Bitter-Sweet Fourth for Kotulski After Powerful Sprint in Stage 3

Stage 3 of the Tour of Lithuania brought fast racing and high tension, with strong winds shaping the day and a chaotic finish testing focus and nerves across the bunch.

The pace was high from the start, with heavy crosswinds making the peloton nervous. Around 120km into the race, a breakaway formed, allowing the pace to settle briefly before things ramped up again with 30km to go.

With 8km remaining, Richard Rundva moved up to support Przemysław Kotulski, helping him gain critical position heading into the final stretch. The closing kilometers saw two crashes add even more pressure, but Kotulski stayed calm and focused.

He entered the final corner in sixth place and launched a powerful sprint, crossing the line in fourth.

“Jeffe Beets and Richard showed excellent resilience and teamwork, making it back to the peloton with 10 km to go – just in time to support Przemysław in positioning for the final sprint,” said Development Team Sports Director Sergey Lagutin. “Przemysław was expertly guided into position before the final corner and delivered a strong sprint. His timing and execution were excellent.”

Post-race, Kotulski said, “I had a really great feeling today. Getting a top five in a UCI race has been my goal for a long time. Initially, I was listed as third, but after results were corrected I became fourth. It’s a bit bittersweet, but I’m still really happy with that—and now I just have to stay focused for tomorrow.”