For the first time in four years, it appears that a Polish rider will win the Tour de Pologne as Michal Kwiatkowski expanded his lead in the penultimate Stage 6 on Thursday.
After taking control of the race by winning the fourth and fifth stages, Kwiatkowski claimed a third-place finish (and a time bonus) in Stage 6 to extend his lead to 16 seconds over Belgium’s Dylan Teuns and 24 seconds over New Zealand’s George Bennett.
There are 16 riders within a minute of the lead, however, so Kwiatkowski will have to be awake and aware on the hilly, 136 km final race. If he is, he’ll be the first Polish winner since Rafal Majka in 2014.
After the Tour de Pologne, there are only two more races – the Binck Bank Tour and the Euroeyes Cyclassics Hamburg – before the final Grand Tour of 2018, the Vuelta a Espana, starts on 25 August.
Summaries:
UCI World Tour/Tour de Pologne
Poland ~ 4-10 August 2018
(Full results here)
- Stage 1 (133.7 km): 1. Pascal Ackermann (GER), 2:59:11; 2. Alvaro Jose Hodeg (COL), 2:59:11; 3. Matteo Trentin (ITA), 2:59:11; 4. Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA), 2:59:11; 5. Danny van Poppel (NED), 2:59:11.
- Stage 2 (156.0 km): 1. Ackermann (GER), 3:16:39; 2. Hodeg (COL), 3:16:39; 3. Nizzolo (ITA), 3:16:19; 4. Luka Mezgec (SLO), 3:16:19; 4. Simone Consonni (ITA), 3:16:19.
- Stage 3 (140.0 km): 1. Hodeg (COL), 3:09:59; 2. Daniel McLay (GBR), 3:09:59; 3. Andre Greipel (GER), 3:09:59; 4. Sacha Modolo (ITA), 3:09:59; 4. Tretin (ITA), 3:09:59.
- Stage 4 (179.0 km): 1. Michal Kwiatkowski (POL), 4:25:44; 2. Dylan Teuns (BEL), 4:25:47; 3. George Bennett (NZL), 4:25:47; 4. Sergei Chernetski (RUS), 4:25:47; 5. Daniel Moreno (ESP), 4:25:47.
- Stage 5 (152.0 km): 1. Kwiatkowski (POL), 3:39:14; 2. Teuns (BEL), 3:39:14; 3. Enrico Battaglin (ITA), 3:39:14; 4. Ackermann (GER), 3:19:14; 5. Enrico Gasparotto (ITA), 3:39:14.
- Stage 6 (129.0 km): 1. Georg Preidler (AUT), 3:16:01; 2. Emanuel Buchanan (GER), 3:16:01; 3. Kwiatkowski (POL), 3:16:01; 4. Simon Yates (GBR), 3:16:01; 5. Teuns (BEL), 3:16:01.
- Stage 7: 10 August: Bukowvina Resort to Bukowina Tatrzanska (136 km)
