Orica GreenEdge rider Pieter Weening came from fifth in General Classification to win the 70th edition of the Tour de Pologne with a strong ride in the Stage Seven time trial.
Weening looked to be struggling through the hilly first half of the 37-km route, and didn’t look much smoother on the flatter second half, but he still turned in a sixth-place finish on the stage, good enough to win overall.
Ag2R’s Christophe Riblon, who came into the stage with a 19-second lead (and 27 seconds on Weening,) fell to third overall, 16 seconds down. Second-placed John Izaguirre of Euskaltel-Euskadi finished seventh on the stage to maintain his position in GC.
Stage Seven also served as the comeback performance for Sky’s Bradley Wiggins. Wiggins, who won the 2012 Tour de France, the Olympics, and just about everything else he entered in 2012, had had a rough 2013, withdrawing from the Giro d’Italia and missing the Tour de France due to illness and injury.
Wiggins won St6age seven, beating second-place Fabian Cancellara of RadioShack-Trek by 56 seconds. Wiggin’s ride over the tough course shows that the erstwhile Sky leader has his legs back.
Young American Taylor Phinney, riding for BMC, finished third overall, a fantastic result considering the competition.
