Fernando Gaviria continued the Etixx-QuickStep dominance at the Tour de Pologne by taking the third victory for the team and his second win in just four days of racing on the hilly stage 4. After a great lead-out from his team, he beat Luka Mezgec (Orica-BikeExchange) and a fast-finishing Mickal Kwiatkowski (Sky) to take the win and extend his overall lead.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Fernando Gaviria: It was a victory of the head more than of the legs

Fernando Gaviria is in scintillating form at the Tour de Pologne, where he proved to be the fastest rider of the peloton in the first four days, winning on two of them and taking his season tally to five successes. The most recent top result came on Friday, when he didn't give any chance to his opponents in the final meters of stage four, that covered 218 kilometers from Nowy Sacz to Rzeszow, the biggest city in southeastern Poland, which was hosting a finish for the fourth time in eight years.

 

Despite holding a gap which at one point exceeded seven minutes, the day's five attackers didn't stand a chance against the peloton, controlled mainly by Etixx – Quick-Step, whose riders were keen on delivering 21-year-old Fernando Gaviria at the finish. With 20 kilometers to go, the escapees were caught by the bunch and as soon as the pace slowed down a bit, former Czech champion Zdenek Stybar tried to test the water and see if a solo attack could stick.

 

Zdenek took ten seconds on the bunch, forcing other teams to come to the fore and bring him back. In Stybar, Etixx – Quick-Step hit the front once again, with three kilometers remaining, as Lukasz Wisniowski decided to put on the watts and make sure no one will take front stage. As soon as his job was finished, Bob Jungels stepped in, pushing a really hard tempo and stretching out the pack. Inside the final 700 meters, Davide Martinelli and Nikolas Maes where the ones who worked hard in order to leave Gaviria in an excellent position, and the young Colombian neo-pro capitalized on the excellent job of the team and sprinted to his second victory of the week, ahead of Luka Mezgec (Orica-BikeExchange) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky).

 

"It was a difficult day for me, because I had to deal with neck pain after crashing yesterday and my legs weren't so smooth. The team worked really well, controlled the race from the beginning and that's why I said to myself that it's important to get the job done at the finish. In the last kilometers, the guys pulled a great number to bring me at the front, Nikolas gave me an excellent lead-out and I launched my sprint. For a second, I thought I will lose the race, because Mezgec was coming really strong from behind, but I found the power to change the gear and had the legs to keep on going and cross the line first. It was a victory of the head more than of the legs and at the same time a win of the entire team. I'm really proud of my teammates", a delighted Gaviria  explained at the finish, after the success which gives him a 19-second cushion over the next rider in the GC.

 

“It was a great first half of the Tour de Pologne for me and my team with three wins and the yellow jersey, but of course the next two stages are really gruelling and it will be difficult to keep the leader’s jersey.  The Tour de Pologne has been a really hard race for me so far because there have been no teams that can control the race, so we have to work hard every day to keep the jersey, and for the stage. Was I surprised that Kwiatkowski could sprint for 3rd place, because he is not a sprinter? But he is a world champion and a world champion is always a great rider so I guess I am not surprised.”

 

Getting the victory and donning the yellow jersey for a third consecutive day weren't the only things on his mind, who wanted to express his sympathy towards all the people saddened and affected by the terror attack which took place in Nice, on Bastille Day:

 

"The only thing that makes me sad after this victory is what happened in France, on Thursday evening. It's impossible not to think of it and I want to send my thoughts and condolences to the families of the victims and to all those who are suffering and in pain. I really hope such things will come to an end, because it's really crazy that we can't live in a world of peace and understanding."

 

Strong Luka Mezgec close to victory in Poland

Luka Mezgec produced another solid sprint today for Orica-BikeExchange, to finish in second place on stage four of the Tour of Poland.

 

The Slovenian rider charged all the way to the line alongside Fernando Gaviria (Etixx-Quickstep), with Gaviria just edging out Mezgec once again to steal another stage victory.

