Jan Christen Triumphs After Solo Attack on Stage 5 of the Tour de Pologne

The peloton of the 83rd edition of the Tour de Pologne provided fans with unforgettable excitement on the 218.9 km stage from Opole to Kocierz Resort. After a fierce battle in a dynamic finale, the sensational Swiss rider Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) claimed a solo victory, launching a decisive attack in the final kilometers and holding off the chasing group by a narrow margin. The shift at the front of the race also brought a new overall leader—Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) took over the ORLEN yellow jersey.

Mountain Tests and the Crucial Przegibek

The route presented riders with their first serious tests in demanding, hilly terrain. Among the key highlights was the ascent of Przegibek (4.1 km; 5.7%), where the pace in the peloton surged dramatically. Driven by the high speed and continuous attacks at the front, the breakaway was eventually reeled in with 4 kilometers remaining.

Late Attacks and the Swiss Champion’s Solo Charge

In the final 3 kilometers, teams seeking an opportunity before the ultimate climb came to the fore—Lidl-Trek riders and Michał Kwiatkowski (Netcompany INEOS) pushed hard at the front of the peloton, causing significant splits in the pack. Neilson Powless (EF Education – EasyPost) upped the tempo, but it was a powerful attack by the Swiss champion, Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), that proved decisive.

Christen established a slim lead and began his solo charge against the peloton with 1,600 meters to go. With just 400 meters remaining, Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) launched a dangerous counterattack, drawing nearly level with the Swiss rider. However, Christen maintained his pace and was the first to cross the finish line in Kocierz Resort.

“Our plan was to watch our rivals or fight in the sprint. I knew everyone was waiting for my attack, so I waited patiently. When I saw the others suffering, I made my move—even though my back was hurting badly from yesterday’s crash. In the final meters, I controlled the group and saved energy for the final sprint, which brought the win. Today’s dynamic profile suited me very well. We came here with a four-rider squad, so there is no pressure on us. I already have a stage win and a good GC position, so I’m approaching the coming days with calm and without pressure,” said Jan Christen at the finish line.

Filip Gruszczyński (Polish National Team) was the top Polish rider on the stage, finishing in 36th place.

“This stage was bittersweet for me—I’m happy to be the top Pole, but I lacked the legs a bit on the final wall. This is my first time riding such a big race as a team leader, which is a completely different challenge than helping teammates in the club. I moved closer to the top 20 in the general classification, but my time losses grew, so I need to adjust my strategy. On the upcoming tough mountain stages, I’ll look for opportunities in breakaways, hoping my rivals might underestimate me a bit, and I can fight to climb up the GC in a heavily split field,” summarized Filip Gruszczyński.

Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) expressed his joy at taking the general classification lead: “It was a tough stage, but we had everything under control from the start. The real racing began on the first major climb, and on the final wall, it came down to who had the best legs. I’m happy to have taken the yellow jersey, but crucial days lie ahead—tomorrow will be a hard battle right from the start, and we’ll have to give absolutely everything in the final time trial. My path to the professional peloton was unusual, as I served in the Royal Netherlands Air Force from 2014 to 2022, including as a protection platoon commander. I started racing amatorishly in 2017, and step by step, season by season, I reached where I am today,” highlighted the race leader.

Stage TOP 10 Results:

1. Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
2. Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)
3. Louis Barré (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)
4. Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS)
5. Paul Lapeira (Decathlon CMA CGM Team)
6. Fabio Christen (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team)
7. Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe)
8. Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team)
9. Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team)
10. Matteo Sobrero (Lidl-Trek)

Classification Leaders After the Stage:

• ORLEN General Classification (yellow jersey): Bart Lemmen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Lang Team Points Classification (white jersey): Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
• PZU Mountain Classification (white jersey with blue polka dots): Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco AlUla)
• LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification (blue jersey): Radosław Frątczak (Polish National Team)
• ORLEN VITAY Best Polish Rider Award: Filip Gruszczyński (Polish National Team)

Ahead lies the “Queen Stage” in Bukowina Tatrzańska

A true test for pure climbers awaits the riders next. The “Queen Stage” will take place in Bukowina Tatrzańska and BUKOVINA Resort. On a short 126-kilometer route, the riders will tackle as many as 6 PZU Mountain KOH primes, including the steep Ściana BUKOVINA as well as climbs in Sierockie, Słodyczki, and Pitoniówka. The sole LOTTO Intermediate Sprint will take place in Biały Dunajec shortly after the start.

Radosław Frątczak, leader of the LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification, shared his perspective on the upcoming challenge: “Tomorrow’s stage will be grueling. Our main task is to help Filip as much as possible on the early parts of the climb—we need to position him as high and safely as possible. After that, my job and that of the other sprinters is done, and it’ll just be about riding in wheels and avoiding risks. My mind is admittedly already on Sunday’s time trial, but we still have a tough Saturday ahead. My main goal is to stay in the gruppetto as long as possible and make the time limit without issues. In cycling, a bad moment, energy drop, or crash can always happen, but I’m not expecting negative scenarios. On the initial climbs, we’ll calmly pace ourselves to reach the finish safely,” announced Frątczak.

The stage winner will join a prestigious group of past Bukowina Tatrzańska victors, including Remco Evenepoel, João Almeida, Simon Yates, and Rafał Majka.

The final decisions will be made on the concluding stage—on August 9, the riders will face an individual time trial at the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine, where the ultimate winners of all classifications will be crowned.

International Broadcast to 65 Countries

Fans can follow the action live via Telewizja Polska’s broadcast, which is also available on Eurosport channels and the HBO Max streaming platform, reaching viewers across 65 countries worldwide.