PREVIEW | Tour de Pologne 2023 stage 6 - Final time-trial to decide overall classification, battle between Mohoric, Almeida and Kwiatkowski
Cycling
Preview. Stage 6 of the Tour de Pologne is the queen stage. The hilly days saw little gaps, and the overall classification will be decided in a 16.8-kilometer time-trial.
The most likely decisive stage in this year's race could be the time-trial. Katowice hosts a different type of stage this year, a 16.8-kilometer challenge against the clock but one that promises differences and also an opportunity for the specialists- specially as it comes with one week to the time-trial World Championships.
Stage 6 (ITT): Katowice - Katowice, 16.8 kilometers
The route is quite different than what you'd expect from a time-trial. It is mostly flat however technical. Early in the route there are good sections to put down the power, but then the last two third include quite a few sections with breaking and accelerations involved. Quite a few, definitely not a constant effort, it can mix things up on the day.
The Weather
Map Tour de Pologne 2023 stage 6
As it has been throughout the whole week, the riders will find strong southwestern wind. Here however it won't likely much of a difference, there are plenty direction changes and it's a technical time-trial, without much of a long distance.
The Favourites
Tobias Foss - The World Champion, however not the main favourite. In no way actually, Foss has done some decent time-trials this year but nothing like his Wollongong performance. If he got that on the day he can win, even if not he has good chances of being at the top however, he hasn't battled for the GC.
Stefan Bissegger - Bissegger is on paper the rider who came here with the highest ambitions on the time-trial. The route suits him well and with the world championships right at the door he has the need to show his very best legs. He only performed at the Tour de Suisse this year, with a modest field he has the chances to win here.
We've got a few more riders who have not gone all out in the GC fight, may have the chance to fight for a result here. It's a flat time-trial so it's hard to surprise but there is no man to beat. Geraint Thomas, Thymen Arensman and Lennard Kämna will hope to show good form, whilst the likes of Matteo Sobrero, Josef Cerny and Michael Hepburn may have that extra edge to go for the win tomorrow.
GC battle - The time-trial is the decisive day, the hilly stages only created a selection between those who are able to fight for the win. Matej Mohoric starts the day ahead, 12 seconds of João Almeida, 16 on Rafal Majka, 18 on Michal Kwiatkowski and 26 on the following chasers. The Slovenian has the physique and engine to be a premium time-trialist but it's not a specialty. In 2023 he hasn't done a single competitive time-trial too... In 2022 however he did a few performances where he could defend himself, and he does have a little lead.
The time-trial is technical and this can save him. It's almost pan-flat and so João Almeida won't be able to really profit from the terrain. He will be the main favourite however, Michal Kwiatkowski, the country's TT national champion, also has chances of winning the race. Samuele Battistella, 26 seconds away, a podium contender, whilst Ilan van Wilder may not have good legs after today's crash whilst the rest of the riders will try to save their positions as best as possible. Brandon McNulty starts in 14th spot and may move into the Top5, Mattia Cattaneo also eyeing a climb in the GC.
Read also
Prediction Tour de Pologne 2023 stage 6:
*** Stefan Bissegger, João Almeida
** Michal Kwiatkowski, Tobias Foss, Geraint Thomas
* Matteo Sobrero, Lennard Kämna, Brandon McNulty, Josef Cerny, Samuele Battistella,
** Michal Kwiatkowski, Tobias Foss, Geraint Thomas
* Matteo Sobrero, Lennard Kämna, Brandon McNulty, Josef Cerny, Samuele Battistella,
Pick: Stefan Bissegger
Read also
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 22visitors 4
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- 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
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