An exhausting uphill finish in Chełm brought the second stage of the 3rd Tour de Pologne Women to a close. On the cobbled climb, the fastest was Linda Zanetti from Uno-X Mobility. Chiara Consonni retained the ORLEN General Classification lead.
On day two of the 3rd Tour de Pologne Women, the peloton arrived in Chełm, where the next stage of the race both started and finished. The riders faced just under 100 kilometres of flat and rolling roads in the Lubelskie Voivodeship. The route featured one LOTTO Sprint Prime in Gmina Chełm, while the finish line was set on a historic cobbled road in the city’s old town.
The racing was dynamic from the start, with Cleo Kiekens (DD Group Pro Cycling Team) being the first to break away from the main group. The Belgian quickly built up a lead of over a minute but was soon reeled back in.
The attacks kept coming, with riders like Sabrina Stuliens (VolkerWessels) and Babette van der Wolf (EF Education-Oatly) making moves. However, the sprint teams ensured the bunch stayed together for the LOTTO Sprint Prime in Gmina Chełm. There, the fastest was Chiara Copponi (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto), the leader of both the LOTTO Active Rider Classification and the ORLEN General Classification.
After the sprint, attacks resumed, with UAE Team ADQ particularly active. Numerous accelerations led to a break of around a dozen riders, who at one point had a 20-second gap over the peloton. With about 15 kilometres to go, Francesca Pellegrini (UAE Team ADQ) launched a solo move. The rest of the group was caught by the bunch.
The Italian went all in, building a lead of 40 seconds, but the peloton caught her in the closing kilometres. On the final climb in Chełm, the favourites battled for victory. In the grinding uphill finish, Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility) proved strongest, crossing the line ahead of French champion Marie Le Net (FDJ-SUEZ) and Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ).
“Yesterday we were missing something in the finale, so I’m really happy to win today. The finish was very hard for sprinters, but we checked the route before the race, we had a plan, and it all worked out. Tomorrow we’ll do everything to win again, but we’ll see how it plays out” said delighted Linda Zanetti.
„I’m so proud of my teammates — today they did an amazing job. Yesterday we had a few small “issues,” but today we really raced as a team. They all took turns pulling at the front one after another, and it was fantastic to see and feel that cohesion.
When I saw the 500 meters to go sign, I thought I had to reward them for their incredible effort, so I gave it everything to cross the line as far up as possible. I didn’t win, but I’m very happy with second place. It was a great stage with a tough finish. I’m really pleased” said Marie Le Net.
„I think the Tour de Pologne will be decided by bonus seconds in the sprints, so since we don’t have a pure sprinter to place in the finale and be almost certain of a win, we wanted to play our chances by attacking — and that’s exactly what we did. We have three riders from the development team who are obviously eager to show themselves in these races, and honestly, I think they did so in a smart way right until the end. We had planned to anticipate the finale, which was a bit harder today, with Dominika, but the bunch was charging to catch Francesca — the breakaway rider — and then we went for the sprint. It was an unusual one, and I’m glad the organisers included a finish like this in the route, because it creates some gaps and gives the general classification a bit more play. It was interesting — Uno-X was really strong, and we threw ourselves into the sprint, giving it everything. Dominika has had amazing legs since the Tour and is really trying to go for it. Tomorrow could be her chance, but I have to say the field here is really strong, and it’s hard to make a difference without real climbs. But we’re not here to hide” explained 3rd on today’s stage Sofia Bertizzolo.
Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) took sixth place, while Kaja Rysz finished 10th.
“The second stage was fast and very sunny, with lots of fans along the route – it really gave me energy, even though the heat made racing harder. With the team, we planned to increase the pace after the intermediate sprint, and we managed to do that. Francesca Pellegrini was caught shortly before the finish, which changed our tactics a bit, but I still attacked where I had planned. The finish was very chaotic, and in the last metres I felt the fatigue, but I’m satisfied – Sofia Bertizzolo took third place. Tomorrow is the toughest stage of the race, and I hope my health holds up, because after the Tour de France my legs feel really strong” said Dominika Włodarczyk.
Chiara Consonni kept her lead in both the ORLEN General Classification and the LOTTO Active Rider Classification, now holding a 5-second advantage over Swiss rider Zanetti.
“I won the sprint prime, then a breakaway went, so I used that time to recover in the peloton. The riders in the break wanted to make the most of their chance, but my teammates and I knew we had to catch them. We showed that we’re a very strong team and can fight for the win tomorrow. Finishes like today’s are tough, and it’s easy to lose position. The final stretch was really hard, but I’m happy with my result. The whole team believes in me, and we want to win the Tour de Pologne Women. Tomorrow we will fight” said Chiara Consonni.
The final stage of the 3rd Tour de Pologne Women will start in Nałęczów and finish in Kraśnik. The race will be broadcast on TVP, Eurosport, and the streaming platform HBO Max, bringing live coverage from the course to fans in 65 countries.