 

Today's result is the fourth podium for Orica-BikeExchange in just as many days, displaying the teams form and relentlessness with the victories frustratingly close.

 

"We thought the stage today may have been slightly easier than it was," said sport director Dave McPartland.

 

"We knew it was touch and go if it would be a sprint finish or not. The main lap after about 100kilometres was really solid. It was almost like a classics race with narrow roads and short steep climbs one after the other.

 

”We knew well before the final that Caleb Ewan may not be up there at the finish as he was fighting over some of the earlier climbs, so then the priority for us was then with Luka and also to protect Simon Yates, all the guys contributed well to looking after them both.”

 

Belgian Jens Keukeleire animated most of the stage, making it into the day's main breakaway which formed within the first few kilometres of the race. This left ORICA-BikeExchange in a good situation, with options on another long and challenging stage.

 

"It was the second day in a row for Keuekeleire to go into the break, he certainly knows how to pick a good move and he was straight into it right from the start. It was the perfect situation for us as the rest of the team had a free ride and it actually could have gone all the way to the line.

 

“Once it was all back together again, coming into the final Luka pretty much had to do his own thing so to finish in second place when he didn’t have too many troops on hand to help is testiment to just how powerful he is.

 

"Tomorrow it's a general classification day, certainly a day for the climbers, we have Jack Haig who has been supporting well these last few fays and the way Sam Bewley is climbing he should go well too.

 

“The GC has been a big goal for us all week so we will see how it goes tomorrow on the climbs, after four podiums but no wins yet, hopefully Simon can bring us a victory."

 

Strong Michal Kwiatkowski sprints to bonus seconds in Poland

Michal Kwiatkowski sprinted into second overall at the Tour of Poland after finishing an impressive third on stage four.

The Pole launched his burst early, rounded several traditional sprinters and gained ground on eventual stage winner Fernando Gaviria (Etixx - Quick-Step) and second placed Luka Mezgec (Orica-BikeExchange) to finish on the podium.

 

The result bumped him up the general classification to second, where he sits 19 bonus seconds behind Gaviria, with the hilliest stages of the WorldTour race to come.

 

Nicolas Roche and Pete Kennaugh were prominent in the closing stages in Poland, while Leo Konig suffered a late crash but remains well placed on the general classification.

 

“Yeah of course I was up there in the last lap thank you to my teammates that protected me and I was able to take bonification seconds in the sprint which is extra 3 seconds: always a bonus if you think about GC,” declared Kwiatkowski. 

 

“About the sprint, all I can say is that I’m not able to fight against Gaviria or Luca Mezgec as they are great sprinters. I surprised them with a quick attack from the back. About 400 metres before the finish line I accelerated and I went at double speed and I am happy to finish on the podium in front of the Polish public. 

 

“From what I have heard, it’s really bad weather for the weekend so that’s going to be a really tough stage. The stage to Zakopane, I really struggled a lot with that in the past years and I know that it is a crucial stage for the GC, as well as the stage on Sunday, but we will keep on fighting. I know that we have a really good team with Nicholas Roche and Leopold Konig and we will be up there in the GC.”

 

Speaking to TeamSky.com after the stage Sport Director Brett Lancaster praised Kwiatkowski's effort, and he believes that several members of the team are in good shape ahead of the race's decisive days.

 

He said: "Everyone's in good spirits. Kwiato got up there and had a little bit of a kick today, Nico Roche had a real good dig at two kilometres to go with Philippe Gilbert (BMC), so the boys are really on it and keen to race. We can't fault them at all there - they've been really good.

 

"Kwiatkowski is in a great position, Nico is feeling really good, and a bit of an outside bet is Leo [Konig]: even though he crashed quite heavily today, he's looking good. Hopefully we have a few cards to play."

 

Konig went down in the closing stages and Elia Viviani was caught up in the crash - his second of the race.

