Team Liquigas-Doimo rider Jacopo Guarnieri notched up his first win of the season today in stage one of the Tour of Poland. The 22 year old was able to take advantage of his good fortune after avoiding a massive crash in the final two kilometers that stopped most of the peloton in its tracks. He was lead out perfectly by his teammate Peter Sagan, with Aitor Galdos (Euskaltel-Euskadi) finishing the day in second and Allan Davis (Astana) rounding out the podium in third.
"I must thank the team for the trust they put on me," Guarnieri said after the stage. "Ten days ago, during a track race I understood that I was in good shape. The team has worked perfectly for me and we were repayed with the victory. This year’s Tour de Pologne is a demanding race but I am sure that our leaders [Sylwester] Schmyd and Sagan will be protagonists of the race until the end.”
The race centered around a small breakaway of four that stayed away for more than 150 kilometers of the 175.1 kilometer stage. The move included Janyaczyk Blazej (Polska BGZ), Laszlo Bodrogi (Team Katusha), Michael Schar (BMC Racing Team) and Daniel Sesma (Euskaltel Euskadi). The quartet was allowed more than 5 minutes before the the peloton began to react and pull them back for the finish in Warsaw.
Everything was set for a sprint finish as the peloton snaked through the roads of the capital city, but soon after the race went under the two kilometer mark there was a touch of wheels at the front that took down the right side of the road and carried across to the left. The select few that made it through unscathed were left to battle it out for the win, with Guarnieri able to take home a stage in the Polish Tour for his second consecutive year.
Tour of Poland stage one result:
1. Jacopo Guarnieri (Team Liquigas-Doimo) 4h05’22’’ Average 42.778
2. Aitor Galdos Alonso (Euskaltel Euskadi)
3. Allan Davis (Team Astana)
4. Sebastien Chavanel (FdJ)
5. Jaroslaw Marycz (Team Saxo Bank)
6. Christopher Sutton (Team Sky)
7. Alexander Kristoff (BMC Racing Team)
8. Marcel Sieberg (Team HTC-Columbia)
9. Wouter Weylandt (Team QUICK STEP)
10. Matthieu Drijon (Caisse D’Epargne)
General Classification following stage one:
1. Jacopo Guarnieri (Team Liquigas-Doimo)
2. Aitor Galdos Alonso (Euskaltel Euskadi)
3. Blazej Janiaczyk (Team Polska BGZ)
4. Michael Schar (BMC Racing)
5. Laszlo Bodrogi (Katusha)
6. Allan Davis (Team Astana)
7. Daniel Sesma (Euskaltel Euskadi)
8. Sebastien Chavanel (Fdj)
9. Jaroslaw Marycz (Team Saxo bank)
10. Christopher Sutton (Team Sky)
Video of Tour of Poland stage one crash marred finale