massive effort to bridge across to the breakaway, but it paid off – I managed to win two intermediate sprints and finish second in another." – reported Kamil Małecki. – "Today, the team gave me a free hand to attack, and I gave it my all. The incredible support along the course carried me forward. Passing the fan zone and seeing my fiancée gave me a huge extra boost. It was beautiful, and I wish every rider could experience such emotions on home roads."

As the peloton approached Koszalin, the breakaway’s lead began to dwindle rapidly. Just before the day’s sole Cat 3 PZU Mountain Prime on Chełmska Mountain (located a mere 6 km from the finish line), Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco AlUla) launched a solo attack. The Belgian gave everything to claim top points at the summit, but shortly after his move, he was reabsorbed by the charging peloton.

Clash of the giants on the finish line in Koszalin
Over the final 2 kilometers, a fierce battle for position raged at the front of the bunch, with Decathlon CMA CGM Team attempting to take control. On the final straight, a battle of the sprint giants unfolded!

Displaying immense power and flawless timing, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) left his rivals with no chance and confidently crossed the finish line first.

"It was a tough stage, and the pace was high right from the start. There was a strong breakaway up ahead, but my teammates did an amazing job helping to bring it back. The finish required precision – we knew we had to enter the final corner no further back than tenth position. I found myself in the ideal spot and just gave it everything. I’m delighted that, after a great effort from the entire team, I can return to racing in this jersey," said Jonathan Milan after his victory.

"The finish was extremely chaotic and nervous, but the guys from the national team executed a brilliant job to position me perfectly before the last turn – reported Marceli Bogusławski. – Entering that corner with high speed was key. On the home straight, I missed a bit of timing – I launched slightly too late and the rivals-built momentum to get past. Despite being 243 km long, the stage flew by very quickly. I’m happy with the work done and looking forward to the next sprint opportunities," concluded the Polish rider.

Complete results:

Photos

234.2 kilometers raced at an average speed of 46.196 km/hr

1	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	5hr 4min 11sec
2	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
3	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
4	Sebastian Molano	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
5	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
6	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	s.t.
7	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
8	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
9	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
10	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
11	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
12	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	s.t.
13	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
14	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
15	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
16	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
17	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
18	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
19	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
20	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
21	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
22	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
23	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
24	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
25	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
26	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
27	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
28	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
29	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
30	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
31	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
32	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
33	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
34	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
35	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
36	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
37	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
38	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
39	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
40	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
41	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
42	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
43	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	s.t.
44	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
45	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	s.t.
46	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
47	Patryk Stosz	Poland	s.t.
48	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
49	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
50	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
51	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
52	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
53	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
54	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
55	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
56	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
57	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
58	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
59	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
60	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
61	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
62	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
63	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
64	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
65	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
66	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
67	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
68	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
69	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
70	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
71	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
72	Jonathan Vervenne	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
73	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
74	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
75	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
76	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
77	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
78	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
79	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
80	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
81	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
82	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
83	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
84	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
85	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
86	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
87	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
88	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
89	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
90	Maurice Ballerstedt	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
91	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
92	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
93	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
94	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	s.t.
95	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
96	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
97	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
98	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
99	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
100	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
101	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
102	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
103	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
104	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
105	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
106	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
107	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
108	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
109	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
110	João Almeida	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
111	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
112	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
113	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
114	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	s.t.
115	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
116	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
117	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
118	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
119	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
120	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	s.t.
121	Anton Schiffer	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
122	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
123	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
124	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
125	Benoît Cosnefroy	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
126	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
127	Samuele Battistella	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
128	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
129	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
130	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
131	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
132	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
133	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
134	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
135	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	@ 31sec
136	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
137	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:15
138	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
139	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
140	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
141	Jardi Van Der Lee	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
142	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:38
143	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	2:42
144	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	@ 0sec
145	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	3:39
146	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
DNF	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech

 

GC after stage 1:

• GC leader: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• Mountains classification leader: Dries De Bondt (Jayco-AlUla)
• Points classification leader: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• Teams classification leader: Netcompany INEOS