 

Lancaster added: "I was following Elia in, he got caught up in the crash when Leo went down and the docs are just looking at Leo now - he hurt his face a little bit. Michal Golas is off to the hospital now for a routine check up on his hands after he crashed yesterday and Elia's crashed twice now - so it really hasn't been the best race for crashes!"

 

Despite the crashes Lancaster was keen to stress that the mood in the camp is very good, although the team have been hit by the loss of Benat Intxausti, who abandoned before the start of stage four.

 

"Sadly Benat went home today," explained Lancaster. "He's had a really rough year with illness. It's a real shame for him. He wants to race, he's keen, he just doesn't have the power right now. That's the way cycling is sometimes, and the illness he had [glandular fever] is a really horrible illness. It can knock you around for a whole year. We're all on his side, we know where he's at, and we'll do what's best for him.

 

"He was 100% a team player the first day, he was on the front trying to help out the boys and eager to help the team, but at the end of the day we've got to assess things, go back to the drawing board, and see what we do with him coaching and training wise ahead of his next race."

 

Stages three and four both had the potential to split the race with tough climbs in the last 50km but on both days the sprinters were able to get back onto the peloton ahead of the finish.

 

Lancaster added: "There was one really steep climb today, it went up to 22% at one point, but there was a long way to the finish. The guys can always get back on there. There's some much harder stuff coming up over the next three days and that's where the race is going to be won or lost.

 

"There's nearly 5,000m of climbing on stage six and I remember racing it myself last year - it was one of the hardest days I had all year. That's comparable to climbing metres on the hardest days of the Tour de France, it's just that it's always up or down. It's a very, very demanding course. Whoever wins that stage is probably going to win the race overall."

 

In-form Heinrich Haussler again in the top 5 in Poland

“Today, more was simply not possible,” commented Heinrich Haussler after taking fourth place for the stage. “This was not an easy stage today. Nevertheless, I never really had that much trouble on the climbs. But in the last kilometer, I felt just how long and hard the day had been. In order to be up front for the win, I am simply missing a little something extra. But that is completely normal, and my current form is not at all bad. With every race, that extra bit of sparkle will reemerge. I have a good feeling, and am looking forward with lots of confidence.”

 

Thierry Marichal, who is a directeur sportif along with Eddy Seigneur at the Tour of Poland, was satisfied the team’s result after the fourth stage:

 

“This was not an easy stage today.  Despite the three categorized climbs with around 40 kilometers to go, the finale was decided in a bunch sprint. Our plan was to drive the pace for Heinrich Haussler, and he was able to get another fourth place like yesterday. I am accordingly satisfied with the performance, and Heinrich has certainly earned himself another nice result.”

 

Roger Kluge appeared in the rankings for the fourth stage with a DNF. However, this was due not to any ill fortune for the German. The 30 year old Kluge simply left the race in view of the difficult stages to come, knowing that he can better prepare at home for his next goals.

 

The fifth and sixth stage will definitely force a change in the overall classification.

 

“The next two stages are very difficult,” Thierry Marichal explained. “It’s a constant up and down, and we will try to do something with riders like Stefan Denifl, Larry Warbasse, and Jonathan Fumeaux, and hope one of them can come away with a stage. The forecasted rain could add another layer of complication to the weekend of racing.”

 

Boy van Poppel takes over from Bonifazio in Poland

Boy van Poppel is one of the best lead-out men to be found in the peloton and rarely has an opportunity to sprint for himself. However, in the Tour of Poland stage four when Niccolo Bonifazio was unable to get over the stages tough climbs with the peloton, van Poppel was the team's designated sprinter and finished in a respectable 5th place in a tight finish over the line.

 

"The last three days I have felt strong, and I have felt good working with Niccolo – it's the first time I work with him in the sprints," said van Poppel.  "Yesterday, I also felt good, but then in the last climb I had an allergic attack, it happens quite often with me, so I couldn't be there to help Niccolo in the end.

