Here we are, in sunny Poland, for the infamous Malopolski Wyscig! A cobbled parcours of less than 14 km, which the riders will have to do no less than 18 times! Right from the start we head onto the cobbled sector of 2.3 km (which ends just before the finish line), the only other cobbled section on this parcours is only 500 metres.
Atkins isn’t feeling like working for leader Trentin and is the first to attack! Varga and Sarreau are the first to follow, while another group of four riders is right behind: El Sabbahi, Kiskonen, Groselj and Sotberg! Andorra Cycling Project and Podium Ambition immediately start chasing!
Wow! Only one cobbled sector of 35 sectors today done and we already have the first riders to be dropped! Rikunov, Manfred and Burmann can be sure they won’t win this race, while there are still 237 km to go!
221 km to go, which is the same as sixteen laps. El Sabbahi and Sotberg simply couldn't follow the other five leaders on the cobbled sector of 2.3 km right before the finish line. This gives us five leaders: Atkins, Varga, Sarreau, Kiskonen and Groselj! The peloton, where Lierse sacrifices a domestique as well, follows 2’30” later.
As the Minions also decide sending someone to work at the head of the peloton, it’s looking very yellow. The five leaders get some extra time, but controlling five not so strong cobblers shouldn’t be a problem for the peloton. Or am I wrong?
153 km and a bit more than eleven laps to go as we have seven riders up front! Well, not really though, as Rikunov and Burmann are the first ones to get lapped. It looks like the race has only just begun as there are still so many km left, but let’s not forget that we have been racing for almost 100 km already! The peloton comfortably at 4’15”.
This race really isn’t tyre-friendly! Saber and Van Keirsbulck had a puncture, but as they were positioned well, they managed to remain in the peloton. Tsatevich wasn’t as lucky! He had to wait a long time before Carrefour’s team car brought him a replacement, it seems like his race is over with 120 km to go!
During the same lap another CT domestique, Sbaragli, has the same bad luck. The Strava rider then joins forces with Tsatevich, as the two riders make it back to the peloton with 104 km to the finish line.
Good positioning really is important now! The five leaders enter the last 90 km with a three minute lead over the peloton, where there are now 125 riders. The peloton gets split into two pieces though, with Taubel, Debesay, Naesen, Van Lerberghe and even Zepuntke on the wrong side of the split! Bush was in the first group, but suffers a puncture and therefore has to try and join the second group before it’s too late!
That’s what domestiques are for! Polar seems to believe their only chance at scoring points is getting Bush back to the second group! Zepuntke and the others will also be happy, as Minion Marcos saved the day and brought the two groups back together with 85 km to the finish line!
Just after all that happened, the next important puncture is upon us! Naesen is swearing so loud they can hear him in Warsaw, but the Belgian has to let the peloton go!
70 km to go as we go from five to four leaders! Sarreau can’t follow his companions anymore, who now lead by 1’15” over the peloton! Naesen is another two minutes behind, so it should be close to impossible for the Belgian to come back on his own and still manage to score points today!
And another victim! Just like in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Vanbilsen suffers a puncture, and when you thought Naesen was swearing loudly, you should hear this guy! He’s saying some things we simply can’t write down!
The whole Lierse squad falls back to get their leader back up front! They are 1’45” behind the peloton with 66 km left, is it still doable?
The peloton has been cut into pieces once again! 56 riders remain in the first group now, which is only 40” behind the head of the race! Paprstka, Havik and Schreurs try to get away and catch the leaders, but the pink armada of Podium Ambition won’t allow them! In the second group we see Taubel as the most important rider with a lot of decent domestiques from other teams right behind him. The Lierse boys now joining that second group though!
As we enter the last four rounds with 55.5 km to the finish line, all attackers have been reeled back in! The peloton counts 51 riders, and the pace is being set by Podium Ambition, Andorra Cycling Project and Minions!
Vanbilsen and his domestiques haven’t given up yet! Except for De Bondt, they leave the whole second group behind them on the longer cobbled section! They now trail by 1’10” to the peloton, let’s see if Bolivar and Biermans can close that final gap!
And he’s back! He had to close the final gap himself, but one of the favourites of today’s race, Vanbilsen, is back in business! A peloton of 51 riders with 48 km to go, and the Belgian rider better moves up quickly as we are about to head onto the cobbles again! Of course, after coming back from so far, it has to be seen whether he still has the power to do so.
As it might not be too important, let’s have a look at the leaders on the cobbled sector of only 500 metres, as there are 37 km left for the riders. Podium Ambition and Andorra Cycling Project now the teams setting the pace, with a strong Oelerich doing domestique duties for leader Van Avermeat as well. 42 riders left at the front, as the real finale should be about to begin anytime soon!
Maybe a bit sooner than expected, but there it is, attack from Summerhill! The American champion doesn’t even accelerate, he just leaves the whole peloton behind him! Well, almost the whole peloton, as three riders are able to follow so far! Altur, Zepuntke and Vanbilsen are the three other favourites in his wheel, what a comeback by the Belgian!
