The first edition of the rejuventated Tour de Pologne Women concluded today in Kazimierz Dolny, with Dutch riders taking top honours. Scarlett Souren clinched the final stage victory and won the LOTTO active riders’ classification, while Laura Molenaar retained her yellow jersey, securing the overall ORLEN general classification. Their team, VolkerWessels, was also crowned the best team of the race.
The riders embarked on the final stage from the Arche Hotel in Nałęczów, heading towards Kazimierz Dolny where they faced a challenging 15-kilometre circuit. This loop, repeated five times, featured a cobbled climb and several steep sections.
Early in the race, Norwegian Sigrid Haugset managed a successful breakaway, winning the LOTTO sprint in Skowieszynek. Scarlett Souren finished third, taking the virtual lead in the active riders’ classification after Nikola Bajgerova crashed out. As the lone escapee was caught, Stine Dale and Jarmila Machacova took the lead, gaining over a minute on the peloton. However, the VolkerWessels team, led by overall leader Laura Molenaar, kept the race under control.
In the final sprint, Souren emerged victorious, followed by Anna van Wersch in second and Kaja Rysz in third. Katarzyna Wilkos finished fourth. Kaja Rysz remarked, “I knew that the VolkerWessels girls would be very strong and fast. I’ve raced against them abroad, so I knew I needed to watch them. Today I finished third and I’m happy with that.”
Laura Molenaar finished safely in the peloton, securing her overall victory. The final podium featured Souren in second and Wilkos in third. Reflecting on her performance, Wilkos said, “At the beginning of the stage I was involved in a crash with Nikola Bajgerova. I was lucky to get away with just some road rash. Nikola probably has a broken collarbone. It was a bit of a tough day for us. Towards the end, my team set me up perfectly. Unfortunately, I chose the left side instead of the right and I got blocked and lost speed. But I’m happy to have held on to third place overall. It’s my first podium finish at such an event and I’m really happy.”
The Tour de Pologne Women, revived by Czeslaw Lang and the Lang Team after an eight-year hiatus, travelled through the Lublin Voivodeship, visiting towns like Lublin, Krasnystaw, Kraśnik, Nałęczów, and Kazimierz Dolny. Czeslaw Lang, General Director of the Tour de Pologne Women, remarked, “A beautiful race, three stages full of excitement and dynamism, held in stunning locations. We started in Lublin, then from Krasnystaw to Kraśnik and today’s stage from Arche Nałęczów to Kazimierz Dolny. Every stage was really interesting and the level of competition was high. We have achieved what we set out to do – to develop women’s cycling in Poland. We have excellent riders like Kasia Niewiadoma, but we lack world-class events. We want to bring the Tour de Pologne Women to the same level as the men’s race.”
2024 Tour de Pologne Women Stage 3 result
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2024 Tour de Pologne Women GC result
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All photo credits: Tour de Pologne Women – Magdalena Sobczak
