Bart Lemmen claims Karpacz! Dutchman becomes new leader of the 83rd Tour de Pologne

The peloton of the 83rd Tour de Pologne entered the mountains, kicking off the first act of the mountain triptych on a 161.9 km stage from Żagań to Karpacz. The final climb delivered great excitement, with Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) emerging as the hero of the day. After taking the stage victory with a time of 3:54:45, he also put on the yellow jersey as the leader of the ORLEN general classification.

Crash, neutralization, and route change at riders’ request

Before the resolution on the final climb, the progression of the fourth stage was heavily disrupted 42 km from the finish, where a crash involving around 30 riders took place. Among those on the tarmac were overall leader Jonathan Milan and João Almeida, while an injured Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates) was forced to withdraw.

The organizers reacted with a neutralization of the stage. Following consultations with the peloton, the decision was made to alter the route and bypass a dangerous, slippery descent.

– When we saw the crash, we neutralized the race to give the affected riders a chance. Then the unions asked to bypass the slippery descent. We accommodated the riders. As soon as the emergency services confirmed readiness, we directed the peloton onto an alternative route – summarized Tour de Pologne race director, Czesław Lang.

Solo attack in Karpacz and Team Visma | Lease a Bike masterclass

After racing resumed and reached the approach to the final ascent, Team Visma | Lease a Bike set the pace. With under 6 kilometers to go, a strong four-man group formed at the front: Bart Lemmen, his teammate Tijmen Graat, Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team), and Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling Team).

When Graat dropped from the lead group, Bart Lemmen launched a decisive attack. The Dutchman won the 1st category mountain prime in Karpacz and established a strong solo pace, pulling away to a 15-second lead. Despite a chase from Christian Scaroni, who managed to drop Marco Brenner, Lemmen held his advantage to cross the line just ahead of the Italian. Third place went to Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS), 14 seconds behind.

Stage winner and new leader’s statement

At the finish line, Bart Lemmen reflected on his performance and the events on the road:

– It’s an amazing feeling, I still can’t believe it. I’ve been saying for a long time that I was fed up with not winning, and today it finally happened. After the crash, I had huge doubts about whether to even continue riding. Everything hurt, but once I got back on the bike, the adrenaline kicked in. I also wanted to help Louis Barré. After that crash, the peloton rode a bit more cautiously, which opened up space for me to attack. I took a risk – I figured it was easier to give it my all when nobody was sitting on my wheel. After so many attempts, I could finally cross the finish line with my hands up and put on the leader’s jersey – said Bart Lemmen at the finish.

Top 10 Results – Stage 4 of the 83rd Tour de Pologne (Żagań – Karpacz, 161.9 km):

Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 3:54:45
Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team) – s.t.
Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS) – +0:14
Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – +0:14
Louis Barré (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +0:16
Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team) – +0:16
Paul Lapeira (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – +0:16
Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) – +0:16
Aaron Dockx (Alpecin – Premier Tech) – +0:16
Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility) – +0:20

Shuffles in the classifications

The victory on stage 4 reshuffled the standings. Bart Lemmen took over the leader’s jersey from Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and moved into the lead of the PZU KOM classification with 10 points, pushing former leader Dries De Bondt (9 points) into second. However, Jonathan Milan retained the white jersey as the leader of the points classification, while Polish representative Radosław Frątczak kept the blue jersey for the most active rider.

ORLEN General Classification Top 6 & Best Polish Rider (after Stage 4):

Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)
Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team)
Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)
Matteo Sobrero (Lidl-Trek)
Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe)
Louis Barré (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)

14. Michał Kwiatkowski (Netcompany INEOS)

Classification leaders after Stage 4:
ORLEN General Classification (yellow jersey): Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lang Team Points Classification (white jersey): Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
PZU KOM Classification (white jersey with blue polka dots): Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)
LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification (blue jersey): Radosław Frątczak (Poland)
ORLEN VITAY Best Polish Rider of Stage 4: Michał Kwiatkowski (Netcompany INEOS)

Mountain triptych underway – what lies ahead?

The climb to Karpacz is just the start of the mountain action in the 83rd Tour de Pologne. Stage 5 will take the riders from Opole to Kocierz Resort, ending with a demanding climb. Along the way, riders will compete at the LOTTO Intermediate Sprints (Ujazd, Pisarzowice, Bielsko-Biała), the DPD Special Prime, and PZU Mountain Primes on Góra Św. Anny and Przełęcz Przegibek.

The next test comes on the stage in Bukowina Tatrzańska (126 km), featuring 6 PZU Mountain Primes, including the steep Ściana BUKOVINA as well as climbs in Sierockie, Słodyczki, and Pitoniówka. The 83rd edition will conclude with an individual time trial at the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine (August 9).

Live coverage of all stages is available via Telewizja Polska, Eurosport, and the Max streaming platform.