Tour de Pologne (st. 5)

Eros Capecchi stays in 8th at Tour de Pologne after first stage through the Tatra mountains, with Izagirre (EUS) jumping into the lead thanks to race appeal bonuses. Hushovd (BMC) takes 2nd stage win

The extra seconds offered by the race appeal classification in the 2013 Tour de Pologne brought the only change into the first 10 overall in the race, with Spaniard Ion Izagirre (EUS) now on top after the first of two stages in the heights of the Tatra mountains: 160km between Nowy Targ and Zakopane, with four rated climbs. The Basque gained five points -two of them into the penultimate hill and three at the last one- to take 3rd in the day’s combativity standings, led by Marczynski (VCD) and Cieslik (POL) after the intermediate sprints in the beginning of the race, and earn 10 bonus seconds to drop local hero Rafal Majka (TST) out of the first place. The stage was won by Norwegian Thor Hushovd (BMC).

Movistar Team was always in the move all race, an eight-man escape after an incredibly fast race start taking Ángel Madrazo into the day’s break of eight riders, chased down into the final loop with less than 25k left. The Cantabrian gave his turn to Javi Moreno, who tried a short move into the counter attacks after the junction, and Eros Capecchi, well protected by the rest of the group and trying to filter into a small attack with 3k remaining. The Italian remains in 8th overall -now fourteen seconds back- and will have a final chance to gain seconds before Saturday’s ITT to Kraków in another demanding stage on Friday: 192km with ten categorized ascents towards Bukowina Tatrzanska.