The third day will see the Tour de Pologne head into the hills. In the familiar Polish way, there will be 237 kilometers on the road. It is an ideal route for the classics specialists looking to build form into the late-season classics, as they’re presented with a punchy finish, and a very sharp stage.
Most of it will be flat, however the overall classification will be played for in the end, in a day that will see the first GC riders reveal themselves.
Although unlikely to be decisive, after going through Przemysl the first time, the riders will head south into a section of hills before returning. 3Km at 5.2%, 2.1Km at 9.2% and 2.5Km at 6.7% summiting with 36.5, 30 and 24 kilometers respectively. It will be a tough sequence of climbs which will see some riders shed off the peloton, and can be used to put in the hurt on those that have more difficulties with a substantial amount of climbing.
The stage will be decided in a hilltop finish inside the city however, one that will be a pure puncheur treat. It is 1.6Km at 8.3%, however inconsistent as it has two different ramps, the final of which will be crucial and decide the stage. The gradients will go up to 15% in the run-up to the finish, a highly explosive finale before an hairpin into some flat meters so the riders can cross the line.
CyclingUpToDate prediction:
**** Sergio Higuita
*** Ethan Hayter, Richard Carapaz
** Diego Ulissi, Quinten Hermans, Ben Tulett
* Pello Bilbao, Thymen Arensman, Samuele Battistella, Mauro Schmid
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