The picturesque town of Kazimierz Dolny hosted the thrilling finale of the 2nd edition of the Tour de Pologne Women, where Dutch cyclists showcased their dominance on the challenging course. Scarlett Souren claimed the stage victory and the LOTTO active classification, while Laura Molenaar successfully defended her yellow jersey, leading the ORLEN general classification. The VolkerWessels Team also emerged as the best team of the race.
The competition concluded on Sunday with a stage starting from the Arche Hotel in Nałęczów and finishing in Kazimierz Dolny. After a neutral start through the charming streets of the spa town, the riders embarked on a demanding 15-kilometer circuit in Kazimierz Dolny, which they had to complete five times. The course featured a cobbled climb in the historic town center and several other steep sections.
Right after the official start, a Lotto Dstny rider attempted a breakaway, but the peloton quickly reeled her in. Norwegian Sigrid Haugset broke away and won the LOTTO sprint in Skowieszynek. Scarlett Souren finished third in the sprint, virtually securing the lead in the active riders’ classification after MAT ATOM Deweloper Wroclaw’s Nikola Bajgerova crashed out.
The lone breakaway was soon caught, leading to a series of attacks by Stine Dale (Team Coop – Repsol) and Jarmila Machacova (Team Dukla Praha), who built up a lead of over a minute. However, race leader Laura Molenaar’s Volker Wessels team kept the race under control.
Eventually, the breakaway was neutralized, and the sprinters battled it out in a fast finish in Kazimierz Dolny. VolkerWessels rider Scarlett Souren emerged victorious, with Dutch rider Anna van Wersch (Lotto Dstny Ladies) taking second place and Kaja Rysz (Poland) completing the podium in third. Katarzyna Wilkos (MAT ATOM Developer Wroclaw) finished fourth.
“I knew that the Volker Wessels girls would be very strong and fast. I’ve raced against them abroad, so I knew I needed to watch them. Today I finished third, and I’m happy with that,” said Kaja Rysz, reflecting on her performance.
Laura Molenaar finished safely in the peloton, securing her overall victory in the ORLEN classification. The podium was completed by stage winner Souren and Wilkos.
“At the beginning of the stage, I was involved in a crash with Nikola Bajgerova. I was lucky to get away with just some road rash. Nikola probably has a broken collar bone. It was a tough day for us. Towards the end, my team set me up perfectly. Unfortunately, I chose the left side instead of the right, got blocked, and lost speed. But I’m happy to have held on to third place overall. It’s my first podium finish at such an event, and I’m really happy,” said Wilkos.
Scarlett Souren also secured the LOTTO active classification, and her team dominated the race, winning the team classification.
The 2nd edition of the Tour de Pologne Women, relaunched by Czeslaw Lang and the Lang Team after an eight-year hiatus, featured three stages in the scenic Lublin Voivodeship, visiting towns such as Lublin, Krasnystaw, Kraśnik, Nałęczów, and Kazimierz Dolny. “A beautiful race, three stages full of excitement and dynamism, held in stunning locations. We started in Lublin, then from Krasnystaw to Kraśnik, and today’s stage from Arche Nałęczów to Kazimierz Dolny. Every stage was really interesting, and the level of competition was high. We have achieved what we set out to do – to develop women’s cycling in Poland. We have excellent riders like Kasia Niewiadoma, but we lack world-class events. We want to bring the Tour de Pologne Women to the same level as the men’s race,” said Czeslaw Lang, General Director of the Tour de Pologne Women.
For full results of the 2nd Tour de Pologne Women, visit here.
For more information about the race, visit www.tourdepolognewomen.pl.