“They came back for free” – Teams lodge complaints against Ben Turner’s Tour de Pologne victory
Cycling
Ben Turner claimed victory on Stage 3 of the Tour de
Pologne, but controversy quickly followed. A major crash in the peloton led
race organizers to temporarily neutralise the stage. That decision allowed many
riders, Turner among them, to rejoin the front group after being dropped
earlier. Now, Turner’s win is being questioned by rival teams, with Polish
outlet TVP Sport reporting several formal complaints.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s Menno Huising didn’t hold back.
“The only shame is that a group of about thirty riders was able to rejoin the
peloton, even though they had already been dropped. We had ridden all out for
them, and they came back 'for free.' Ultimately, we're the ones who suffer the
consequences," he said. Huising said he had been in good position along
with teammate Matthew before the crash changed everything.
"Everything looked perfect. It was a very tough stage
and Matthew and I were still in a good position. If we survived one more climb,
I could support Matthew to fight for the stage win."
Safety officials neutralized the race after the crash, a
call Huising acknowledged. “Let me start by saying that I think it was the
right decision to neutralise the race, because safety comes first," he
said.
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Among those injured was UAE Team Emirates rider Filippo
Baroncini. “Unfortunately, Filippo Baroncini was injured in a crash today
during stage 3 of the Tour of Poland. He sustained multiple facial injuries,
including a fractured cervical vertebra (with no neurological sequelae) and
fractures to his face and collarbone,” said team doctor Adrian Rotunno. “He is
currently being treated in the hospital and is under the supervision of our
medical team.”
Stage 4 resumes today, starting in Rybnik and finishing in
Ciezyn. At 200 kilometers, the route offers plenty of opportunity for the
sprinters, though early climbs could thin the field before the finale.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- 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 for
Rafionain-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
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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