Lorena Wiebes made it two wins from two at the 2026 Tour de Pologne Women, sprinting to victory in Lubartów after SD Worx-Protime again brought the race back together for a bunch finish.
The Dutch sprinter beat Lara Gillespie of UAE Team ADQ and Elisa Balsamo of Lidl-Trek after 118 kilometres from Włodawa, extending her lead in the ORLEN general classification and the LOTTO most active rider classification before Sunday’s final stage in Lublin.
Gillespie’s second place was a strong response after her stage 1 sprint had been ruined by the late crash in Zamość. The Irish champion also had to chase back after a late mechanical inside the final 10 kilometres, making her podium finish one of the day’s standout rides.
A flatter stage after the Zamość chaos
Stage 2 was always likely to return the race to the sprinters. After the rain, late crash and disrupted lead-out that shaped stage 1, the second day offered a flatter 118-kilometre route from Włodawa to Lubartów, with fewer major terrain difficulties and one LOTTO sprint prime in Ludwin.
The riders travelled through the Lublin region, starting near the Bug River and passing close to Polesie National Park. The profile suggested a more controlled day than the opener, but the presence of Wiebes in yellow meant SD Worx-Protime still had to work.
Wiebes had already taken the first stage in Zamość and started the day as both the overall leader and the favourite for another sprint. With only three stages in the race, every bonus second and every finish position mattered.
The question was not whether SD Worx-Protime wanted a sprint. It was whether the rest of the field could disrupt them enough to stop one.
Quinty Ton goes on the attack
The early part of the stage was relatively calm, especially compared with the wet and nervous opening day. After several dozen kilometres, the attacks began, with Quinty Ton of Liv AlUla Jayco among the first riders to get clear.
Ton was riding in the blue jersey of the LOTTO most active rider classification on behalf of Wiebes, who was wearing yellow, and her move briefly gave the race a different shape. It did not last long enough to seriously threaten the sprint teams, but it forced the peloton to react.
Once Ton was brought back, attention turned to the sprint prime in Ludwin. Wiebes again showed that she was not content simply to wait for the finish. She took the full points and a 3-second time bonus, increasing her lead in both the general classification and the most active rider standings.
It was a small moment in the stage, but a significant one in a three-day race. Wiebes was already ahead, and every bonus second made her harder to dislodge.
Sarkisov holds the peloton off
After the sprint prime, the race opened up again. Several riders tried to attack, but Katherine Sarkisov of Team USA became the rider who stayed away longest.
Sarkisov built an advantage of more than a minute over a peloton led by SD Worx-Protime. On a flatter stage, that was never quite enough to make the bunch panic, but it gave the race a clear focal point heading towards the finale.
The American’s move lasted into the final 10 kilometres, where the pace of the chase finally brought her back with 8.8 kilometres remaining. It was a strong effort, especially on a stage where the sprinters’ teams had such a clear reason to control.
Once Sarkisov was caught, the race was back on script: one more bunch sprint, with several teams trying to prevent SD Worx-Protime from turning it into another Wiebes demonstration.
Gillespie chases back after late bike change
One of the key pre-sprint moments came when Gillespie suffered a late mechanical and had to change bikes inside the final 10 kilometres. For a rider hoping to contest the sprint, that could easily have ended the stage.
Instead, the Irish champion chased back into the bunch and still managed to position herself for the finish. After being held up by the stage 1 crash in Zamość, this was a very different kind of sprint opportunity. This time, despite the mechanical, she made it to the final.
That made her second place more impressive. Wiebes remains the fastest rider in the race, but Gillespie was the one rider who came closest to matching her in Lubartów.
She responded well to Wiebes’ initial acceleration and appeared to close slightly in the final metres, even if the Dutchwoman’s first kick had already opened the decisive gap.
SD Worx-Protime lose shape but recover
The finale was hectic. Lidl-Trek, Fenix-Premier Tech and Picnic PostNL were among the teams trying to unsettle SD Worx-Protime and stop the yellow jersey’s team from delivering another clean sprint.
