Peter Sagan makes winning return to racing on Tour of Poland stage one
The world champion beat Caleb Ewan in the opening sprint finish to take the overall lead
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) won the opening stage of the Tour of Poland in a dominant sprint finish ahead of Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott).
Behind them, Team Sky’s Danny Van Poppel edged out Riccardo Minali (Astana) for third.
The main contenders for the general classification, including Adam Yates (Orica-Scott), finished safely in the peloton.
Riding in his first race since being controversially kicked off the Tour de France earlier this month for dangerous sprinting, a newly shaven-headed world champion still looked in great shape as he defeated Ewan by half a bike-length.
Sagan will therefore tomorrow swap his rainbow stripes for the overall leader’s yellow jersey.
A wide finishing straight in the city of Krakow provided plenty of room for competing teams to organise their own trains, but ultimately it was a few riders from Gazprom-RusVelo that controlled the front of the race.
Without a lead-out man, Sagan emerged from behind these riders to kick to the front and fend off all other challenges.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Despite the wide roads, a crash took out a few riders in the finale that took out around half a dozen riders.
No rider appeared to be seriously hurt, and no GC contenders appeared to be caught up.
The pace in the peloton as the finish neared was high, but not high enough to deter some attacks. With 3km to go Daniel Oss (BMC) made a move which lasted 1km, when a Quick-Step Floors rider counter-attacked.
He, too, was caught, but with the finishing line less than 500 metres away.
Sagan rewarded his Bora-Hansgrohe team, who, along with Orica-Scott, did the lion’s share of the pace-setting in the peloton throughout the day.
It was Team Sunweb, however, who boasted the most impressive sprinters’ train. Understandably confident following their huge success at the Tour de France, they hit the front of the peloton with a large train of riders inside the final 20km, and, despite competition from other teams, remained organised and well-placed to set-up their designated sprinter Maximilian Walscheid.
However the young German could only manage eleventh.
A break of four spent most of the day off the front of the peloton, comprising of Pawel Bernas (Poland), Martijn Keizer (LottoNL-Jumbo), Maciej Paterski (CCC-Sprandi) and Charles Planet (Novo Nordisk).
Paterski and Keier broke clear with 34km to go on the climb of the Kaszow, but always seemed doomed fail.
Paterski put in a spirited effort, doing most of the work and at one point setting such a fierce pace that Keizer briefly lost his wheel. But both riders were eventually swallowed up by the peloton, first Keizer with 16km to go, then Paterski with 14.5km.
Keizer seemed more keen on taking the various sprints on offer throughout the day, claiming maximum points over both categorised climbs ahead of Paterski, and again out-sprinting his breakaway companion at the final intermediate sprint before sitting up and waiting for the bunch to catch him.
Results
Tour of Poland 2017, stage one: Krakow - Krakow (130km)
1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 02-56-06
2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-Scott
3. Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Team Sky
4. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana
5. Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
6. Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data
7. Roberto Ferrari (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
8. Pawel Franczak (Pol) Poland
9. Boy Van Poppel (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
10. Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, all same time
General classification after stage one
1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 02-56-06
2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-Scott, at 4s
3. Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Team Sky, at 6s
4. Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data, at 9s
5. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana, at 10s
6. Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
7. Roberto Ferrari (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
8. Pawel Franczak (Pol) Poland
9. Boy Van Poppel (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
10. Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, all same time
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Stephen Puddicombe is a freelance journalist for Cycling Weekly, who regularly contributes to our World Tour racing coverage with race reports, news stories, interviews and features. Outside of cycling, he also enjoys writing about film and TV - but you won't find much of that content embedded into his CW articles.
-
'I don’t know where I’d be without my leg' – Paracyclist Meg Fisher to tackle Ecuador’s Highest Peak, 20,549ft Chimborazo, to help provide life-changing prosthetics for amputees
'I will never forget how people told me to keep my expectations of my abilities low...I’m doing this to see if I can do it and to show others that they can do it too,' says Fisher.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Tweets of the week: Tadej Pogačar's special nutrition isn't as pro as you think
The Giro d'Italia winner has his own Italian dish
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Peter Sagan finishes second in last ever professional race
Former three time road world champion was the runner up in the Slovakian national MTB championships on Sunday
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Primož Roglič victorious in brutal Critérium du Dauphiné queen stage
Bora-Hansgrohe leader sprints to win atop Samoëns 1600 ahead of Matteo Jorgensen and Giulio Ciccone
By Dan Challis Published
-
Primož Roglič blitzes his rivals to win stage six of Critérium du Dauphiné and take over the race lead
Slovenian outsprinted Giulio Ciccone in the final kilometre of the summit finish at Le Collet d'Allevard to take over the yellow jersey from Remco Evenepoel
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
'A dream come true': Promising German and Latvian 15-year-old cyclists win Red Bull Junior Brothers 2024
Karl Herzog and Georgs Tjumins will ride for Bora-Hansgrohe's development squad in 2025, and are now Red Bull athletes
By Adam Becket Published
-
Tour de France stage winner back on bike after being seriously injured by car driver
Bora-Hansgrohe's Lennard Kämna has completed the first phase of his rehabilitation after being struck by a car driver on Tenerife in April
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'It's a miracle': The inside story of how Peter Sagan ended up on a team called Pierre Baguette
Six years after the dream first took root, Boris Horváth finally has Peter Sagan on his team
By Tom Davidson Published
-
New team philosophy, no foreign investment and Red Bull helmets: Inside the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe deal
Team CEO Ralph Denk says further big money signings, similarly to Primož Roglič, are unlikely as Red Bull money gives German team wings
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tour de France stage winner leaves hospital, one month after being hit by car driver
Lennard Kämna to fly home to Germany to begin rehabilitation after incident in Tenerife last month
By Tom Thewlis Published