The 82nd Tour of Poland started on Monday with a first stage made for the sprinters. In Legnica, Olav Kooij dominated the bunch finish, while the entire Groupama-FDJ squad came in the peloton, having avoided the few incidents that occurred along the way. Tomorrow, the punchers-climbers will take over in Karpacz.
With barely 700 metres of climbing spread over 200 kilometers of racing, and only one classified climb, the outcome of the Tour de Pologne’s first stage was quite clear this Monday. Four riders broke away in the opening minutes, and the sprinters’ teams immediately took over the chase. “The scenario was known in advance,” commented Jussi Veikkanen. “On the other hand, there was a massive crash due to the wet roads at the start of the race, and about thirty guys ended up on the ground. Luckily, our guys got through it because it happened at the back of the peloton, and they were all in front.” Subsequently, the breakaway was reduced to three men for the last three-quarters of the stage, and the peloton had no trouble controlling the situation. With about forty kilometres to go, the fugitives were caught. “It was still quite tense for a first sprinting stage,” confessed Jussi. “We didn’t just ride on boulevards. There were cobblestones, lesser-quality surfaces. We still had to stay careful.”
In Legnica, the anticipated bunch sprint did develop, and Olav Kooij emerged victorious from a tortuous and hectic final. “We don’t have a real sprinter here, so we didn’t join the fight, and we have other goals this week,” Jussi claimed. “Clément was very close to falling with the sprinters when in the crash that happened 1,5 km from the finish, but luckily it went well. We just had to change his bike.” All of the Groupama-FDJ team riders therefore finished with the winner’s time, while the second stage on Tuesday should create the first real gaps in the general classification. “It could be quite eventful,” Jussi added. “The finish isn’t easy, but the stage as a whole isn’t simple either, which will allow us to be more ambitious than today.” In Karpacz, the day will conclude with a two-stage climb, first 2.3 kilometres at 5%, then 3 kilometres at 6.5%.
