2022 Tour de Pologne – Stage 5 Preview

By @EchelonsHub

The fourth stage of the Tour de Pologne saw action towards the end, although the GC riders remained conservative over the day’s final climbs. A bunch sprint awaited the riders in Sanok, with a late attack from Zdenek Stybar just barely surviving, but in the end Pascal Ackermann took the win in the uphill sprint, beating Jordi Meeus and Jonathan Milan. Sergio Higuita crashed close to the finish, but due to the 3Km rule he kept the race lead.

Positive: Ackermann taking a strong and much needed win after a very modest season.  

Negative: Nothing to note. 

The Route 

The fifth day of the Tour de Pologne will be a tricky one. The start of the stage will have three small ascents which may be very favourable for the formation of a breakaway, and the whole day has a difficult situation where the sprinters can definitely survive the day’s climbs if they’ve got good form, but at the same time the GC riders can blow up the race. There is space for classics-style racing, with several hilltops throughout the day. The main three will come with 42, 32 and 10 kilometers to go with 1.2Km at 6.8%, 2.2Km at 5.7% and 2.2Km at 4.2% respectively. It’s an open day, where the riders will decide the rhythm and the contenders for the day will depend on that. The finale in Rzeszow will be flat however, and not technical unlike some of the past days. There will be difficulties before racing the city, however if a sprint is to happen it will have appropriate and very wide roads to take it in.  

The Weather

Slightly higher temperatures and a breeze from the northeast. Should not affect the stage or play any meaningful role.  

Breakaway chances: 50% 

They’re decent. The GC fight did not break out in any way today, which means it’s quite possible the same will happen tomorrow. If so the breakaway will have more chances of succeeding as the start is relatively hard and the stage overall is much hillier which will see less teams commit to a chase – besides the climbs not being hard enough to create differences by power.  

The Favourites 

Assuming the peloton is able to control the race again, it is possible to see the fast men who can climb come to the front and have their teams work towards collective success. Ethan Hayter, Mike Teunissen and Quinten Hermans are clear riders to consider in such a scenario, Sean Quinn, Kaden Groves and Andrea Vendrame are also dangerous whilst other contenders largely depend on the pace the peloton takes throughout the day. Jordi Meeus has also shown great form in the race so far and can be an outsider.  If the race does blow up it should be very open. However there are clear favourites, with Sergio Higuita having to defend their lead and having two crashes in the legs in four days, some teams may look to attack to create havoc and take advantage from the terrain where depth can be used. I’ve talked about how INEOS are the most likely team to do it – with Richard Carapaz, Ben Tulett and Jhonatan Narváez – however if they didn’t attack today that move may not come as they may be looking towards Hayter’s chances in the ITT. Matteo Sobrero and Pello Bilbao will be hard rivals however, which may wanna keep the GC as it is aswell. Quentin Pacher, Mauro Schmid, Felix Gall and Diego Ulissi have also shown the form and may be able to pull something off if they find themselves in the right groups. Zdenek Stybar has also shown great legs today and will be another rider to consider.  

Inside The Bus 

This morning I talk to… #11 Felix Gall – Stay attempt and follow the moves late on Felix, you’ve got a decent GC place that we want to work with, and you also pack a nice sprint if it’s necessary.  #92 Quinten Hermans – No need to go all out crazy with attacks as you have Quinten, we’re here chasing a stage win but you’ve got to time your moves well. If the race doesn’t open up early then let’s try and attack the final hilltop, the gradients aren’t too complicated but if we can make a selection aswell it would be a good scenario for you.  #152 Nikias Arndt – Let’s see Nikias, we will protect you. You’ve been climbing well and you still pack a decent sprint, so let’s hope the race is very calm again and we can fight for a sprint with you present.  

Prediction Time 

⭐⭐⭐Hayter, Teunissen ⭐⭐Q.Hermans, Bilbao, Schmid ⭐Groves, Quinn, Carapaz, Higuita, Narváez, Sobrero, Pacher, Gall, Ulissi, Stybar Mike Teunissen is in great form and is showing a very aggressive approach. I think Teunissen is in the position to take a big stage win, and tomorrow may be the day.  Zweeler is a fantasy sports game that includes many sports and cycling is no exception. I ask that you check it out, if you register with the link below you will not only be joining an exciting game but will also be personally supporting me and my work, and allow me to make more content for you! Tomorrow’s race has prizes of at least €200 and an entry fee of only €5. Make good use of your knowledge! https://zweeler.com/game/cycling/FantasyTourdePologne2022stage5/main.php?ref=790 Rúben SilvaFollow us on Twitter and InstagramJoin us on facebook: Ciclismo Internacional

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