The picturesque town of Kazimierz Dolny hosted the finale of the 2nd edition of the Tour de Pologne Women. On the hilly circuits, the Dutch riders dominated, taking almost everything today. Scarlett Souren won the stage and the LOTTO active riders’ classification, while Laura Molenaar defended her yellow jersey as the leader of the ORLEN general classification. Their team, VolkerWessels, was also crowned the best team of the entire race.
The Sunday stage from the Arche Nałęczów Hotel to Kazimierz Dolny concluded the competition in this year’s edition of the Tour de Pologne Women. After a neutral start through the charming alleys of the spa town, the riders headed towards Kazimierz Dolny. There, they faced a 15-kilometer circuit, to be repeated 5 times. Along the way, they encountered a cobbled climb in the historic center, as well as several other steep sections.
Right after the official start, a rider from Lotto Dstny made an attempt to break away, but the peloton did not let her go. It was not until Norwegian Sigrid Haugset broke away that a rider managed to win the LOTTO sprint in Skowieszynek. Scarlett Souren finished third there, which, after Nikola Bajgerova from MAT ATOM Deweloper Wrocław withdrew due to a crash, put her in virtual lead in the active riders’ classification.
Not long after, the lone escapee was caught. For the next few kilometers, we saw attempts by Stine Dale (Team Coop – Repsol) and Jarmila Machacova (Team Dukla Praha), who built up a lead of over a minute. VolkerWessels, the team of the overall leader Laura Molenaar, kept the race under control.
Eventually, the breakaway was neutralized, and in the fast sprint finish in Kazimierz Dolny, the sprinters battled it out. Souren from VolkerWessels emerged victorious, with fellow Dutch rider Anna van Wersch (Lotto Dstny Ladies) finishing second, Kaja Rysz (Poland) third, and Katarzyna Wilkos (MAT ATOM Developer Wrocław) fourth.
“I knew the VolkerWessels girls would be very strong and fast. I race against them abroad, so I knew I had to keep an eye on them. Today, it was enough for third place, and I’m happy with that,” said Kaja Rysz, who finished third on today’s stage.
Molenaar, finishing safely in the peloton, managed to defend her lead and win the overall ORLEN general classification. The podium was completed by today’s winner, Souren, and Wilkos.
“I was involved in a crash with Nikola Bajgerova early in the stage. While I got away with just some road rash, Nikola probably has a broken collarbone. It was a bit of a tough day for us. Towards the end, my team set me up perfectly. Unfortunately, I chose the left side instead of the right and got blocked, losing my speed. But I’m happy to have maintained third place in the general classification. This is my first podium finish in the overall standings of a race of this caliber, so I’m very happy,” said Katarzyna Wilkos after the stage.
Scarlett Souren also won the LOTTO active riders’ classification, and her team, which dominated the race, won the team classification. Thus, the 2nd edition of the Tour de Pologne Women, revived after 8 years by Czesław Lang and the Lang Team, has come to an end. The race passed through the roads of the Lublin Voivodeship, visiting cities such as Lublin, Krasnystaw, Kraśnik, Nałęczów, and Kazimierz Dolny.
“A beautiful race, three stages full of excitement and dynamism, held in stunning locations. We started in Lublin, then from Krasnystaw to Kraśnik, and today stage from Arche Nałęczów to Kazimierz Dolny. Each stage was truly very interesting, and the level of competition was high. We achieved what we aimed for – to develop women’s cycling in Poland. We have excellent riders, like Kasia Niewiadoma, but we lack world-class events. We want to promote the Tour de Pologne Women to the same status as the men’s race.” – said Czesław Lang, General Director of Tour de Pologne Women.
Complete results of the 2nd Tour de Pologne Women: https://domtel-sport.pl/wyniki,zawody,5856
More information about the race at: www.tourdepolognewomen.pl
