Fabio Silvestre is using the Tour de Pologne to learn how to mix it up with the big sprinters at the WorldTour level. Today he was held up behind a crash but hopes to get a final chance in tomorrow's stage.

Trek Factory Racing is biding its time, awaiting the mountains that arrive in the final three stages of the Tour of Poland. Until then, the team has little to do except stay healthy, keep upright, and lend young Fabio Silvestre a hand in the fast bunch sprint finishes.

Today’s 174-kilometer race gave Silvestre another opportunity to test his fast legs against older, more experienced riders, but a crash in the final 500 meters caused a split and impaired his finish. He ended behind a gap that opened in the front positions and finished a disappointing 21st place.    

There were no splits given in the finish times under the three-kilometer ruling.

“We expected better than 21st," sports director Adriano Baffi said. "For sure something happened, but I have not spoken with the riders, everyone has gone direct to the hotel after the finish, so honestly I cannot say if he was caught behind the crash. We have another chance again tomorrow, so we will try to help Silvestre again. But it is good, he is learning, and it takes time."

Theo Bos (Belkin) took the win with a perfectly timed sprint, bursting around the leaders in the last meters. 

Petr Vakoc (OPQS) continues to lead the race with no changes to the overall classification other than Bos moving into third place with the bonus seconds won at the finish.

All of the Trek Factory Racing team finished safely, arriving in the same time.

Tomorrow’s stage four includes a few rollers at the end, but the tight overall is separated by seconds and it will be difficult for a breakaway to succeed, explained Adriano Baffi:

“I believe tomorrow will end in a bunch sprint again; I don’t think a breakaway will go to the end because Omega Pharma [QuickStep] is interested to keep the jersey for Vakoc. The gap is small, and they will have to do a lot to control. But the weather is forecasted to be poor tomorrow, so perhaps there is a small chance. For us the stages that are most important are five, six and seven. We are really looking towards those stages, and just staying quiet until then.”