As Theo Bos was not deemed in a good condition, Belkin went into today's stage of the Tour de Pologne with the plan to have their main sprinter lead out Barry Markus. However, the pair lost each other in the finale and instead Bos ended up taking the win.

Theo Bos won the third stage of the Tour de Pologne today. The Dutch Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM rider sprinted ahead of the bunch in Rszesow after a 176-kilometre stage. Bos was dropped off well by his team-mates, after which he made his own way in the final kilometre and bettered Giant-Shimano’s Luka Mezgec.

“I didn’t think Theo looked very strong during the first days and so I decided that we would ride for Barry today,” said Sports Director Michiel Elijzen. “I knew Theo would be motivated and that he would have a good day, as he usually performs slightly better when the pressure is low. That he actually won, is pretty cool. Barry Markus, Paul Martens and Theo lost each other in the hectic final, after which Theo made a good decision to go for himself.”
 

“I had to fight for the right wheel, as there were many corners,” Bos said. “When I was in the front, I had an advantage because the others couldn’t easily move up. I was able to maintain myself easily and in a decent position. I was able to narrowly beat Mezgec. This is a nice revenge for the Handzame Classic when he defeated me.

“I have worked hard for this. In Wallonia things didn’t go my way, but last night, I felt that I was going to be good. Most of the time, I’m right when I feel that. I told the boys this morning about my good legs and during the race, everything fell into place. I would have liked to pull the sprint for Barry today, because he has done a lot for me this season, but things panned out differently.”
 

“This is the big win he was waiting for,” continued Elijzen. “Theo and I work closely together throughout the season. If he’s at his best, he’s one of the best sprinters in the world. Theo and I both think that he didn’t perform as well as he could have so far.

“Today he had that extra motivation that he needs at times and showed that he can bring a sprint to a good end even without a train. That was really nice to see, although I have to say that the team did a very strong lead-out.”

Team leader Robert Gesink was attentive and maintained himself in the peloton, where Petr Vakoc (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) continues to lead the overall. Theo Bos is third at 27 seconds, while Gesink is 37th, 37 seconds down.

“The guys protected Robert well in the final again. Tomorrow, I don’t expect that Vakoc’s jersey will be in danger. The course is similar to today’s, though the finale is a bit harder on paper," Elijzen concluded.