The second stage of the Tour de Pologne Women brought great emotions for UAE Team ADQ. Francesca Pellegrini launched a bold solo attack and came close to pulling off an incredible victory. Sofia Bertizzolo finished third, while Dominika Wlodarczyk claimed sixth place on the cobbled uphill finish.
The 100-kilometre stage started and finished in Chełm, featuring constant action throughout the day, with UAE Team ADQ – particularly its younger riders – playing a key role in animating the race.
Federica Venturelli was the first to try, making a couple of attempts during the stage together with other riders. On her second move, the breakaway group was larger and more promising, with teammate Francesca Pellegrini also joining the leaders.
With 18 kilometres to go and the peloton closing in on the breakaway, Pellegrini decided to go solo. She quickly opened a gap of 20 seconds, then 30, and extended it to 43 seconds. Behind, there was little cooperation in the chase, while her pedal stroke remained smooth and determined, making her, for a brief moment, the virtual leader of the race.
The 21-year-old Italian, who earlier this year endured a long spell off the bike due to a crash and is now enjoying a strong second part of the season, kept believing in her move. However, the bunch reeled her in with 1.7 km to go.
The stage concluded with an uphill sprint on cobblestones, where Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility) took a clear victory ahead of Marie Le Net (FDJ – Suez), with Bertizzolo in third place, earning four bonus seconds. Wlodarczyk also performed well, finishing sixth.
Yesterday, in the first stage, Bertizzolo came seventh and Wlodarczyk tenth. Tomorrow’s final stage will run from Nałęczów to Kraśnik over 128.2 km. In the General Classification, Chiara Consonni (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) retains the leader’s jersey, while Bertizzolo sits fifth at 12 seconds and Wlodarczyk seventh at 16 seconds.
Sofia Bertizzolo said: “Congratulations to the Tour de Pologne organisers for this finish, which was really, really interesting and far from predictable. I think it added something extra to a stage that was already, in my opinion, very lively and entertaining for those watching. As a team, we were always in the thick of the action. Kudos to Venturelli and Pellegrini for getting into the break, then Francesca was very smart to attack again and was caught with just under 2 kilometres to go, as Canyon and Lidl-Trek worked in the finale for the sprint. We wanted to try an attack with Dominika on that climb, also with the general classification in mind, which will be decided by seconds and time bonuses, but Uno-X did an exceptional job, so credit to them. It was a finish that suited me, and I managed to take this nice podium result.”
Francesca Pellegrini said: “The plan for the day was to make the race hard in the final kilometres to try to reduce the group, tire out the pure sprinters, and give Dominika a better shot in the sprint. Venturelli’s task was to make the race hard in that section, and we found ourselves in a group of about 20–25 riders without any GC contenders. The group was too big for us, and we had opened up a decent gap, so as soon as they eased up and started looking at each other, I took the initiative to try and reduce it. I found myself alone with 18 km to go, with a maximum advantage of around 40 seconds. I believed in it and hoped until the end — I was feeling good, and it could have been a great opportunity both for me and for the team. Plus, I knew that behind, in the group, we had Dominika and Bertizzolo ready for the sprint, so we were covered for that kind of finish as well. Unfortunately, they caught me just over 1,500 metres from the line, but I’m happy that in the end Bertizzolo made it onto the podium and Dominika took an excellent sixth place. Once again, we showed we are a great team, starting with Amalia and Sophie who controlled the peloton in the early stages, Venturelli who split the race in the middle and gave the break a good gap, and Dominika and Bertizzolo for finishing off everyone’s work.”
(ph. Getty Sport)
