Langellotti (Ineos Grenadiers) leads American Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) by only seven seconds, with Italy’s Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) a further 13 seconds back and Swiss rider Jan Christen, also of UAE Team Emirates, 21 seconds off the lead. Poland’s Rafał Majka sits sixth overall, 24 seconds behind.
The flat course is expected to favour McNulty, a strong time trial specialist who last year won his national title and has taken individual time trial stages at the Vuelta a España, Tour de Suisse and UAE Tour. Switzerland’s Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), a former world silver medallist in the discipline, is also among the favourites for the stage win, though he is not in contention for the general classification.
On Saturday, Langellotti seized the overall lead with a dramatic late surge on the uphill finish in Bukowina Tatrzańska, edging McNulty in the final metres of the sixth stage. Racing with just four teammates after illness sidelined Michał Kwiatkowski and Magnus Sheffield, Langellotti timed his attack perfectly 500 metres from the line. “I knew the climb and I knew where to go,” he said. “Seven seconds is not much – it will be hard to defend the jersey. Brandon is very strong in the time trial.”
Majka played a key role in setting the pace for his UAE Emirates teammates during the mountain stage, finishing ninth on the day. He admitted to mechanical issues on the final lap but said the team still had a chance to secure overall victory. “Cycling is a team sport. We didn’t win the stage, but we can still win the whole Tour de Pologne,” he said.
Sunday’s riders will start in reverse order of the general classification, with Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) rolling off first at 14:11 local time. Majka is due to start at 16:05, followed by Langellotti at 16:15 in what promises to be a tense finale to the week-long race.
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Source: PAP