Phenomenal Thibau Nys with a Hat Trick in the 81st Tour de Pologne!
Thibau Nys once again dominated the mountain stage in the 81st Tour de Pologne. The young Belgian talent secured his third victory in this year’s edition, defeating the general classification favorites in a small group sprint in Bukowina Tatrzańska. Before the final stage, Jonas Vingegaard remained the race leader.
The „queen” stage from Wadowice to BUKOVINA Resort in Bukowina Tatrzańska was an opportunity for shake-ups in the top of the ORLEN general classification. Jonas Vingegaard from Team Visma | Lease a Bike started the stage in the yellow leader’s jersey, with Diego Ulissi from UAE Team Emirates trailing by 19 seconds in second place.
The 183-kilometer route was tailored for riders who excel in the mountains and led through numerous climbs from the very start. After an intense battle to establish a breakaway, Davide Formolo (Movistar Team), Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan Team), and Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Deceuninck) made it into the leading group. Hoping to collect points on the PZU KOM primes, the best climber of the race – Michał Paluta – tried to join the front group, but his chase with Briton Lukas Nerurkar was unsuccessful.
The trio remained at the front and contested the LOTTO intermediate sprint in Jabłonka, where Davide Formolo was the fastest. A bit later, Tobias Foss from INEOS Grenadiers attacked from the peloton, joined by Archie Ryan (EF Education-EasyPost), Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates), and Mick van Dijke (Team Visma | Lease a Bike). The quartet began chasing the leaders, who collected points on the iconic PZU mountain primes on the BUKOVINA Wall and Harnaś Wall, where Dillier and Formolo were the best.
The two leading groups merged shortly afterward, but the peloton was pressing hard from behind. However, the escapees still managed to fight for points at the LOTTO intermediate sprint in Szaflary, where Mick van Dijke triumphed.
Soon after, Archie Ryan attacked, starting a several-kilometer solo effort. It resulted in a victory at the PZU mountain prime on the BUKOVINA Wall, but he was caught by the selected group of favorites on the final climb to BUKOVINA Resort. In the closing stages, Yannis Voisard from Tudor Pro Cycling Team tried to attack but was also caught. In the sprint, Thibau Nys proved unbeatable, claiming his third victory in the 81st Tour de Pologne. Earlier, he had won in Karpacz and Duszniki-Zdrój.
“I have no words. I can’t believe it because it was so hard to fight and stay in the front. I didn’t feel bad, but I was very lucky to stay in the front. I suffered on the climbs, and on the last steep hill, I was in the third group. I knew I would only have one chance at the end. I didn’t have good legs to position myself well, control the situation, and so on. I needed a lot of luck and faith that I could win. Faith works wonders,” said Thibau Nys.
The phenomenal Belgian was unbeatable today, crossing the finish line with a relatively large margin ahead of Diego Ulissi and Oscar Onley. The highest-placed Pole was Rafał Majka, who finished 19th.
“A beautiful stage. It’s a shame there’s not one more lap because it would have been more fun. We wanted to win the stage today, but Thibau Nys unexpectedly appeared. I gave up 500 meters before the finish line. We were riding for our leader – Diego Ulissi – and we really thought we would win the stage. We made up a few seconds, but the stage was really tough. The pace was very strong under the last BUKOVINA Resort Wall. We sent Tim Wellens ahead so Visma would have to work a bit, but Thibau Nys attacked unexpectedly. Congratulations to him. We are second in the general classification again, but we already have one stage win,” commented Rafał Majka.
In the ORLEN general classification, Jonas Vingegaard from Team Visma | Lease a Bike retained the lead and the yellow jersey, holding a 13-second advantage over Diego Ulissi. Wilco Kelderman is in third place.
Best riders on stage 6 of 81st Tour de Pologne
DRUTEX Stage Winner: Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek)
DECATHLON Team General Classification: UAE Team Emirates
ENERGA GRUPA ORLEN Prime for the Best Polish Rider: Rafał Majka (UAE Team Emirates)
Polish Television Special Prize: Rafał Majka (UAE Team Emirates)
Leaders of the classification in the 81st Tour de Pologne after 6 stages
ORLEN General Classification: Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma I Lease a Bike)
PZU Best Climber Classification: Michał Paluta (Polish National Team)
ENERGA Sprinter Classification: Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates)
LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification: Norbert Banaszek (Polish National Team)