The 4th stage of Tour de Pologne was driven today and Italian Astana sprinter Jacopo Guarnieri saw himself finishing 2nd after the winner Jonas Vangenechten. The breakaway was caught after just 100 km, but another group counter attacked. This group was caught on the final circuit in Katowice.

On the slight downhill in headwind Jacopo Guarnieri chose a position just behind fellow countryman Sacha Modolo, who finished fourth.

“I look at the second place optimistically. I did a perfect sprint and the guy who won in the final 20m was ahead of me. The glass was half-full in the end,” Guarnieri said to the Astana website.

At more than 80 kilometres per hour Guarnieri came extremely close to victory, and lost by just the length of a wheel to the only rider ahead of him.

On Thursday the Tour de Pologne moves into the Tatras mountains, with three days of climbing and a chance for teammates Gavazzi, Gasparotto and Aru to come to the front and try their hand at victory.