 

"And for today, I didn't know what to expect, but I felt immediately really strong on the climbs, and I made it to the circuits. I was the only sprinter left, so it was up to me. Maybe I was a little bit too far behind in the sprint, but I could come with speed, and it was close at the line for the third place, I couldn't really tell."

 

While Fernando Gaviria (Etixx-Quick Step) was the clear winner, it was a close finish between the minor placings behind, leaving van Poppel in fifth but inches from a podium placing.

 

Fabio Felline, tackling his first races back after a lengthy layoff to injury, also finished with the large peloton that arrived to contest the bunch sprint after a long and arduous 218 kilometers. 

 

"Today was long and hard again, very similar to yesterday," explained director Dirk Demol. "We were hoping to have Niccolo there at the finish, but he was not recovered from yesterday. Boy did well and showed that he is still a good sprinter. It's a nice result for him.

 

"Now we are facing two hard stages where the GC will be settled and the last day a time trial. We already have a stage win and do not have a GC card to play, so we will make the best of it tomorrow and help Fabio (Felline) as much as we can."

 

Zico Waeytens gets his chance on tough day in Poland

In the fast finish, Zico Waeytens was well placed in the finale leading from the front in the bunch kick and he sprinted to 6th place.

 

Zico Waeytens said: “It was a really hard race and finale today. I’m happy that I could manage to survive the climbs and could go have my chance in the sprint. Tobias [Ludvigsson] and Koen [De Kort] did a really good job in the finale and placed me in a good position. I started my sprint and I thought that I was able to go for the podium, but I had to keep my legs still for around 3 seconds because another rider went to the right and after that, I lost my speed and could not speed up anymore. But I’m happy how the team was riding today and in the end, it’s not a bad result.”

 

Morten Bennekou added: “The team did a really good job throughout the whole day. They protected and positioned our strongest riders ahead of the many hills. In the finale, we had three riders left and Tobias and Koen did a really good job to position Zico. In the sprint, I believed in a podium place but unfortunately Zico got boxed in and that stopped his momentum. He was then 6th but I think overall that the team was very good.”

 

Enrico Battaglin gets his chance on bad day for Moreno Hofland

Enrico Battaglin had to take over Moreno Hofland’s role in the bunch sprint of the fourth stage in the Tour de Pologne today. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s sprinter wasn’t feeling strong, so the Italian had his chance. He sprinted to the eighth place behind winner Fernando Gaviria (Etixx - Quick Step).

 

“It wasn’t our plan to sprint with Enrico Battaglin today,” Sports Director Addy Engels said. “Moreno Hofland didn’t feel well enough and wasn’t able to stay with the peloton. That’s why we had to make the switch.

 

“It was harder than yesterday. The hills were tougher and it was a lot of twisting and turning, as well. It was hard for Enrico to deliver a strong sprint because he had to put himself in the right position for the most part.”

 

“After Moreno was dropped, I wanted to deliver a good final sprint,” Battaglin added. “I wasn’t confident enough to make the most of it. I should have done better and I’m not satisfied with this eighth place. It was difficult for me because I had to do it on my own and there were still plenty of sprinters left.”

 

Battaglin might find another chance already tomorrow.

 

“It’s possible,” Engels said. “If he survives the hard bits, he immediately has a big chance at winning the stage. Again, it’s going to depend on the way they’re going to race. Besides that, we’re looking at Primoz Roglic’s general classification.”

 

Another top 10 for Kristian Sbaragli in Poland

There was some sad news for Dimension Data in the opening kilometers though as Youcef Reguigui had to abandon the race after 40km, succumbing to injuries sustained in his crash yesterday.

 

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka put its confidence into young Italian fast man, Kristian Sbaragli for the finale. With the early breakaway of the day caught with a little less than 20km to go, the race opened itself up to a number of late attacks during the finale. Omar Fraile showed a lot of strength in these final kilometers to follow just about all the attacks and then also, set a hard pace at the front of the peloton until 3km to go in order to discourage any further attacks.

