Chiara Consonni wrapped up the Tour de Pologne Women in the best possible way, powering to a decisive win on the uphill cobbled drag into Kraśnik and sealing both the overall and points classifications.
After a frustrating second stage where she was boxed in, Consonni changed her approach on the 128km finale from Nałęczów, making sure she hit the front before the gradient bit. Her early acceleration with 300 metres remaining proved unmatchable, with the Italian opening a clear gap on her rivals and gaining the extra seconds needed to stretch her GC advantage from five to 13 seconds over Linda Zanetti. Kathrin Schweinberger completed the podium a further eight seconds back.
Consonni credited her teammates for the result, with Tiffany Cromwell and Emily Dixon keeping a two-rider break in check for much of the day, before Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka, Zoe Backstedt and Maria Martins delivered a strong lead-out onto the punishing finish. “We were really motivated to keep the jersey, and the girls did a really, really good job. Maybe I started too long, but again I felt really, really good,” she said.
The final day from Nałęczów to Kraśnik may have looked relatively benign on paper, with only two categorised climbs listed, but in reality it was a rolling test that never really let the peloton settle. The road constantly pitched up and down, sapping legs in the warm August air, and the finish itself hid a sting – a 600m uphill drag averaging 3% over cobbles, a finale that demanded positioning as much as power.
Early on, the race was marked by probing attacks, but it took close to 60km before a move was given any real rope. When it did, it was Anne Knijnenburg of VolkerWessels who forced the issue, jumping clear with Marie-Louise Hartz Krogager from the Danish national team. The peloton was content to let the pair dangle, the gap nudging out to over two and a half minutes with 50km remaining. That margin was kept in check largely by Canyon SRAM zondacrypto’s Cromwell and Dixon, who kept their leader Consonni’s GC lead secure without letting the escape grow too bold.
The dynamic shifted inside the final 30km. On one of the more testing drags, Knijnenburg pressed harder, and Krogager was unhitched with 24km to go. Alone, the Dutch rider poured her effort into the pedals, holding just over a minute’s lead as the kilometres ticked down. The peloton appeared poised to make the catch at 15km, yet Knijnenburg found another gear, nudging her advantage back out to around 45 seconds with only 3km left. For a moment, it looked like a masterstroke, the possibility of an upset hanging in the humid air.
Photo Credit: Tour de PologneBut behind, the GC teams were finally committing. Canyon SRAM zondacrypto wanted a stage win to go with Consonni’s overall, and Human Powered Health had an interest in protecting Schweinberger’s podium hopes. The chase hit full gas, and Knijnenburg’s dream was extinguished inside the final 500 metres as the road narrowed and the cobbles began.
From there, Consonni’s squad took full control. Skalniak-Sojka, Backstedt and Martins delivered a textbook lead-out onto the climb, ensuring their sprinter was already in the first wheel positions. Consonni lit it up from 300 metres, a long-range effort that immediately gapped the rest. Zanetti tried to respond but never made inroads, while Schweinberger held her position for third on the stage and GC. The Italian’s winning margin on the day was enough to add time to her tally, ending the three-day race with two stage victories, the overall title, and the points jersey – a dominant conclusion to her Polish campaign.
Schweinberger’s third place overall came after a calculated ride that prioritised intermediate sprint points to leapfrog into the podium positions. Supported by Silvia Zanardi, Yurani Blanco and Wiktoria Pikulik, the Austrian champion praised her team’s commitment on a hot day, calling the result “a podium for the whole team, riders and staff.”
For Consonni, two stage wins, two classification victories and a strong showing on home ground for title sponsor zondacrypto marked a near-perfect campaign in Poland.
Photo Credit: Thomas Maheux2025 Tour de Pologne Women Stage 3 result
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2025 Tour de Pologne Women GC result
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