1	Jonathan Milan	Lidl-Trek	5hr 4min 1sec
2	Kamil Malecki	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	@ 2sec
3	Paul Magnier	Soudal Quick-Step	0:04
4	Noah Hobbs	EF Education-EasyPost	0:06
5	Rudy Molard	Groupama-FDJ United	0:08
6	Bart Lemmen	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
7	Sebastian Molano	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	0:10
8	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
9	Iván García Cortina	Movistar Team	s.t.
10	Hugo Hofstetter	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
11	Matteo Moschetti	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
12	Jordi Meeus	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
13	Sakarias Koller Løland	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
14	Matteo Malucelli	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
15	Marceli Boguslawski	Poland	s.t.
16	Alessandro Romele	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
17	Frits Biesterbos	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
18	Tord Gudmestad	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
19	Maikel Zijlaard	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
20	Axel Laurance	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
21	Sam Welsford	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
22	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
23	Axel Huens	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
24	Paul Penhoët	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
25	Oded Kogut	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
26	Dries van Gestel	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
27	Matevz Govekar	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
28	Aleksandr Vlasov	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
29	Gianluca Pollefliet	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
30	Magnus Sheffield	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
31	Loe van Belle	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
32	Danny van Poppel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
33	Simon Dehairs	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
34	Cyril Barthe	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
35	Luka Mezgec	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
36	Fabio Christen	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
37	Michal Kwiatkowski	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
38	Colby Simmons	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
39	Mikkel Bjerg	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
40	Matthew Fox	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
41	Alessandro Borgo	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
42	Filip Maciejuk	Movistar Team	s.t.
43	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
44	Henri-Francois Haquin	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
45	Simone Consonni	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
46	Jakub Kaczmarek	Poland	s.t.
47	Max Schachmann	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
48	Lorenzo Milesi	Movistar Team	s.t.
49	Alec Segaert	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
50	Patryk Stosz	Poland	s.t.
51	Marco Brenner	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
52	Senna Remijn	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
53	Frederik Frison	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
54	Walter Calzoni	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
55	Rudy Porter	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
56	Sam Watson	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
57	Robin Froidevaux	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
58	Fredrik Dversnes	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
59	Enzo Paleni	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
60	Louis Barré	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
61	Robert Donaldson	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
62	Remi Cavagna	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
63	Carlos Canal	Movistar Team	s.t.
64	Edoardo Zambanini	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
65	Marijn van den Berg	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
66	Stefan Küng	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
67	Cédric Beullens	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
68	Petr Kelemen	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
69	Diego Ulissi	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
70	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
71	Juan Martinez	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
72	William Barta	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
73	Victor Langellotti	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
74	Arthur Kluckers	Tudor Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
75	Jonathan Vervenne	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
76	Manlio Moro	Movistar Team	s.t.
77	Connor Swift	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
78	Neilson Powless	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
79	Iván Romeo	Movistar Team	s.t.
80	Mark Donovan	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
81	Jan Christen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
82	Valentin Madouas	Groupama-FDJ United	s.t.
83	Nadav Raisberg	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
84	Andreas Kron	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
85	Tobias Svarre	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
86	Andrea Bagioli	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
87	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
88	Timo Roosen	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
89	Timo de Jong	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
90	Brady Gilmore	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
91	Christian Scaroni	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
92	Artem Shmidt	Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team	s.t.
93	Maurice Ballerstedt	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
94	Alberto Bettiol	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
95	Martin Urianstad Bugge	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
96	Matteo Sobrero	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
97	Norbert Banaszek	Poland	s.t.
98	Nicola Conci	XDS Astana Team	s.t.
99	Daniel Skerl	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
100	Aaron Dockx	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
101	Noa Isidore	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
102	Alexey Lutsenko	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
103	Paul Lapeira	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
104	Frederik Wandahl	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
105	Oscar Chamberlain	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
106	Roman Ermakov	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
107	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
108	Santiago Buitrago	Bahrain Victorious	s.t.
109	Filip Gruszczynski	Poland	s.t.
110	Pau Martí	NSN Cycling Team	s.t.
111	João Almeida	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
112	Lennard Kämna	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
113	Andrea Vendrame	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
114	Tijmen Graat	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
115	Pelayo Sanchez	Movistar Team	s.t.
116	Simon Dalby	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
117	Wilco Kelderman	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
118	Jacopo Mosca	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
119	Sjoerd Bax	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	s.t.
120	Adrien Boichis	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
121	Tobiasz Pawlak	Poland	s.t.
122	Anton Schiffer	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
123	Steff Cras	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
124	Koen Bouwman	Team Jayco-AlUla	s.t.
125	Benoît Cosnefroy	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
126	Andreas Leknessund	Uno-X Mobility	s.t.
127	Samuele Battistella	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
128	Luca Vergallito	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
129	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
130	Oliver Peace	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
131	Vegard Stake Laengen	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
132	Callum Thornley	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
133	Pierre Gautherat	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
134	Joshua Giddings	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
135	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
136	Ryan Mullen	NSN Cycling Team	0:41
137	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
138	Dries De Bondt	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:25
139	Stefan Bissegger	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	s.t.
140	Alastair Mackellar	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
141	Rune Herregodts	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	s.t.
142	Jardi Van Der Lee	EF Education-EasyPost	s.t.
143	Patrick Gamper	Team Jayco-AlUla	1:48
144	Radoslaw Fratczak	Poland	2:46
145	Jasper De Buyst	Lotto-Intermarché	3:49
146	Ayco Bastiaens	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.

 

Stage 1 map & profile:

Stage 1 map

Stage 1 profile

Stage 1 photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

Former world road champion Michal Kwiatkowski (note the rainbow stripes on his sleeves) before the stage start.

Paul Magnier in his T-Rex kit.

Jan Christen before the race.

Santiago Buitrago gets his bike.

Neilson Powless

Team Groupama-FDJ United is presented

Here they come...

Jonathan Milan wins the first stage.

Dries De Bondt, King of the Mountains after the first stage.

Stage winner and GC leader Jonathan Milan on the podium with the grand old man of Polish cycling and director of the Tour of Poland Czeslaw Lang and his daughter Agata who also works in managing the Tour of Poland.

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