Craig Lewis - Journey of a Professional Cyclist
Craig Lewis
August 8, 2009

Tour of Poland, Stage 6

The “queen” stage of the Tour of Poland was a little bit hard to say the least. Had the roads been paved in the past fifty years it might have been a little better, but as it was it was like doing LBL on cobbles.  The race book was also a little off saying that we would have 1,140 meters of total climbing today. It turned out to be over 3,000!  The climbs were not so steep though. Always around 4-5%. So the final selection of twenty guys was made by sprinting, big chain ring of course, up one of the final climbs.

I had asked Edvald earlier in the day how he was feeling and he said “not so good, there is pain in my legs….”  Well, he went on to easily win the stage. That’s the last time I will ask how he’s feeling! With the time bonus earned at the finish he is now in 3rd and only 11 seconds down on GC.  The stage is set for a good showdown on the final day.  There are plenty of bonus sprints out on course and also more at the finish so he still has a good chance to win the overall. All we have to do is keep a break from going up the road and stealing away those seconds. Easier said than done, but that’s the goal for the final stage.  All we can do is try to make it happen.

This area in the south of Poland is very beautiful. High mountains all around us and many nice villages in the valleys.  Fall has certainly began in this part of the world. Cool temperatures and fresh air, my favorite time of year.  Looking out the window this Saturday morning all you can see are families hiking up into the hills. Would be a very nice way to spend the day for sure.
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