Kusztor shows experience counts on brutal fourth stage in Poland

Race: TDP Stage 4

Date: 8th August 2020

Start/Finish: Bukovia Resort – Bukowina Tatrzanska 

Distance: 152.9 km

Peter Kusztor (HUN)

Today was the Queen Stage here at the Tour de Pologne and it was a very hard stage with many difficult climbs. We had our tasks for the day and managed to follow them pretty well.

Over the first climb the bunch went quite easy and I felt surprisingly good after yesterday, but on the second climb the pace really increased, and I struggled to stay with the front group, so I dropped back and rode my own tempo and kept going with the middle group. 

I’m a little bit disappointed because I was quite optimistic for this stage and I did feel really good at the start and it would have been nice to finish a little further up and try to stay with the front group for longer, but we also need to save something for tomorrow’s final stage.

Massimo Podenzana, DS

I am really pleased with all our guys today, the only objective for us today was to come through stage without any problems and to have everyone come over the line in good shape made me happy.

It was another hot day and another day of suffering and as I said yesterday, I can’t emphasize enough how much racing in this heat and up gradients of 20% takes it out of our guys, but they didn’t let it phase them and pushed right until the last meter.

We wanted to get through today, so Sunday’s final stage is something we can enjoy and also an opportunity for us to try and get out there in the breakaway again and show the Team Novo Nordisk jersey that we are proud to wear every day.

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Next Up:

Tomorrow the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team will continue to show what’s possible with diabetes on the final Stage at the Tour of Poland with a 188-kilometer race that starts in Zakopane and finishes in Krakow.

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Photo Credit: Rene’ Vigneron