PREVIEW | Tour de Pologne 2023 stage 4 - Merlier, Kooij, Gaviria and Bennett battle for meaningful sprint win
Cycling
Preview. The Tour de Pologne has had an explosive couple of days but on stage 4 the riders return to the eastern European plains and the sprinters will have another chance.
A pan-flat day on the fourth day of racing in Poland. There are 850 meters of ascending throughout the day with only a tiny hilltop early in the day to attribute KOM points. Most of the day however is simple in the eastern European plains.
Read also
Stage 4: Strzelin - Opole, 199.8 kilometers
The finale into Opole will be different from the past one, this one in an urban environment - also different from the final day. It will be fast, it will be trecherous. There will be a few smooth turns just before the 1 kilometer to go banner, and a sharp right corner with 500 meters to go. The finishing straight is perfectly straight and flat, ideal for the pure fast men.
Stage 4 Finale
The Weather
Map Tour de Pologne 2023 stage 4
Strong wind from the southwest. Another tense day where crosswinds will be real and the GC riders will need to be very attempt to possible echelon attempts. The riders will find a tailwind in the final kilometers then, a breakaway stands a chance if they carry speed into the final kilometers. Tailwind all the way into the final corner, if felt a crosswind in the sprint.
The Favourites
Tim Merlier - Merlier did not come with a leadout however van Lerberghe still managed to deliver Merlier perfectly on the opening day. That's usually where Merlier performs, but there is no reason why he wouldn't be able to repeat the result.
Olav Kooij - Jumbo-Visma played their cards right on the opening day but Kooij couldn't overtake Merlier in the final sprint. Somehow the Belgian is incredibly good on the opening days but that consistency doesn't usually remain. Kooij is the team leader in Jumbo and I would expect him to be just as consistent.
Sam Bennett - Bennett is a bit of a mystery. He opened up his sprint early in the opening stage but then sat up. It's not easy to know if that was because of possible lack of form or he spent too much on that particular one, but having finished fourth he's given signs that he can and with no climbs on the route there's nothing stopping him from being in contention.
Fernando Gaviria - Gaviria was there in the first sprint, following the wheels and riding to third. He had the speed, he showed that with the right positioning he can sprint to the win.
The past sprint saw a challenge but ultimately the top four sprinters in the top four places. That's unlikely to happen once again, a lot can happen in a sprint and this one does feature a crucial corner close to the finish line, positioning will be key into that one. Pascal Ackermann and Gerben Thijssen are the two riders who in my opinion could have the speed to win.
But for a top result plenty have chances. There isn't really any defining quality between them all, it's a matter of nailing the positioning and having all the pieces fit on the day, quality wise they're all quite similar. Max Walscheid and Maciej Paterski finished fifth and sixth respectively in the first sprint which was surprising as they're a rouleur and puncheur respectively, displaying well how open the finale can be.
Here it can be the same pretty much. Besides all the numbers above we can also count on Stanislaw Aniolkowski, Jakub Mareczko, Matteo Moschetti, Edward Theuns, Marijn van den Berg, Paul Penhoët and David Dekker.
Prediction Tour de Pologne 2023 stage 4:
*** Tim Merlier, Olav Kooij
** Sam Bennett, Fernando Gaviria
* Pascal Ackermann, Gerben Thijssen, Max Walscheid, Jakub Mareczko, Stanislaw Aniolkowski, Arvid de Kleijn
** Sam Bennett, Fernando Gaviria
* Pascal Ackermann, Gerben Thijssen, Max Walscheid, Jakub Mareczko, Stanislaw Aniolkowski, Arvid de Kleijn
Pick: Olav Kooij
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling forRafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
🇵🇱 Tak prezentuje się mapa 80. Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour! To będzie naprawdę wyjątkowa edycja. 🇵🇱🚴 🇬🇧 This is the map of the 80th Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour! This is going to be a really special edition. 🇵🇱🚴 — #TdP2023
Write a comment