Tour de Pologne 2023 – Stage 7

The last stage.

Route

It should be one for the sprinters. Will UAE try to take the bonus seconds at Wilamowice?

Finale

A finish used often. Road furniture inside the last km have been removed. It is difficult to time it right, you can easily take the front too early or sprint too early.

Weather

Not very warm, not very windy but it will be dry.

How will the stage unfold?

There is one way for UAE to win the jersey and that is getting the bonus seconds in the middle of the stage. Will they succeed? I think that is unlikely but Almeida is not slow on the line.

So, it will be a bunch sprint.

Contenders

Merlier – he has a stage win but he would like to have one more. Kooij and Bennett left, meaning it is his race to lose.

Gaviria – he has a 3rd from stage 1. Now that some of the top sprinters have left, he will hope to win.

De Klejn – not his race so far. He crashed on stage 1, and was 8th on stage 4. He will hope to improve that.

Van den Berg – quick. But I do not think quick enough for a bunch sprint.

Ackermann – he knows this finale quite well. He won here in 2018 and 2019, when the lap was shorter. The issue is the timing, he has to gamble.

Thijssen – a top 10 is likely.

Stars

⭐⭐⭐ Merlier
⭐⭐ De Klejn, Gaviria
⭐ Thijssen, Ackermann, Van den Berg

Who will win?

I will take time Merlier.