Gaining back two seconds in the intermediate sprint plus six in the final gallop to the line, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) scooped the final overall victory in the Tour of Poland. The Slovakian rider sprinted home just behind the German victor Marcel Kittel (Skil-Shimano), who picked up his fourth stage of the race in Krakow, and nabbed the bonus he needed to overhaul Daniel Martin (Garmin-Cervélo).
“I’m thrilled,” said the Slovakian, who won stages four and five, lost the jersey to Martin on stage six, then took it back on today’s seventh leg. “I have to thank the team, which was also extraordinary today. After the second place in the intermediate sprint I knew that I had to give it my all in the finish as well. I put in everything I had and fortunately I managed to close out in second place.
“I knew that I could win or lose this race by only a matter of seconds. I gave it my all and this is the most wonderful victory in my career, because I built it day after day with stubborn obstinacy.”
Irish pro Martin had to be satisfied with second overall, losing his yellow jersey in the final gallop to the line. He had started the day three seconds ahead of both Sagan and Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil) but as those two are faster in the sprint, knew he was up against it.
Martin conceded two and one seconds respectively to those two rivals in the intermediate sprint, which came just under 30 kilometres from the finish. There, Martin’s team-mate Heinrich Haussler was first to the line, with he and Sagan nearly colliding on a right hand curve inside the final 200 metres.
Sagan then finished second to Kittel in the final sprint to the line, picking up an additional six second time bonus and winning outright by five.
“Today there wasn’t much I could do to win the race,” said Martin after finishing 25th on the stage. “Haussler was great in the intermediate sprint. Some riders came up to congratulate me after the intermediate mark but I knew that Sagan could also win the final sprint. It’s too bad, but I proved that I’m the strongest on climbs in one of the races I love the most. Now I hope I can improve even more as I look forward to the Vuelta.”
Martin would have liked to have won, but his performance on yesterday’s stage will have given him great encouragement for the Tour of Spain. His chances of defending his Tour of Poland title were hampered by the lack of a high mountain finish this year. He had profited from such a finish twelve months ago to open a clear gap, but things were tighter this time round.
Still, he’s in strong form and told VeloNation before the race that he was sure he could hold his form until the end of the Vuelta. He’ll begin the Spanish Tour in two week’s time.
Marcato was another who could have won today. He was third in the intermediate sprint, reducing his deficit to Martin to two seconds, but finished outside the bonuses in fifth at the end of the stage. “I tried for the final sprint,” he confirmed, “but it isn’t one of my strongest points. Yesterday I suffered a lot but I stuck it out. It was a challenging week but I obtained the best result in my career by sucking it up and staying concentrated day after day. I’m really happy.”
Of course, one of those most pleased by the outcome was Kittel. He won the first three stages and took this final leg of the race, showing a hugely promising sprinting ability.
“I wasn’t nervous; the sprint was really fast,” he stated. “The lead out was not the same in these last few days but I managed to find a small opening and eke past. I didn’t expect to win four stages; I was hoping to win one. It’s an immense joy, even because I hung in there on the climbs in the hard stages and I managed to finish this Tour de Pologne.
“I’m still very young; I still have time to grow, so I don’t really feel a lot of pressure. This race will definitely remain in my head and in my heart for my entire life.”
Aggressive racing en route to sprint showdown:
Starting and finishing in Krakow, and dedicated to Pope John Paul II, who spent the early years of his priesthood there, the final stage of the Tour de Pologne was run off over ten laps of a 12.4 kilometre circuit. First to attack was the Pole Jacek Morajko (CCC Polsat), who clipped away soon after the start and stayed clear alone until he was joined by Moldavian National Champion Alexandr Pliuschin (Katusha). Pliuschin was later joined at the front by Katusha team-mate Luca Paolini, Daniele Righi (Lampre) and Tomasz Marczynski (CCC Polsat), but they were reeled in before the intermediate sprint 30 kilometres from the finish.
There, Sagan moved into position to try to win the gallop, take the three second bonus and move level with Martin. The latter’s team-mate Heinrich Haussler opened up the sprint, though, intent on taking the top bonus an thus helping protect Martin’s advantage.
He and Sagan nearly collided on a gradual right hand bend, approximately 100 metres before the line. Haussler took the quickest line around the curve, but Sagan tried to pass on the inside and almost hit the barriers. He ran into a cardboard hand held by a spectator but fortunately wasn’t injured. He finished second to Haussler, and both riders had a heated discussion afterwards.
Marcato picked up third in the gallop, taking a second off his three second deficit.
Heading towards the end, Tomasz Marczynski (CCC Polsat) and Nelson Oliveira (Radioshack) attacked, but they were reeled in before the gallop by Sagan’s Liquigas-Cannondale team. Kittel was strongest in the dash to the line, but in taking second Sagan sealed his overall win in the race. He moved five seconds clear of Martin in the final overall standings, netting the first overall WorldTour win of his career.
He also picked up the while and green points jersey, beating quadruple stage winner Kittel. Polish rider Michal Golas (Vacansoleil) took the cyclamen “Tauron” jersey for the Mountain Grand Prix while Adrian Kurek (Poland) was awarded the red “Fiat” jersey as the most active rider. Marcato’s Vacansoleil squad was best of the teams.
The victory is the most significant yet for Sagan, who has racked up multiple wins thus far, despite still being only 21 years of age. His successes include stage wins in Paris-Nice, the Tour de Suisse, the Tour of California and the Tour de Romandie. He took the overall classification in the Giro di Sardegna earlier this year.