For a time, that looked possible. Wiebes later admitted that her team became a little lost in the closing kilometres. The lead-out was not perfect, and the race briefly looked more open than SD Worx-Protime would have wanted.
But with around 700 metres to go, the Dutch team re-emerged at the front. Wiebes found Marta Lach and Lisa van Belle, then found enough space to launch her sprint.
It was not a textbook lead-out, but it did not need to be. Wiebes had room, speed and confidence. Once she opened her sprint, the result became familiar.
Wiebes makes it two from two
Wiebes launched early, opened a gap and held it to the line. Gillespie got onto her wheel and had to move across the road to follow, but the Irish rider could not quite close the distance once Wiebes hit top speed.
Balsamo took third for Lidl-Trek, continuing her strong sprinting form after winning four stages at the Giro d’Italia last month. Lotte Kopecky finished fourth for SD Worx-Protime, underlining the depth of the team’s presence at the front of the race.
Wiebes now has back-to-back stage wins and a firm hold on the overall race lead. Her form one week before the Tour de France Femmes looks exactly where SD Worx-Protime would want it.
“We wanted to finish at the sprint if there was no breakaway, which we succeeded in doing,” Wiebes said. “Later, the cyclist from the USA rode away, but I had full trust in my teammates. The girls did a great job. We got a little lost at the end, but fortunately I found Marta Lach and Lisa van Belle, I was able to find space and started the sprint a bit early, but it turned out well. Tomorrow we will try to win again.”
Gillespie shows her sprint threat
Gillespie’s second place was the closest anyone came to challenging Wiebes. After her stage 1 chance was wiped out by the crash on the final roundabout, the UAE Team ADQ rider needed a clean run to show where she stood among the fastest finishers in the race.
She did not get a completely smooth finale because of the bike change, but she still delivered. Her sprint was strong enough to beat Balsamo and Kopecky, and she was the only rider who looked even briefly capable of putting Wiebes under pressure.
That matters beyond this race. Gillespie is still developing at this level, but this was a strong result against one of the deepest sprint fields in the race. Finishing second to Wiebes, after a late mechanical and chase back, is a sign of both speed and composure.
It also moved her to second overall, 18 seconds behind Wiebes, with Balsamo third at 19 seconds.
Polish riders inside the top 10
There was more encouragement for the Polish riders as well. Wankiewicz backed up her fifth place on stage 1 by finishing inside the top 10 again, taking eighth for MAT ATOM Deweloper Wrocław. Kaja Rysz also gave the Polish national team a strong result by finishing 10th.
Rysz described the finale as nervous, but was pleased to come through it after the team tried to keep her well positioned.
“It was nervous, but we tried to be properly at the front to be in the best possible position,” Rysz said. “On the last kilometre I drifted back a bit, but I managed to get through and at least I could finish, because yesterday I was stopped by a crash. It’s not a super placement, but I’m happy with the girls’ work, so everything went almost according to plan.”
With WorldTour teams controlling the front of the race, top-10 places for Polish riders are valuable results. They also continue a strong race for MAT ATOM after Wankiewicz’s stage 1 performance and the team’s early lead in the team classification.
Wiebes takes command before Lublin
Wiebes now leads the ORLEN general classification by 18 seconds from Gillespie and 19 seconds from Balsamo. She also remains in control of the LOTTO most active rider classification after winning the sprint prime and taking another stage.
With only one stage remaining, she is in an excellent position to win the race overall. The final stage to Lublin is not completely flat, with almost 600 metres of climbing, but it still looks well within Wiebes’ range if SD Worx-Protime can control the race again.
The Dutchwoman will also be chasing a hat-trick of stage wins. Given the way she has handled both a crash-disrupted finish in Zamość and a more conventional sprint in Lubartów, she will start the final day as the clear favourite.
The rest of the field now has one chance left to stop her.
Tour de Pologne Women 2026 stage 2 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Andrzej Gucwa
