Another spectacular cycling show was delivered to fans by young riders competing in the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix. On the challenging route from Ustrzyki Dolne to Arłamów, the best was Danish cyclist Tobias Svarre, while Polish rider Mateusz Gajdulewicz secured third place on the podium. The new overall leader of the ORLEN general classification is Austrian Marco Schrettl.
Crowds of fans welcomed young cyclists in the picturesque town of Ustrzyki Dolne as they took part in the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix, one of three rounds of the UCI Nations’Cup for under-23 riders. Today’s weather was vastly different from the second stage, allowing most riders to breathe a sigh of relief.
The course, finishing at Hotel Arłamów, was very demanding, with steep climbs encouraging risk-taking and attacks. From the start, many riders were eager to break away. A 9-man group escaped from the peloton, including Poland’s Dawid Lewandowski. Dozens of kilometers from the finish, reshuffling began as repeated accelerations occurred during the climbs. Estonian Markus Maeuibo won the special sprint in Lesko, Lesko County.
Following a series of attacks, four cyclists emerged at the front – Poland’s Mateusz Gajdulewicz, Denmark’s Tobias Svarre, Slovenia’s Erazem Valjavec, and yesterday’s third-place finisher, Austria’s Marco Schrettl. They battled for victory at Hotel Arłamów, with the Dane ultimately taking the win. The Slovenian and the Pole completed the podium.
“On the climb to Kalwaria Pacławska, I rode at my own pace and was maybe 5 seconds behind the leaders at the top, whom I caught on the descent. I wanted to attack there, but it was too twisty. I remembered there was a steep kicker coming up and managed to get onto Filip’s wheel just in time. I used that moment, and the Slovenian joined me. We know each other from Calpe this year, so cooperation went well. We caught up with the leading pair and all wanted to make it to Arłamów. I’m happy I secured a podium” said Mateusz Gajdulewicz.
“I’m very, very happy. It’s been a tough season for me, so this comeback is a dream come true. That’s exactly what we planned. We wanted to put pressure on the Italians, and I was supposed to attack on the penultimate climb – which I did. It worked perfectly! Now I know how to win stages here, so I’ll try again tomorrow” said today’s winner, Tobias Svarre.
The general classification of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix, sponsored by Title Sponsor ORLEN, saw many changes. Marco Schrettl took the leader’s jersey and now holds a 40-second lead over Italy’s Ludovico Maria Mellano ahead of the final stage, making him the favorite to take overall victory.
“It was a very hard stage from the start, especially after giving everything yesterday. That makes me even happier to be wearing the leader’s jersey tomorrow. It will be tough to defend it, but together with my team, we’ll do everything we can to hold onto the lead” said the Austrian.
Strong Performance by the Polish Team
After struggling in harsh, almost winter-like conditions yesterday, the Polish team returned to form in today’s stage. In addition to Mateusz Gajdulewicz’s third place, which moved him up to 6th in the general classification, both Filip Gruszczyński and Patryk Goszczurny finished in the top 20. The Polish team was the best in the team classification today.
“Tactically, everything went perfectly. From the start, we tried to get into a breakaway, and Dawid managed to do that. He did an amazing job – they only caught him before the key climb, and he still helped us move to the front. We were riding very strong, and Mateusz attacked at the top and finished third. As a team, we can be overjoyed with today’s result” said Patryk Goszczurny.
“Today the boys rode a very good race, everything went our way from the beginning. Dawid Lewandowski was in the breakaway, and the rest helped and supported each other in the peloton, which resulted in Mateusz’s attack and breakaway” said pleased Tomasz Brożyna, coach of the Polish national team. The Polish team’s performance was also praised by Czesław Lang, General Director of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix. He admitted it was an early birthday gift ahead of his 70th birthday tomorrow.
“I’m very happy the Poles raced so well today. It was a tough stage – the climbs to Hotel Arłamów, Gruszowa, and Kalwaria Pacławska… Mateusz Gajdulewicz rode beautifully. He lacked a bit at the end, but the podium is still a fantastic result” he said.
Tomorrow’s stage from Lesko (Lesko County) to Hotel Arłamów will conclude the 7th edition of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix. After three days of racing, many riders still hope for success, promising an exciting battle – both for the stage win and the overall classification. Hotel Arłamów – the finish line for the last three stages – will also host tomorrow’s ORLEN Lang Team Race, which will feature hundreds of amateur cyclists, as well as birthday celebrant Czesław Lang and other cycling legends.
The ORLEN Nations Grand Prix can be followed through various media. 25-minute highlights of each stage will air in the evenings on TVP Sport (tonight at 22:35), and race updates appear on multiple Polish TV channels including TVP 2, TVN, and Polish Radio’s “Jedynka” and “Trójka”, as well as on Onet.
