In Critérium du Dauphiné, Tinkoff-Saxo had Chris Anker Sørensen and Pawel Poljanski in today’s breakaway that nearly made it to the finish line in Saint-Gervais. Poljanski ultimately finished 15th after the favorites caught up with the break, while Kiserlovski advanced to 14th in the general classification.
Following the stage finish, Pawel Poljanski commented that he had wanted to give it a shot in the breakaway of the day.
“Today our DS told me that I could go on the breakaway and I wanted to give my best. Yesterday, I made a small mistake at the start of the race and stayed back. I was unable to help Robert at the front and I was really angry. That's why we had decided that today I would get my chance. I’ve felt in good shape since the first stage and today I wanted to go in the breakaway. First it was Chris Anker that got away and then I went with Rolland before the second tough climb. We probably didn't pull hard because we were waiting for the final two climbs”, says Pawel Poljanski, who adds:
“My aim was truly to win the stage because I was feeling very well and maybe I made a bit of an error and waited too much. I could have gone a bit earlier but I was afraid I wouldn't make it. Then with 3km to go, Froome and Van Garderen attacked and I tried to follow them but didn't have the legs. Nevertheless, I feel confident about myself and I look forward to tomorrow's last stage”.
The penultimate stage 7 from Montmélian to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc took the riders 155km in mountainous terrain with six categorized climbs. According to Tinkoff-Saxo sports director Patxi Vila, the squad had performed well on the stage.
"Pawel Poljanski, Chris Anker Sørensen, Robert Kiserlovski and the entire team had a good day. In particular, Pawel and Chris Anker were in the breakaway throughout the race and Pawel just needed a bit more to finish in the lead. David de la Cruz from Etixx-Quickstep joined the breakaway, and he was at three minutes, and didn't leave us any space. It's a pity because with one more minute, the breakaway would have finished ahead. Both Pawel and Chris Anker were superb in the breakaway. They work hard for a long time and constituted the main core of the breakaway. Overall, we are satisfied with how the team worked on this penultimate stage of Dauphiné”, asserts Patxi Vila before elaborating:
“Kiserlovski was in better shape today compared to yesterday. He's now 14th in the GC and we are closer to our goal of a top-ten finish. All our riders worked well today and we have to be happy with their performance. For a young rider such as Pawel Poljanski, the fact he was in the breakaway throughout the day and stayed in the front is a very important experience. That will undoubtedly help him develop as a rider. As for Kiserlovski, his form is building up day by day in view of the Tour de France three weeks from today”.
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