Great emotions at Hotel Arłamów! The battle for victory in this year’s edition of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix lasted until the very end. The final stage concluded with a victory for Kazakh Ilkhan Dostiyev, while Frenchman Mathys Rondel retained the white jersey as the overall leader of the ORLEN classification.
The final act of the 6th edition of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix took place on a challenging route from Lesko, Lesko County, to Hotel Arłamów. The 148-kilometer distance featured numerous climbs, including two mountain primes at Arłamów and Kalwaria Pacławska.
The battle for the breakaway of the day lasted several dozen kilometers. The first group was formed by Kacper Gieryk (TC Chrobry SCOTT Głogów), Eirik Aas (Norway), Edvin Lovidius (Sweden), Ramses Debruyne (Belgium), Filippo D’Aiuto (Italy), Sebastian Putz (Austria), Emry Faingezicht (Israel), and Alfred Genaae (Denmark). They were joined by Maciej Banaszak (Mostostal Puławy), Jack Brough (Great Britain), and Aslan Silykbek (Kazakhstan).
The breakaway’s lead grew to over a minute, but the peloton controlled the situation on the challenging route. The breakaway riders fought for the victory at the mountain prime at Hotel Arłamów, where Maciej Banaszak and Kacper Gieryk were the best, but soon everybody et the front was caught.
The difficult climbs to Gruszowa and Kalwaria Pacławska saw numerous attacks. Among those attempting was Matthew Brennan from Great Britain, the 3rd rider in the overall standings, but his effort failed. Mathys Rondel was the first to reach the summit of the mountain prime.
This meant that Pietro Mattio, who had held the green jersey from the first day of the competition, was the best climber of the race. The Italian was one of the riders who soon broke away from the main group.
After numerous reshuffles, a three-man group formed at the front, including Mattio, Arno Wallenborn (Luxembourg), and Ilkhan Dostiyev (Kazakhstan). The best on the climb to Hotel Arłamów was the Kazakh rider, who claimed victory after a several-kilometer surge. Arno Wallenborn finished second, and Italian Mattio was caught by the group of favorites a few hundred meters from the finish line. Emiel Verstrynge from Belgium completed the podium.
“I really wanted to make it to the podium of the stage or even win, but I was caught 600 meters before the finish. I kept the climber’s jersey, which makes me very happy. It’s a very good stage race. I enjoyed it, and the competition was really tough, with many strong teams,” said the winner of the climber’s classification, Lang Team.
There were no changes in the top two positions in the general classification. Frenchman Mathys Rondel won, ahead of his compatriot Brieuc Rolland. Luxembourg’s Arno Wallenborn secured the third position at the last moment. “It was a bit stressful for a while because it was close at the end, but we did it, and we are very happy. The team did a great job, and everyone can be proud of themselves, it’s special. This year, I’m hungry for victories wherever I go. I’m constantly learning, but now I want to learn how to win,” said Mathys Rondel in Arłamów.
The best Polish rider, Filip Gruszczyński, placed 12th in the general classification. Czesław Lang, Director of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix, praised the performance of the Polish riders. “They are the best of the best. 22 national teams and 3 Polish clubs. This also gave the Poles a chance to see where they stand. Against good riders, Poles really wanted to show themselves, they tried to be in breakaways, finish, and attempt breakaways in the mountains, which is very pleasing,” said Czesław Lang.
“Everything was beautiful, but such an event is organized for people. The crowds on the route, especially at the finish in Jasło, and today also crowds with white and red flags cheering along the route, that is the biggest reward for me as an organizer, because I know that with this race we bring a lot of joy to people and spread good energy,” he added.
It was a beautiful 5 days of racing on Czech, Slovak, and Polish roads! The competition in the race was at a very high level, and the highlights and TV broadcasts allowed fans to follow the exciting races. We can now watch the riders who competed in this year’s ORLEN Nations Grand Prix and enjoy their successes in the professional peloton, which will undoubtedly come soon.
