Czech champion shows strong climbing form on Stage 2 uphill sprint finish
After an uneventful opening stage, the second day of Tour de Pologne gave a glimpse of the excitement to come. The 148-kilometer route was punctuated by a series of climbs throughout, and ending with the day’s longest climb to the finish in Karpacz.
Coming in to the finish the group still numbered around 30 riders, with Andrea Bagioli, Sam Oomen and Mathias Vacek all present. The finish, with its challenging but not ultra-steep climb, suited Vacek well, who was well-positioned near the head of the group. Jan Christen (UAE) launched a long sprint from 500 meters out, with Vacek tracking him. As a small group came back on level terms. Paul Lapeira (DAT), having benefitted in the slipstream of Vacek, sprinted over the top. Vacek’s response was strong, but the finish line came too soon for him to catch the Frenchman.
“It was a fast stage, quite short and I knew the biggest selection would be on the last climb with a lot of storng climbers here. I was focused on the final, and with the help of the team I had a really good position and didn’t have to use much energy before. I felt really good in the last climb and had the wheel of Christen, who went quite early and exploded a bit. We slowed down and Lapeira came from the back and he had an extra punch and we couldn’t follow. I still had a bit of energy in the legs and tried my best to catch him, but he was stonrger today and I took second. It was a good effort and I’m happy with the performance. Now we focus on the next days and try to maintain the position in GC and try to win. Good day and good team effort. If we continue like this it will be good!” – Mathias Vacek
