photo credits @ ToP
Another day, another victory for a great talent. After Paul Magnier claimed the win on yesterday’s stage in Cieszyn, today it was Matthew Brennan from Team Visma | Lease a Bike who triumphed in Zakopane, while the ORLEN General Classification leader remains Frenchman Paul Lapeira from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.
The demanding route from Katowice to Zakopane tested the riders’ climbing abilities, which began in Nikiszowiec, a historic mining district known for its distinctive brick buildings. Amid the cheers of fans, the peloton set off towards the Małopolska region. Along the route were two LOTTO Sprint Primes – in Mysłowice and Wilamowice, PZU Mountain Primes on the climbs to Kocierz and the Krowiarki Pass, as well as Decathlon and DPD Special Sprints in Porąbka and Zawoja.
After a fierce battle, a four-man breakaway formed, featuring Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Huub Artz (Intermarché-Wanty), Martin Svrcek (T-Rex Gold Quick-Step), and Patrick Gamper (Team Jayco AlUla). Just like yesterday, the breakaway riders contested the primes among themselves.
Jensen Plowright won the LOTTO Sprint Prime in Mysłowice, while Huub Artz took the one in Wilamowice. At the Decathlon Special Prime in Porąbka, Plowright again impressed, winning the sprint. Patrick Gamper was the fastest on the steep climb to Kocierz, while the DPD Special Prime in Zawoja and the PZU Mountain Prime at the Krowiarki Pass were again taken by Plowright.
At one point, the breakaway held over a 7-minute advantage, but the move was controlled by teams including Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Visma | Lease a Bike, and INEOS Grenadiers. Approaching the final climb to Gubałówka, Bahrain Victorious set the pace and reeled in the breakaway 11 km from the finish.
On the final climb, riders like Daniel Felipe Martinez (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), and Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech) tried to attack, but none succeeded. Only on the descent did Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team) manage to gain a small gap, followed by Jan Christen.
The duo fought hard to stay clear, but were eventually caught by the peloton. The stage was won by Matthew Brennan from Team Visma | Lease a Bike, who outsprinted Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers) and Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek) from a reduced bunch.
“I came here hoping to win a stage. As a team, we were very motivated to achieve that. Olav is also with us – he was the best on the first stage – but we are still hungry for more wins, so I’m happy I could finish off the team’s hard work. I’m very happy,” said stage winner Matthew Brennan. Andrea Bagioli, third in Zakopane, added:
“It was a very fast race. The breakaway was going really fast, they had built up a good lead and catching them wasn’t easy. Then, on the final climbs, there were several attacks one after another. At first, I thought I would lead out the sprint for Tim, my teammate, but he told me he was tired and that I should go for it myself. The team did an incredible job, I sprinted, but from behind they came at double speed and I couldn’t close the gap. Third place still gives me confidence. I’m happy, a really beautiful stage”.
The best-finishing Pole today was Rafał Majka (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who won the ORLEN VITAY Best Polish Rider Prime.
“Today was a really hard stage, up and down all the time. There were some unexpected strong surges. I felt worse than yesterday, but that’s normal after a crash. We can definitely win this race – Jan Christen is strong, so we’ll go full gas,” said Majka after the finish.
Patryk Stosz (Polish National Team) retained the lead in the LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification and, if he finishes the race, will take home the blue jersey. Tomasz Budziński, another Polish representative, is third in the PZU Best Climber classification.
“The fight to get into the break lasted about 20 kilometers – many teams were trying to make it, including me, because I wanted mountain points. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Piotr Pękala finished in the front group, so one of our team goals was met,” explained Budziński.
The PZU polka dot jersey is still worn by Belgian Timo Kielich (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who leads by 19 points over Patrick Gamper and 22 points over Tomasz Budziński heading into tomorrow’s stage.
“Tomorrow, there are a lot of points up for grabs on the mountain primes. I’m in a good position, but I’ll try to get into the breakaway and we’ll see. I wasn’t aiming for the jersey before the race, but 3 days ago I was in the break and won some primes, so now I want to keep it,” said Kielich.
The ORLEN General Classification remains unchanged at the top. Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) still leads, followed by Victor Langellotti (INEOS Grenadiers) and Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), just seconds behind.
“It was a long and tough day. We rode at the front of the peloton for a long time, then other teams helped too. On the final climb, the pace was very high, all the way to the finish. I feel good – of course, I’m a bit tired, but everything’s fine on the bike. Tomorrow will be a very hard stage. We’ll see how it goes, but I want to defend the yellow jersey,” said Paul Lapeira.
Tomorrow, Stage 6 will be held on a demanding route from BUKOVINA Resort to Bukowina Tatrzańska.
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