Polish rider Mateusz Gajdulewicz placed a strong 7th in the U23 individual time trial at the World Championships in Rwanda. The victory went to Sweden’s Jakob Soderqvist.
Cyclists across three age categories — juniors (U19), U23, and elite — have been competing at the World Championships in Rwanda since Sunday. On Monday, the U23 men lined up for the time trial, with Mateusz Gajdulewicz as the sole Polish representative.
Riding for the continental team Mazowsze Serce Polski, Gajdulewicz delivered an impressive performance, finishing 7th, just 24 seconds off the podium. The win went to pre-race favorite Jakob Soderqvist of Sweden, ahead of New Zealand’s Nate Pringle and France’s Maxime Decomble.
Mateusz Gajdulewicz has already shown his strength in races organized by Lang Team. One of the highlights of his career came earlier this year when he finished 3rd on a stage of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix, which ended with the climb to Hotel Arłamów. He went on to place 6th overall in the ORLEN General Classification.
Thanks to his strong results at the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix, as well as in the Course de la Paix U23 and the Polish National Championships, he earned a place in the national squad for the 82nd Tour de Pologne, where he animated the race by joining the breakaway on the Wałbrzych stage.
Now, Mateusz Gajdulewicz and his teammates from Mazowsze Serce Polski and the national team — Dawid Lewandowski and Michał Pomorski — are preparing for Friday’s road race. The U23 men will take on a 165-kilometer course featuring demanding laps in central Kigali.