PREVIEW | Tour de Pologne 2023 stage 7 - Merlier main favourite for final sprint as Mohoric and Almeida fight for GC win

Preview. Stage 7 of the Tour de Pologne will decide the overall classification as Matej Mohoric and João Almeida enter the final day of the race with the same, whilst the sprinters will take the reigns on the final day.

The final day of racing, the Tour de Pologne reaches Krakow for the traditional finale. It's a day for the sprinters, nothing too complicated or terrain that will split the field up. A pure sprint stage in the making with teams saving their bullets for the final circuit.

Just outside the city center, the roads will be wide and not technical. Around a park, the riders will have a fast run-up to the finish, the final corner with 1.6 kilometers to go, and the final 800 meters completely straightforward.

The Weather

The wind won't be felt today, different than the normal which the riders will like. No extra variables to take into consideration.

The Favourites

Tim Merlier - The man to beat perhaps? On a regular day yes, but the Belgian is somehow not as sharp usually throughout a stage-race than comparing to a one-day race or the first day of a race. He can prove me wrong, but he will need the Quick-Step leadout to work perfectly because the competition has proved strong.

Fernando Gaviria - Without Olav Kooij and Sam Bennett who have left the race towards the World Championships, the main competition may be Fernando Gaviria. Third on the opening day he showed the speed. This seems like the kind of race where the Colombian can win, he will also be motivated to do so.

The race has lost some of it's fast men but gives opportunity to others. Both Gerben Thijssen and Pascal Ackermann have been under the radar but have won in this race in the past previously, on a good day they have the speed to make it all fit. Then we can add Marijn van den Berg who was yesterday's winner and is clearly in great form.

Then we've got a nice array of second-line sprinters and rouleurs who can fight for a strong position and will look to take the opportunity. Both Arvid de Kleijn and Matteo Moschetti have taken nice wins this year and have proven to have the speed to win in this competition. Then we can add Max Walscheid, Stanislaw Aniolkowski, Paul Penhoët, Milan Menten, Dan McLay, Edward Theuns or perhaps the Polish national team's Maciej Paterski to try and surprise.

Prediction Tour de Pologne 2023 stage 7:

*** Tim Merlier
** Fernando Gaviria, Matteo Moschetti
* Marijn van den Berg, Max Walscheid, Jakub Mareczko, Arvid de Kleijn, Gerben Thijssen, Pascal Ackermann

Pick: Matteo Moschetti