As the four leaders have entered the penultimate lap with 27 km to go, there are two domestiques trying to close the gap between them and the 29-headed peloton! Ostergaard and Kulppi now giving their all, as they reduce the gap from 30” to 20”! Nine riders have been dropped from the peloton, including team leaders Havik and Thomas, as well as luxe domestique Machado!
Summerhill the only one doing the work in the leading group, as Nooytens brings the peloton at 10” with 25 km to go! It seems to be over for the break, with some very necessary energy spilled!
Finally, somebody else than Summerhill does all the work up front though! Zepuntke leads the other three riders at the head of the race over the short cobbled sector! Right before the penultimate time on the short cobbled section, there was a very short hill as well. After more than 210 km, the domestiques were no longer able to keep chasing, which means Trentin himself now tries to chase down the lead of the race! The time gap is back to 20” with 23 km to go!
This could very well be it! Vanspeybrouck is in second position in the peloton, while the gap has increased to almost 45” as the leaders enter the last 20 km! It seems the winner will be one of those four!
The peloton comes 10” closer as the four leaders head onto the longer cobbled sector for the penultimate time! Summerhill really likes this sector and uppens the pace just as in the previous round! Vanbilsen is the only one who can follow!
But Zepuntke fights back and with Altur still in his wheel, the German makes it four at the front again with 15.5 km to go! The group of 29 now one minute behind!
The four leaders are 1’20” far in the last round as the chasing group gets split in two after Nolf has put down the hammer! Eleven rider are able to follow the Belgian Carrefour rider, those are Ferreira, Vanmarcke, Breen, Van Avermaet, Trentin, Daniel, Vanspeybrouck, Chatarunga, Maes, Van Keirsbulck and Bush! The most important leaders in the following group are Saber as well as the two leaders from both Philips and Xero Racing!
Summerhill attacks again, but this time it’s not on the cobbles! On the small hill just before we enter the 500 metres cobbled section for the last time, the American tries to break free from the three other attackers! 1’30” behind them is the first group of twelve, but the other group of sixteen is only 15” further.
Interesting stuff, as Summerhill’s attack gets neutralized by Zepuntke! Altur and Vanbilsen also still following!
Vanbilsen picks the wheel of Zepuntke, who needs a minute to take a breath. Summerhill needs to relax for a second as well, and this might be the perfect time for Altur to attack! The Spaniard comes to the head of the race for the first time with 9 km to the finish line, as he seems to have a small gap over the other three at the end of the penultimate cobbled sector of the day!
8 km to go and as another rider is being lapped, Altur holds on to his small gap over the other favourites! It is once again Summerhill who works hardest of those three! The situation behind is still more or less the same, with the first twelve chasers at 1’05” and the next sixteen an additional 40” further.
Altur into the last six km now! His advantage has grown to 25”, but at that time Vanbilsen and Zepuntke started cooperating as well, which reduced the time difference to 20”!
5 km to go and the gap is now at just more than 10”! It seems like the three musketeers behind the Spaniard have found their rhythm! A bit more than a km until the riders hit the last cobbled sector of the day!
Would you have a look at that! Zepuntke takes the lead in the chase and Summerhill has to leave a gap as we near the final cobbled sector of the day! Is this permanent, or will the American fight back?!
Literally metres before the final secteur pavé, Zepuntke and Vanbilsen reach the wheel of Altur! Summerhill at 20”, but if the pace goes down a notch he should be capable of making it back! The situation behind them is still the same with a group of twelve and a group of sixteen!
But Altur is far from exhausted and still has something left! He doesn’t stand up, but sits down and makes the riders from Lierse and Minions look like it’s their first time on a bike! The Spaniard going for the win with 2.8 km to go! What a finale!
Altur comes off the cobbles with a bit more than 1 km to the finish line! He increases his lead over the chasing duo to half a minute, while American champion Summerhill has almost closed the gap to those two and is an additional 10” behind!
2’ behind leader Altur, Chatarunga attacks to try and finish inside the top-5! Van Keirsbulck neutralizes the threat, so the chasing groups still exist out of respectively twelve and sixteen riders, they won’t be sprinting for the win though!
And neither will this guy, because he has no one to sprint against! His lead is more than 30” with less than 500 metres to go! The only thing stopping Altur now would be a flat tyre, but let’s hope he doesn’t suffer one!
A lot of lapped riders ahead of him but he doesn’t care and starts cheering early. Ladies and gentleman, the winner of Malopolski Wyscig 2020: Altur!
Zepuntke and Vanbilsen stay ahead of Summerhill, who finishes fourth. The German and Belgian are too exhausted to even accelerate for the final sprint, and it’s Vanbilsen who takes second! Tonight, he’ll probably have some nightmares after having punctured that flat tyre earlier in the race!
Trentin wins the sprint for fifth ahead of a, once again, very strong Breen. Daniel then in seventh ahead of Van Avermaet, who is first of the CT riders. Vanmarcke and Bush complete the top-10.
