The 4th Tour de Pologne Women concluded with Lorena Wiebes’ victory on Krakowskie Przedmieście in the very heart of Lublin and the Lublin Voivodeship. The Dutchwoman was unrivaled in this year’s edition of the race – she won 3 stages as well as the ORLEN General Classification and the LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification, writing her name into the history of the Polish event.
The final day of competition for the world elite female riders in the 4th Tour de Pologne Women took place on a slightly rolling, dynamic route from Janowiec to Lublin. Everything started beneath a historic Renaissance castle, from where the peloton headed towards Puławy – the location of the only LOTTO Sprint Prime on today’s stage.
Next, the riders rode to Lublin, the beating heart of the Lubelskie Voivodeship. The finish was held in the very center of the city – on Krakowskie Przedmieście.
Shortly after the start, the first LOTTO Sprint Prime was contested in Puławy, where Elisa Balsamo of Lidl-Trek was the best, thereby earning a 3-second bonus. The leader of the ORLEN General Classification and the LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification – Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) – could also be pleased with this outcome, as she virtually secured the blue jersey for herself.
Following that, many riders went on the attack. Bodine Vollering (VolkerWessels Cycling Team) and Marta Pavesi (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) established an advantage over the bunch, and were pursued by Sofia Ungerova (MAT ATOM Deweloper Wrocław) and Romina Constantini (Aromitalia Vaiano). On one of the picturesquely routed climbs, the Slovak rider dropped the Italian and chased the leaders alone. Meanwhile, in the peloton, the leader’s team – Team SD Worx-Protime – took the initiative, controlling the situation.
Sofia Ungerova’s chase ended unsuccessfully less than 25 kilometers from the finish line. Thanks to the work of Team SD Worx-Protime, including Marta Lach, the leading duo’s advantage was shrinking and with it, the chances of Vollering and Pavesi were decreasing. On the outskirts of Lublin, the peloton already had the breakaway riders in sight. Exactly 5 kilometers out, the action of the Dutch and Italian riders came to an end, and the best sprint teams were organized at the front of the main group.
In the sprint finish held in the center of Lublin, Lorena Wiebes was once again the best, perfectly led out by her teammates. The Dutchwoman became the LOTTO Stage Winner for the third time. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) also placed on the stage podium. Phenomenally disposed, Wiebes triumphed in three stages and won the ORLEN General Classification and the LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification.
“Everything went our way. Besides the individual victories, we won the team classification, and that is also a reward for the girls who worked very hard for 3 days. I am glad that we won all the stages. The race was a very nice experience, it was very well organized, and it shows that not only WorldTour events can be organized at the highest level, but also ProSeries races” summarized Lorena Wiebes.
The Dutchwoman, along with her SD Worx-Protime teammates, also won the team classification. Among the triumphant riders decorated on the podium was a Polish woman – Marta Lach. For the former Polish champion, riding in the 4th Tour de Pologne Women was a unique experience.
“I am very happy because there really are a lot of fans here. I didn’t expect that so many of them would know my name. It’s very nice when fans come up and ask for a photo. On top of that, the crowds of fans along the route with Polish flags – it was a huge honor to race on Polish roads among Polish fans” described Marta Lach.
The podium in the ORLEN General Classification was completed by Balsamo and Gillespie.
“On the first day, the entire peloton had bad luck due to a crash, but fortunately no one was seriously hurt. On the second day and today, we tried again. From stage to stage it was getting better, I also won an intermediate sprint, I took second place in the general classification, so I’m satisfied. It’s a good omen before the Tour de France Femmes. Almost everyone was here, the racing was at a very high level and I liked it” said Elisa Balsamo.
Lara Gillespie, the third-place finisher of the last stage and the ORLEN General Classification, also spoke in superlatives about the organization of the 4th Tour de Pologne Women.
“The race was routed on good roads, with very good organization. It was safe and I really liked it. As a team we learned a lot, from day to day we did better and better, and today the lead-out was perfect. I am very satisfied with these three days of racing” admitted the Irish champion.
The highest-placed Polish rider on the final stage and in the ORLEN General Classification was Olga Wankiewicz from MAT ATOM Deweloper Wrocław. She was 13th in Lublin, and previously finished in 5th and 8th positions. The top finishes gave the talented Polish woman 9th place in the general classification.
“From the beginning, our assumption was to fight. We would have really been happy with a top-ten finish, but after the first stage, where I was fifth, the appetite grew. The next day I was 8th, today I felt probably the best out of all the days, but we got lost in the finale and unfortunately it didn’t work out. That’s how sprints are – a moment of hesitation and you lose your position. I am very grateful to the girls because they poured their hearts out on these three stages and did whatever they could, and they showed up great on TV, which is also important for our sponsors. As a team, we are satisfied” commented Olga Wankiewicz.
The three-day competition in the 4th Tour de Pologne Women was summarized by Czesław Lang, General Director of the race and Lang Team.
“The Tour de Pologne Women turned out very nicely for us. As many as 8 UCI Women’s WorldTour teams registered, the line-ups were very strong – featuring World, European, and Olympic medalists. Each of these teams prepared well for this race. I am very pleased with the attitude of the Polish women; we have Olga Wankiewicz in the top 10, and I believe she has a great career ahead of her and will be able to make it to the UCI Women’s WorldTour groups. I was very happy with the crowds of fans at the starts, finishes, and sprints. It was just like the men’s Tour de Pologne – there was huge interest, and we managed to do great promotion for women’s cycling” said Czesław Lang.
The culmination of the struggles in the 4th Tour de Pologne Women is not the end of cycling emotions at the highest level. Already next Monday, August 3rd, the peloton of the 83rd Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour will start from Gdynia, racing for 7 days on a route finishing at the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine. On the eve of the start of the competition, a ceremonial presentation of teams and riders will take place on board the ORP “Błyskawica” ship. The race will be broadcast on television by TVP, and coverage will also be available on Eurosport channels and the HBO Max streaming platform, thus reaching fans in 65 countries.