 

Fraile’s good work ensured Sbaragli had the chance to sprint for the win and it was looking good for the African Team when Sbaragli rounded the final corner in 4th wheel. A slight delay by the riders in front of him though meant some sprinters were able to come by on his left and right. In the end, the top 10 sprinters were spanned across the road and a blanket could have been thrown over all of them on the line. Sbaragli had to settle for 9th place on the stage, his 3rd top 10 in succession.

 

Sports director Jens Zemke said:

 

“It was another very tough day. The level here is really high, being a World Tour race the bunch is big, the stages are long and a lot of really good teams and riders are represented here. So it is very hard to get any sort of result but to have Kristian in the top 10 on 3 occasions, it is a very good result for him and it shows he is back on track for the 2nd part of the season.

 

“Once again the crowds were magnificent, particularly on the finishing circuit there were just so many people, the atmosphere is great. It’s been such a good race to be part of and we are really enjoying it here. The next two stages now are difficult climbing stages, so we look forward to Jacques [van Rensburg] and Kanstantsin [Siutsou] doing something special.”

 

Another top 20 for ONE Pro Cycling in Poland

ONE Pro Cycling looked to place Karol Domagalski and Dion Smith towards theront of the peloton as they pasted the finishing line for the first time.  As the race headed into the final ascents, Domagalski, Oram and Smith were still safely in the Etixx controlled peloton. Entering the town of Rzeszow, ONE Pro Cycling’s GC hopefuls were holding a good position in the peloton as they began three laps of the six kilometre finishing circuit.

 

Running into the finish Domagalski was looking after Dion Smith and dropped him off as the bunch sprint unfolded with Smith racing home in 12th position followed closely behind by Domagalski in 21st. It was solid effort from the team on their debut WorldTour race with 4 top 20 position over four stages.

 

Heading into stage 5 Dion Smith now sits 30th overall with team mate Karol Domagalski in 33rd as the race really hits the mountains tomorrow with a 225km stage starting in the town of Wieliczka and finishing in the town of Zakopane.

 

VERVA ActiveJet optimistc for Polish mountain stages

Jordi Simon finished 13th VERVA ActiveJet Team. 

 

Once again a representative of VERVA ActiveJet Team was in the break. This time it was Adam Stachowiak, whose task was to fight for KOM points. Jonas Koch still leads the sprints classification.

 

“Behind us we have four stages where the main role was played by the sprinters. But this is behind us and now the race starts for the athletes specializing in harder terrain. I am glad that among the riders without big losses are three of our leaders: Jordi Simon, Karel Hnik and Pawel Cieslik. I believe that they will be able to fight with the best in the mountains,” said sporting director VERVA ActiveJet Team Piotr Kosmala. 

 

Daniele Bennati back in the mix in Polish sprint

In the fast finish, Daniele Bennati showed he’s finding his rhythm again as he led Tinkoff home in 16th place, while the rest of the Tinkoff team focused on supporting Jesper Hansen ahead of the three key days to come for the general classification.

 

 

“It was another long stage today, with a climb right from the start which saw the break go,” Sport Director Jan Valach told after the finish. “The sprinters teams worked all day to bring them back and after around 100km we hit the short, steep climbs where the parcours became quite technical. At this moment the peloton split, with around 100 riders making the front peloton. This front group went to the finish for another sprint.”

 

In the finishing sprint, Bennati tested his legs and looked strong fighting for position, finishing well in the top 20 on the stage. In the same group, Jesper Hansen crossed the line in 61st place, on the same time as the stage winner to keep his GC hopes in tact ahead of the days to come.

 

“We looked after Jesper all day to prepare for the next few days and the guys again did a good job. It will be a hard day tomorrow, and our focus is on the GC with Jesper and to get him in front in a good position for the finishing laps.”

