The first stage of the 2019 edition of the Tour of Poland starts on August 3rd. As is tradition for this race, the first stage goes across relatively flat terrain and will no doubt end in a sprint finish. Let’s take a close look at the route and the main contenders for the stage!
This year, the race will start in Krakow. The first half of the stage consists of some rolling terrain, but it definitley won’t scare the sprinters. There are three small fourth category climbs in Lanckorona, Witanowice and Kaszów, so we might see a little battle among the smaller teams for the first KOM jersey.
The second part of the stage is almost completely flat, with the stage finishing on a local 4km circuit that the riders will have to complete three times. The final circuit is not very technical, so it is the perfect opportunity for the teams to bring their sprint trains into position.
It will be perfect racing weather tomorrow, with the maximum temperature expected to be around 22/23 degrees and only a little breeze throughout the day.
It is not hard to predict how this stage will play out. We expect that there will be a breakaway consisting of riders from smaller teams and teams that do not have a clear sprinter or GC contender on their line-up. There is also no doubt that some riders in the breakaway will be solely targeting the three climbs and the first KOM-jersey.
The sprint teams will want to keep escapees on a tight leash and slowly reel them back in before arriving at the finish circuit, where they will drive up the pace and keep their sprinter up front.
Several teams have brought their fast men to this race hoping for a stage win in one of the upcoming stage. So let’s go over the favorites for today:
Pascal Ackermann
Experienced a true break-out year in 2018 and has continued this form into this year with 2 stages wins and the points jersey in the Giro d’Italia as a highlight. On paper, he is the fastest man in this race.
Fernando Gaviria
Once hailed as the next big thing from Colombia, the sprinter is experiencing a difficult first year at UAE-Team Emirates. He has not participated in races since his DNF at the end of the first week of the Giro d’Italia. His form is therefore unclear, but if he finds his sprinting legs again he can definitely challenge for the win.
Fabio Jakobsen
The freshly crowned Dutch champion. His Deceuninck -Quick Step lead-out train is by far the strongest in the race, which will prove to be a massive advantage. Fabio still has some troubles with long and hard races, but the distance of this stage should not cause any trouble for him
John Degenkolb
Not a pure sprinter like the other riders mentioned above, but someone that should still absolutely be mentioned. He will benefit more from a harder race, and will have to start his sprint early to have a chance against the other sprinters.
Max Walscheid
The third fast German in this race. He sometimes has trouble positioning himself before a sprint. If he and his team do manage to get him near the front of the bunch in the final kilometer, he can challenge for the win.
Outsiders: Swift, van Poppel, Sarreau, Mezgec, Modolo, Venturini, Mareczko, Cavendish
When taking all of the above into account, there is no way to look past the German from Bora-Hansgrohe as the fastest man in the race. Therefore, we predict that Pascal Ackermann will win the first stage of this years Tour of Poland.
