Pomorski Takes Stage Three, Vanicek Retains Overall Lead

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Michał Pomorski (Mazowsze Serce Polski) won Friday’s third stage of the Tour of Mazovia, which ran from Błonie to Leszno. Thanks to time bonuses, he reclaimed the white jersey as the leader of the youth classification (under 23).

After a tightly contested sprint finish, Pomorski beat race leader Simon Vanicek (ATT Investments) and the wearer of the green sprint jersey, Radosław Frątczak (Voster ATS).

On Friday, the riders covered more than 150 kilometers on a route with loops near Leszno, partly within the Kampinos National Park. As in previous stages, the peloton moved at a very fast pace, with the winner’s average speed exceeding 49 km/h.

The team of the race leader—the Czech squad ATT Investments—was very active, working to control the race. Simon Vanicek once again demonstrated his sprinting skills by winning the first of three intermediate sprints, earning three bonus seconds. At the finish, the leader added another six seconds for second place, further strengthening his lead. After the third stage, his advantage over Germany’s Tobias Nolde increased from one to ten seconds.

Unfortunately, just a few hundred meters from the finish, there was a crash on one of the final corners, with two-time Polish champion Norbert Banaszek—Vanicek’s teammate—suffering the worst. After a few minutes, the Polish rider for the Czech team reached the finish line, but initial examinations indicated a suspected broken collarbone, and Banaszek was taken to hospital for further tests.

Radosław Frątczak, who finished third, commented on the final moments of the stage: “Unfortunately, not all riders act fairly in such heated moments, which leads to crashes. The whole stage went smoothly otherwise, there were a lot of attacks, but the sprint teams did not allow any dangerous breakaways,” said the Voster ATS rider.

The competition attracted considerable interest both in Błonie, where dozens of fans saw the riders off, and at the finish in Leszno. The organizers dedicated the stage to the memory of the distinguished Mazovian cyclist Andrzej Bławdzina, who in the late 1960s was among the country’s elite, won the Tour de Pologne, was a two-time Olympian, and successfully competed in the Peace Race. His daughter was present at the start and, together with city officials, gave the signal to begin the stage.

A large crowd applauded the winners at the finish line, and the yellow leader’s jersey was presented to Simon Vanicek on the podium in Leszno by Mazovia’s Deputy Marshal Anna Brzezińska.

The 68th Tour of Mazovia will conclude on Saturday with a stage around Kozienice.

Results of the third stage (Błonie – Leszno, 152 km):

  1. Michał Pomorski (Mazowsze Serce Polski) – 3:05:22
  2. Simon Vanicek (Czech Republic/ATT Investments)
  3. Radosław Frątczak (Voster ATS)
  4. Roy Hoogendoorn (Netherlands/Metec-Solarwatt)
  5. Tomas Barta (Czech Republic/Epronex)
  6. Alex Jaime Fernandez (Spain/Giant Store Assen)

Overall classification after three stages:

  1. Simon Vanicek (Czech Republic/ATT Investments) – 10:03:33
  2. Tobias Nolde (Germany/Benotti Berthold) – 10 seconds behind
  3. Patryk Dąbski (LUKS Trójka Piaseczno) – 13 seconds behind
  4. Michał Pomorski (Mazowsze Serce Polski) – 18 seconds behind
  5. Christian Albrechtsen (Denmark/Ceramic Speed) – 18 seconds behind
  6. Radosław Frątczak (Voster ATS) – 21 seconds behind