#TdP22 🇵🇱 Stage 4⃣ Quinten Hermans starts the second battle for the GC in 3rd overall, 6 seconds away from the lead. All to play for! 🚩 Lesko 🏁 Sanok 📏 179.4km 🕰 12h30-16h40 📺 @PickxSports (15h)
"My legs couldn’t follow the instructions of my head" - Quinten Hermans fails to win in Pologne but happy with form
CyclingTuesday, 02 August 2022 at 15:00
Quinten Hermans is racing the Tour de Pologne after the controversy over his absence from the Tour de France, and he's showing great form after finishing third on the third stage in a steep hilltop finish into Przemysl.
"In July I’ve covered many training kilometers with my teammates during an altitude camp in Livigno. But I can feel the long stages here in Poland," Hermans said in a post-race interview, explaining his preparation into the closing months of the season. "In three days we already raced more than 670 kilometers! I was very motivated for this third stage, the only uphill finish of the week".
Being a pure puncheur, yesterday's finale suited him very well, with the short but explosive ascent being ideal to his style of racing. He was in a strong position throughout the climb, and was aware of what he had to do in order to go for the win. "On the final climb I followed the best riders and in the final hectometers I chose the slipstream of Higuita. I knew I had to pass him to take the victory," he said. "I got out of the saddle, but I had to admit that my legs couldn’t follow the instructions of my head. It is of course frustrating to finish so close to a nice victory. But I gave everything and I’m happy with this performance, against two riders who could benefit from their lower weight on this steep climb".
Hermans nevertheless now sits third in the overall classification only behind Higuita and Pello Bilbao, and is deep inside the fight for the GC. Two more hilly stages follow, before the decisive time-trial on stage six. "In the next days, I’m expecting selective races. The fast legs of Hugo Page can be our asset in these stages, that would be an opportunity for me to reward him for his excellent work from today," he concluded.
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