Bad weather and poor visibility forced the organizers to cancel stage 6 of the Tour de Pologne which was the queen stage of the race. Having shortened it several times, they called off the race when the race finally got underway and the riders only did one neutralized lap of the circuit. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) retains the lead.

We have gathered several reactions.

Astana support decision to cancel Polish queen stage

"It’s a right decision,” commented Astana sports director Alexander Shefer. “The road conditions and the heavy rain did not allow the running of the race.”

Andrey Zeits sixth at 5.29 and Dario Cataldo is ninth at 6.16.

Movistar sports director explains cancellation of Polish queen stage

After a hellish day of racing on Saturday, the organisers of the Tour de Pologne had to twice cut the route proposed for Sunday's stage six in Bukowina Tatrzanska), the weather forecast looking as grim, 10ºC, continuous drizzle over the course, deteriorated roads, as on the eve of this Queen stage. Even though racing started at 3.50pm, with only 72km on the menu, race conditions were considered extreme as riders got through the opening kilometers. The stage was then cancelled.

Rubén Fernández remains in 8th overall as Tim Wellens (LTS) will seek to retain a certain GC victory in the 25km TT in and around Kraków.

Movistar sports director José Luis Jaimerena said:

"It started yesterday with the abandonment of 86 riders. Then it was decided to cancel one of the five laps today. This morning the conditions were bad, it rained more and more and after another round of opinions, we decided to do three laps.  Then the neutralized start was delaued and we started with the idea of doing two laps, but the circuit was still very dangerous.

”There wa an agreement between organization, commissaires and riders and, after a first lap, they have decided to cancel the race. It was raining and it was cold but not as extreme as yesterday. Today the danger was the condition of the roads and the risk of crashes.This morning, Andrey Amador and Fran Ventoso -after crashes and subsequent abandonment – weresore. It seemed that Andrey had a broken collarbone, but when we got to the hotel any serious injury was ruled out. Fran also had a very strong blow to the shoulder and it hurt a lot, but that’s normal for the next day. Nothing serious.

”Tomorrow we have a last chance in the time trial with Alex Dowsett and Jonathan Castroviejo. They are both tired after this intense week of many kilometers, speed, bad weather ... and we'll see how it affects them, but they are all in the same conditions. Hopefully they're well and can fight for victory. There are big rivals, but I think they can be in front.”

Orica-BikeExchange: It is a missed opportunity but it’s the right decision

Orica-BikeExhange sports director Dave McPartland was initially shocked by the stage cancellation but agreed it was a safe and sensible decision.

"We had a Simon Yates and Jack Haig who could have gone well on a course like today," said McPartland. "So it was initially disappointing but I think the race organisation made a good decision and actually listened to the riders. It was a unified decision which was really great to see.

“We feel sorry for the organisers because they have put a lot into this race so it's disappointing for them, but they have been able to make a hard decision and put the riders safety first which they should be congratulated for."

The general classification remains the same as yesterday, with no changes after today going into tomorrow's final time trial stage.

"Tomorrow is exactly the same, we have a good chance with Svein Tuft tomorrow, he's a hitter in the time trial, actually all three of the guys will have a good hit out and hopefully the weather conditions will be better."

Novo Nordisk look forward after cancellation of queen stage

 “Stage 6 was canceled today because of extreme weather conditions. It was foggy; it was rainy and after only 30 kilometers, riders asked officials to cancel the stage,” Team Novo Nordisk’s Vassili Davidenko said. “For us, it is another day behind our back. We were ready for this stage but safety first. Tomorrow is the final stage, a time trial, and we will see how we do.”

Giant-Alpecin: The riders were relieved with the decision

Johannes Fröhlinger remains Team Giant-Alpecin’s best-placed rider in 48th spot.

Coach Morten Bennekou said: “The decision to cancel the race was a good one. It was very cold and the road was too slippery with a lot of rain. The riders were relieved with the decision. I hope the spectators understand the decision and all the teams agreed with the organizers decision.”

Race director explains decision to cancel Tour de Pologne queen stage

“It has been raining incessantly along the entire route since this morning. This is why we agreed with the jury, the teams’ and the riders’ representatives, deciding to postpone the departure by two hours and shorten the stage. The new plan was to do three out of the five laps originally planned on the circuit in Bukowina; then as we saw that the situation was getting even worse, we decided to cut it down to only two laps. The stage set off and the idea was to do a test lap to try out the route and then eventually actually hold the race in the second lap. However we saw that due to the heavy rains in some stretches landslides had covered the roads with mud, dirt and detritus that made the situation quite dangerous, especially on the descents. Furthermore, on the climbs for the GPMs the visibility was very bad due to thick fog. So after the first few kilometres of the race, about half way through the first lap, the riders’ representatives came to talk and consult with me in the car. In the end we made the decision to cancel the stage. It’s never an easy choice, neither for the organizers nor for the athletes, but in this case it was definitely the right decision. Above all else we need to consider the safety and security of the riders, and this is why we decided that the right thing to do was cancel the stage,” explains the General Manager for the Tour de Pologne Czeslaw Lang.

Michal Kwiatkowski: Common sense prevailed

“I think it was the best decision. We started out but we saw that there weren’t the proper conditions necessary to continue the race safely. I know that for the organizers and for us riders it is never an easy choice but I have to say that today in the end common sense prevailed,” declared Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) at the finish line in Bukowina.