"We're on the right track" - Carapaz' first test at Tour de Pologne reveals he's carrying good form towards Vuelta

Richard Carapaz is using the Tour de Pologne as a building stone for the Vuelta a Espana and after the third stage he sits inside the Top10 after a good performance up the race's first and only hilltop finish.

In an interview with Cyclingnews after the finish, the Ecuadorian shared his feelings over the brutally steep finale in Przemysl. "The final was very explosive, I didn't know it, but I knew it was very important for the stage. We took control of the race at the start of the climb and then, well, the best guy won".

Although having lost Magnus Sheffield as a weapon for the overall classification, INEOS Grenadiers finished with four riders within striking range for the GC. They looked to set up a hard finale yesterday, but struggled to match the likes of Sergio Higuita and Pello Bilbao in the final sprint. Today however provides a better opportunity for the British team to use their depth to their advantage.

However Carapaz, who has taken over two months out of competition, is in Poland to test his form ahead of the Vuelta a Espana, his biggest remaining goal of the season. "But after stopping racing at the Giro d’Italia now I've got good feelings here, and looking at my objective which is the Vuelta, I can tell we're on the right track," he says regarding that, with good feedback and freedom to race aggressively in the race.

Team DS Matteo Tosatto aknowledges however that the queen stage is likely to come on the penultimate day, with an 11.8-kilometer time-trial which is mostly uphill in the Zakopane area. "Tuesday's stage is definitely much harder than today, but I would doubt there's going to be many gaps between the main contenders, maybe the top 20 overall," he said regarding today. "The time trial is a bit special, it's only 11 kilometres long, but it's really demanding. So the GC is still open and we're among those candidates for the win."