Warsaw [Poland], August 9: Jan Christen returned UAE Team Emirates-XRG to winning ways at the Tour de Pologne, producing a superb late attack before prevailing in a thrilling uphill sprint to claim stage 5 after 218.9km of racing from Opole to Kocierz Resort.
The second-longest stage of this year's race proved to be one of its most demanding, featuring climbs including the Przegibek Pass before the uphill finish at Kocierz Resort, where the general classification contenders would come to the fore.
The day began on a subdued note for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with Joao Almeida unable to take the start as he continued to recover from injuries sustained in yesterday's mass crash. The incident also forced the withdrawals of Sebastian Molano and Benoît Cosnefroy, though fortunately all three riders escaped without any serious injuries or long-term consequences.
Determined to respond, the Emirati squad rode aggressively throughout the decisive final kilometres. As the race reached the steep slopes of the finishing climb, Christen launched a powerful acceleration with 2.1 kilometres remaining, immediately distancing the select group of favourites.
Only Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling) was able to bridge back to the Swiss rider. The German caught Christen inside the final 400 metres and briefly edged ahead, but Christen refused to yield.
Showing impressive composure after a long solo effort, the 21-year-old came back alongside Brenner in the closing metres before producing one final acceleration to reclaim the lead and take a memorable victory on the line. Louis Barre (Visma | Lease a Bike) completed the podium in third.
The result marks another impressive victory for Christen - and his first at WorldTour level - whose aggressive racing style once again paid dividends on terrain perfectly suited to his explosive climbing abilities.
Christen said: "It was a super hard stage. I didn't feel good all day after the crash yesterday. With 40km to go so started to feel better and better and believe more and more. It's my first WorldTour win and I couldn't be happier. I had to stay calm at the end and pace my sprint well to beat Marco but I was confident it was possible. It's a good boost for the team after what has been a tough week for us here in Poland with crashes. I wish the guys who had to withdraw all the best."
Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike) retains the overall leader's yellow jersey heading into the race's decisive mountain stage.
With the Queen stage to Bukowina Tatrzańska still to come, UAE Team Emirates-XRG will look to build on Christen's victory as the battle for the overall classification reaches its conclusion.
Source: Emirates News Agency
