Max Schachmann improved his general classification after a solid ride.
Rain accompanied the riders Thursday afternoon as they prepared for the first uphill finish of the week, a stage that ended up creating some interesting gaps between the GC contenders, thus ensuring an exciting battle over the next three days.
The stage was a quiet one until around 44 kilometers to go, when a high-speed downhill crash on wet roads led to the race being neutralized. The organizers took this decision after almost 40 riders hit the ground in that massive pile-up, which then led to the stage being reduced by one lap. Racing resumed more than half an hour later, and soon after this happened, the original breakaway was caught by the peloton.
On the 7km climb to Karpacz, the peloton got whittled down to around 30 men, before Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike) attacked and soled to victory and the yellow jersey. Former German Champion Maximilian Schachmann came home with a small group that rolled over the line 20 seconds later and made a significant jump in the general classification, where he is now 15th - T-Rex Quick-Step’s best-placed rider - with three stages to go.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
