photo credits @ ToP
The climb up the famous Orlinek in Karpacz promised drama and a battle among the overall race favorites. The riders delivered a spectacular show, and the win went to Paul Lapeira of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, who also became the new leader of the ORLEN General Classification.
The flat opening stage of the 82nd Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour from Wrocław to Legnica was the only pure sprinter stage in this year’s edition. Today, it was time for the contenders for the overall victory to step up. The stage covered just under 150 km, starting at Hotel Gołębiewski Karpacz and finishing atop Orlinek in Karpacz, with plenty of extra attractions along the way.
A breakaway of four riders formed early, including two Poles: Patryk Stosz and Tomasz Budziński. They were joined by Briton Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost) and Patrick Gamper (Team Jayco AlUla). Tomasz Budziński won the first PZU Mountain Prime at the Kowarska Pass, while Patryk Stosz took both LOTTO Sprint Primes in Kamienna Góra and Czarny Bór. Thanks to this, they temporarily led the PZU Best Climber and LOTTO Most Active Rider classifications.
The break built a gap of about 3 minutes over the peloton, which was led by race leader Olav Kooij’s team – Team Visma | Lease a Bike. The Decathlon Special Prime was won by Patrick Gamper, while Patryk Stosz was forced to drop out of the break due to a mechanical issue. The remaining three pushed on, reaching the Kowarska and Średnica Passes – more PZU Mountain Primes – with Budziński first over both climbs.
The peloton picked up the pace and cut the lead to under a minute. Before the final categorised climb at the Średnica Pass, Max Walker attacked and went solo. The Briton aimed for a stage win but was caught just a few kilometres from the finish.
With only 4 km to go, at the foot of the Orlinek climb, riders contested the Hotel Seidorf***** Special Prime in Karpacz, won by Filippo Baroncini (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). The luxury venue in Sosnówka is hosting four teams in this year’s race: UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Soudal – Quick-Step, and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and is the partner of Stage 2. Lang Team has long prioritised top-class accommodations for teams, made possible by strong partnerships.
As the riders approached the summit, the peloton thinned out rapidly. INEOS Grenadiers’ Michał Kwiatkowski drove the pace, and Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) launched the first sprint. But no one could match Paul Lapeira of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, who powered to a spectacular stage win.
“I came in feeling really confident after a great July at home. I felt strong and had good legs the whole time. The team did an incredible job, and I’m happy I could finish it off. Honestly, I only focused on the finish line and giving it my all. I’ll try to win more stages in the coming days — we’ll see how it goes. I feel good. But one thing’s for sure: I absolutely want to defend this jersey” said Paul Lapeira.
The podium was completed by Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) and Victor Langelotti (INEOS Grenadiers).
“This winter marked a big change for me, as it’s my first year with INEOS. I’m super happy with the team, and everything is going really well so far. This is also the first time I’ve raced so consistently, and I can definitely feel the difference in my rhythm. Having the opportunity to race so much is great because it helps you grow. Step by step, I think the results will come. Today, the plan was to support Sheffield, but the great thing about being on such a strong team is that we have multiple options: Kwiatkowski, Magnus, and me. We aimed to set a hard pace, and it turned out that I had a chance, too. That’s amazing” said Victor Langelotti.
The stage winner also became the new leader of both the ORLEN General Classification and Lang Team Points Classification. Tomasz Budziński now leads the PZU Best Climber Classification, while Patryk Stosz tops the LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification.
“Even I was surprised at how quickly we pulled away from the peloton, but riding at the front and winning primes wasn’t easy. We worked well together almost until the end, and Patryk and I claimed two jerseys – we’re really happy. I hope to reach the time trial still wearing the mountains jersey” said Tomasz Budziński of the Polish National Team.
“My goal for the Tour de Pologne is the blue jersey. I was already in the break yesterday, contesting the intermediate sprints. Today, I got away with Tomek and managed to win two sprints and take the jersey. Unfortunately, a mechanical took me out of the break, but I’m really glad we’re leading two classifications” said Patryk Stosz, the current LOTTO Most Active Rider leader.
The ORLEN VITAY Best Polish Rider Prime was won by Rafał Majka (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who finished 10th on the stage. His team also won the Decathlon Team Classification of today’s stage.
“Christen is in great shape, and we have several riders in the top ten, so we have options to play. Tomorrow’s stage will be crucial, and the upcoming ones could bring surprises, especially on the tough mountain routes. I felt good today, kept a steady pace on the climb to save energy for the key moments. I expect a strong pace and many attacks from the start tomorrow. Our young teammate is very strong, but still lacks some composure – he could’ve won today. We discussed the tactics before the stage” commented Rafał Majka, referring to Jan Christen’s 5th place.
Tomorrow’s stage will take place on a climb-packed route from Wałbrzych to Wałbrzych, in the Wałbrzych County. It promises to be an exciting mountain showdown. All stages are broadcast on TVP, Eurosport, and HBO Max, reaching fans in 65 countries.
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