Radprofi Phil Bauhaus (Bocholt) took advantage of the competition’s bad luck with a fall during the Tour of Poland and clinched the second German stage win. The 28-year-old from Team Bahrain-Victorious, just beaten at the start of the 79th edition, won the fifth stage on Wednesday. Nikias Arndt (Buchholz/DSM) in third and Max Kanter (Cottbus/Movistar) in fourth completed the excellent German result.
“A bunch sprint isn’t always about having the best legs. It’s also about the team, the tactics and the timing,” said Bauhaus: “I’ve proven this year that I’m one of the best sprinters in the world, so the team and I have always been confident that I can compete in many races on WorldTour level can gain.”
Fall 900 meters from the finish
One day after Pascal Ackermann (Kandel/UAE Team Emirates) won the stage, Bauhaus prevailed after 178.1 kilometers in the sprint at the finish in Rzeszow ahead of Frenchman Arnaud Demare. Bauhaus had won the opening event in Poland last year.
900 meters before the finish, there was a mass crash in the peloton, so only ten riders still had a chance of winning the day. Bauhaus seized the moment. In the overall standings, Colombian Sergio Higuita continues to lead with two remaining stages, followed by Pello Bilbao (Spain/+4 seconds) and Belgian Quinten Hermans (+6). The best German is Marco Brenner (Berlin/Team DSM/+43) as 33rd.
