Mohoric beats Almeida in hill stage Tour of Poland, young Lennert van Eetvelt impresses

Matej Mohoric has claimed victory in the second stage of the Tour of Poland. The Slovenian rider from Bahrain-Victorious emerged victorious in an exciting finale, beating Joao Almeida to the finish line. The two cyclists caught up with the leading duo, Rafal Majka and Lennert van Eetvelt, just a few hundred meters before the end. Home rider Michal Kwiatkowski secured the third place in the stage.

The day after the "slippery" sprint victory of Soudal Quick-Step trump Tim Merlier, a hill stage was on the cycling menu on day two. Over a distance of more than 200 kilometers, the peloton set off from Leszno in the direction of Karpacz. On the way, three vicious climbs had to be overcome, with an uphill finish (3.7 kilometers at an average of 6.9 percent) as the icing on the cake.

Group of three leaders gained big advantage, but did not fight for the win

After the race began around 1:30 p.m., three riders decided to break away from the peloton. The main group allowed the trio to escape and then applied pressure to slow them down. Consequently, Sam Brand (Novo Nordisk), Lorenzo Milesi (Team DSM-firmenich), and Jacopo Mosca (Lidl-Trek) settled in for a long day as part of the breakaway. The trio quickly built up a lead of approximately ten minutes.

UAE Team Emirates had Joao Almeida in its roster, and he appeared to be their designated leader. As a result, the Emirates team chose to increase the pace, receiving support from BORA Hansgrohe (represented by Sergio Higuita and Lennard Kämna) and INEOS Grenadiers (with Thymen Arensman). The collective effort caused the breakaway's advantage to steadily diminish, making success seem improbable for the escapees. The pace became too much for Brand, forcing Milesi and Mosca to continue as a pair.

UAE Team Emirates sets high pace ahead of final climb

With just over 20 kilometers to go, the last two breakaway riders were within reach. UAE Team Emirates and INEOS Grenadiers continued to put in a lot of effort for their respective leaders, leaving nothing to chance. The peloton remained quite sizable, indicating that all the decisive action would unfold on the final climb of the day.

Once they reached the final climb, it became evident why UAE Team Emirates had been pushing the pace. Tim Wellens led a strong charge for his team, resulting in the first signs of breaks in the peloton. However, INEOS Grenadiers wanted more speed and control: Geraint Thomas took over to set the pace.

Majka and Van Eetvelt seize their chances

The first real attack came from Sam Oomen. The Dutchman from Jumbo-Visma created a gap, but Rafal Majka swiftly countered. It became apparent that UAE Team Emirates had been working for the home rider throughout the day. Oomen couldn't bridge the gap, but Lennert van Eetvelt, the young rider from Lotto Dstny, managed to latch on behind. The Jayco-AlUla team was in pursuit.

As they entered the final kilometer, the duo held a 12-second lead over the dwindling chasing group. Majka remained composed, but Van Eetvelt was eager to secure his first WorldTour win. The two cautiously watched each other, while the chasing pack gradually closed the gap.

Mohoric closes the gap and wins the sprint from Almeida

Mohoric demonstrated his strong form and closed the gap on the two leaders with a few hundred meters to go. He then initiated the sprint. Only Almeida managed to keep up with the Slovenian. The Portuguese rider made several attempts to overcome the Bahrain-Victorious rider but narrowly missed out. In the end, Mohoric emerged as the winner of the second stage of the Tour of Poland.