Rémi Cavagna won the time trial in Katowice, while João Almeida bolstered his lead in the GC.
Since turning pro in 2017, Rémi Cavagna has ridden the Tour de Pologne three times and on each of these occasions he was on the hunt for a stage win, joining the breakaways, going all-out, and once even coming close to getting that victory, only to be caught by a ruthless peloton just a few kilometers from home. This year, the Frenchman came back at the start, and with him, also the individual time trial returned at Poland’s sole World Tour event, adding to the motivation of the “TGV of Clermont-Ferrand” to finally put his name on the winners’ list here.
One of the favourites at the start of stage 6, taking place over a rolling 19.1km course around Katowice, Cavagna amply confirmed his TT prowess, putting in a flying ride which saw him record the fastest time at the finish by a mile. Rémi, who earlier this week celebrated his 26th birthday, remained in the hot seat until the end of the stage, notching up his third victory of the year, after the ones at the Tour de Romandie and the French Championships.
“I can tell you that I’m very happy, because the time trial is my speciality and every win in this discipline gives me a lot of satisfaction. I worked hard at home and to win this stage feels great, especially as I didn’t do a perfect race. On the other hand, I gave everything out there and rode with a lot of confidence, which bodes well for the European Championships in September, my next objective”, said Rémi, the first Frenchman in eight years to win a stage in Poland.
The only rider who could come close to Cavagna’s time was his teammate, João Almeida. The yellow jersey wearer went fastest through the intermediate checkpoint, but eventually concluded runner-up, 13 seconds behind, a result that cemented his lead in the overall standings and brought him one step closer to the first stage race victory of his career. The Portuguese is joined in the upper echelon of the standings by another Deceuninck – Quick-Step teammate, Mikkel Honoré, who moved up to fifth place following the ITT.
“I am happy for myself and for Rémi, who was so strong today. We took the win, we kept the jersey, so it was an incredible day for us. The parcours was a bit technical, and I didn’t take any risks. I was a bit nervous, but in the end the legs were good and I am content with the result I got and with how things stand in the GC ahead of Sunday”, said João, who will carry a 20-second advantage into the Krakow stage.
Photo credit: ©Bas Czerwinski / Getty Images