 

Philippe Gilbert ready for key stages in Poland

It was another bunch sprint on stage 4 of the Tour de Pologne to cap off a long day of racing, during which Alessandro De Marchi spent the day in the breakaway. De Marchi was pulled back with 15 kilometers to go, setting the stage for yet another sprint to the line.

 

Heading into the decisive last three stages of the race, Floris Gerts and Philippe Gilbert have moved into eighth and ninth place on the General Classification respectively.

 

BMC sports director Max Sciandri said:

 

“It was a pretty good stage for us. We had a few guys on the look out for the breakaway, mostly Alessandro De Marchi, Danilo Wyss and Floris Gerts. De Marchi did well to get into in and they stayed away for a large part of the racing until around 15 kilometers to the finish. He gave it a good try and continued to race aggressively.

 

“We wanted to keep Ben Hermans and Philippe Gilbert safe going into stages 5 and 6 as this is where the race will be decided. We have really hard circuits with climbs coming up, which are really the classic stages of the Tour de Pologne and where the General Classification will be decided. With Floris and Philippe both now in the top ten on the General Classification we are in a good position and I think we can see some good results in the coming days.”

 

Dario Cataldo targets top 5 in Poland

“From tomorrow it starts to get serious,“ said Dario Cataldo. “I feel good and I have a good feeling. I hope to find good weather and especially no rain.

 

"Already in Zakopane it will be a first selection between those who want to win this Tour de Pologne, Sunday's stage in Bukovina is very tough and then the time trial in Krakow can fix the situation.”

 

"Andrey Zeits, Eros Capecchi and Cataldo were very quiet in the middle of the group,” said sport director Dmitri Sedoun. “They didn’t want to lose time and the first objective was reached. Now if we ride with intelligence, we can point to the first five places of the overall.”

 

Movistar leaders stay safe in Poland

Way up north, away from the TT fight in the Tour de France, the Movistar Team directed by Jaimerena & Laguía had another 200km+ journey in the Tour de Pologne -218 kilometers, to be precise, between Nowy Sącz and Rzeszów/Podkarpackie. The route, however, was more spicy as five little climbs were included before the final circuit. It was only a prelude of what will come on Saturday, with seven Cat-1 climbs before the finish in Zakopane, where Dayer Quintana, Fernández, Castroviejo, Visconti and even Andrey Amador could be in the mix.

 

Far from putting the GC into jeopardy, today’s hills only played their part in giving out the KOM points for the day’s break - De Marchi (BMC), Keukeleire (OBE), Stachowiak (VAT), Marycz (CCC), Rekita (PL), Boev (GAZ) y Tonelli (BAR) - caught as they entered the finish for the first time. Spaniard Rubén Fernández kept his top Movistar Team placing overall after the fourth sprint in as many days: Fernando Gaviria (EQS) won his second stage, leaving second-overall Kwiatkowski (SKY) at 20”.

 

Katusha leaders ready for Polish mountains

The 73rd Tour of Poland (Tour de Pologne) rolled on with another sprint finish on Friday for the fourth of seven stages. At 218 km, the stage began in Nowy Sącz and ended in Rzeszów with the mass sprint won yet again by Fernando Gaviria of Etixx – Quick Step.

 

“It was another fast stage, especially in the beginning. We had a few climbs today, which were hard enough, but short, so there was no way to make the selection. Etixx and few other teams controlled the situation and everything was decided in the sprint. We did this stage a bit calmly thinking about the weekend. Now we will have three the most important stages and we are ready for the fight,” said team director Claudio Cozzi.

 

Novo Nordisk captain still in contention in Poland

Team Novo Nordisk’s Javier Megias finished in the main group with the same time as Gaviria. 

 

“I felt pretty good, but I don’t have a lot of experience at this level yet. I learned that my position wasn’t as good as it should have been,” Team Novo Nordisk’s Charles Planet said. “When the group split, I was behind. I tried to stay with the group as long as I could but with the speed, I finally exploded. I know tomorrow is more than 200 kilometers and lots of climbing, so I knew I needed to save something in my legs.”