Two seconds in 2019, in 2017 and in 2015, five seconds in 2012, six seconds in 2011 and eight seconds in 2014 and 2010: ever since the race joined the WorldTour in 2007, the general classification of the Tour de Pologne has been decided by some nail-bitingly tight margins. But for an ultra-close GC finale, the 2023 edition could well beat them all.
Just a few hundredths of a second currently separate race leader Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) from runner-up João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) after the stage 6 time trial in Katowice which was supposed to provide a definitive format to the Tour de Pologne overall. Instead, with just one stage left to go, the difference between the event’s top two racers could hardly be closer.
Time bonuses on the normally ceremonial, mostly flat 166.6 km stage into Krakow on Friday could yet play a crucial part in the overall battle.
Three, two and one seconds are on offer on the day’s one intermediate sprint at Wilamowice at km 67.5, and after the last of three five-kilometre laps around the edges of Krakow’s Blonie Park, bonification of ten, six and four seconds will go to the first three across the finish line on the broad Marszałka Ferdynanda Focha avenue.
With third-placed Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) at a comparatively distant 14 seconds, the battle for victory should theoretically come down to a Mohorič-Almeida duel. But as Mohorič told reporters after his defence of the overall lead on stage 6’s time trial, he has a strong belief in his chances of keeping the yellow all the way to the finish.
“I’m confident that together with my teammates I can defend this lead,” Mohorič said. “If they go for bonus seconds, so will I, I think I’m faster in a bonus sprint, so we’ll see.”
“If they decide to go for it, we will up for the challenge, we will fight all the way to the finish.”
Asked if he honestly expected to see himself in the lead after playing down his chances of defending it in the time trial all week, Mohorič said he had, but hadn’t wanted to say anything in case “because then you seem arrogant.”
“I knew I had the legs of my life, and I was second in the Junior Worlds Time Trial so I’m not too shabby at it. But obviously, in the Tour and everything else, I haven’t done too much training on my time trial bike. But when you have good legs, you have good legs.”
Mohoričv reminded reporters that he has a history of this kind of last-minute, cliffhanger GC scenario. Last year when lying second on the last…
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