Lorenzetto Takes the Lead in Poland
Italian rider Mirco Lorenzetto claimed his first stage win of the season in Stage 4 of the Tour de Pologne on Wednesday.
He finished just ahead of his Lampre-Farnese Vini teammate Grega Bole in 4:07.36, claiming the yellow leader's jersey in the process.
Wednesday's fourth stage in the Tour de Pologne saw the race leave Poland for the first time in its history. The 178km stage from Tychy to Cieszyn finished just after the riders had crossed the border to the Czech Republic.
Beginning on a slight but long incline, the middle of the stage saw riders face three steep inclines. And with them came descents, the final of which took the riders to Cieszyn.
With the three Category 1 climbs occurring mid-stage, the sprinters in the lineup were unable to pounce. The top trio, completed by BMC Racing Team's Alessandro Ballan, consisted of unspecialized riders.
Cobbled Finish
But despite the lack of a final sprint, victory in the stage depended on cleverness and agility in its final moments.
Facing a cobbled incline with 100 metres left, Lorenzetto and Germany's Bole claimed first and second place.
"I've been in a good shape in the last few weeks and also today's course fit me," Lorenzetto told the press after the race. "The cobblestone section and hilly finish is something that I always look forward to."
Lorenzetto, who won three stages during last year's season, was delighted to have claimed his first victory of 2010 – and to have overtaken the general classification lead from Australian Allan Davis.
Failed Attacks
In the comparatively short Stage 3 on Tuesday, the peloton managed to absorbed several breakaway attempts, and so it did during the first hour of Wednesday's Stage 4.
Johnny Hoogerland (Team Vacansoleil), Cameron Meyer (Team Garmin-Transitions) and Dominique Rollin (Cervelo TestTeam) attempted to escape on the first climb, and Meyer and Hoogerland managed to gain 5:40 on the main pack of riders.
By the third climb, the peloton had caught up to Rollin, but Meyer and Hoogerland were still in the lead.
Hoogerland, in particular, excelled in the climbs, with the Dutchman claiming the mountain jersey after the stage.
Hoogerland managed to hold on to the lead until Cieszyn, but during the first of three laps around the town, his breakaway came to an end.
Then it was time for Jaroslaw Marycz (Team Saxo Bank) and Marco Marcato (Team Vacansoleil) to fail in their attacks.
Marcato's case was particularly cruel, as the Italian crossed the finish line first with his arms to the sky, only to realize that there was another lap left in the race.
During that lap, the Italian top-two pounced on similar cobbles to those that created problems for Lance Armstrong during Stage 3 of last month's Tour de France.
Focusing mostly on celebrating his victory after the stage, Lorenzetto did not want to look ahead just yet. "I'm really happy to win since it's my first win of the year and I get to wear the leader's jersey," he said. "I'm not thinking about maintaining the lead in the race yet. Right now I just want celebrate this victory."
Tags: