"Every ambulance following the race had to take riders to hospital" - Tour de Pologne race director explains neutralisation following 'serious' crash

A major crash during Stage Three of the 2025 Tour de Pologne forced organisers to neutralise the race with just over 15 kilometres remaining, after multiple riders — including general classification leader Paul Lapeira — were involved in a high-speed pile-up on a technical descent.

Speaking at the finish, race director Czesław Lang defended the decision to temporarily halt the race and explained the severity of the incident, which left organisers with no choice but to intervene.

“It was a crash, like we’ve seen many times before — that’s what happened,” Lang said. “I don’t know the exact dynamics or why they went off the road, but it was so serious that every ambulance following the race had to take riders to hospital."

As such, this lack of medical cover forced Lang into the decision of neutralisation. "The peloton would have been left without medical support for the final 15 kilometres," he explains. "We had to stop the race until more ambulances arrived.”

The crash occurred with around 25 kilometres to go, just as the day’s breakaway began to splinter and the peloton accelerated on a narrow, twisting descent. Kelland O’Brien (Team Jayco AlUla) had just launched a solo move off the front when a crash in the bunch sent several riders — including Lapeira, Mathias Vacek, and Polish national champion Rafal Majka — off the road and into a roadside ditch.

Lapeira and Majka both remounted and finished the stage, though visibly shaken. Vacek was less fortunate, abandoning the race after sustaining injuries that required stitches to his lip and showed signs of concussion.

After halting the front group, Lang neutralised the race for approximately 15 minutes while medical cover was restored. The time gaps for the general classification were also neutralised, meaning that while the stage win was still contested, the overall standings remained unchanged. “We neutralised the time, but still allowed the riders to sprint for the stage,” Lang clarified. “We couldn’t risk continuing without medical support. Rider safety is the priority.”

Despite the chaotic circumstances, the stage concluded with a bunch sprint, where Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers) claimed victory ahead of Pello Bilbao and Andrea Bagioli. The GC picture, however, remained effectively frozen, with Lapeira retaining the leader’s jersey—albeit after a harrowing afternoon.