Tour de Pologne

Mattia Cattaneo became the latest Soudal Quick-Step member to win a race this season thanks to a flying ride in the Katowice individual time trial, held over a mainly flat 16.6km course. A three-time medallist in the discipline at the National Championships, Cattaneo rode a perfect race Thursday afternoon, when after a solid start he went fastest through the race’s only checkpoint.

Facing a strong field which featured many specialists, including the reigning World Champion, Mattia continued to put in a fantastic display of power, keeping an average speed well over 51km/h that saw him improve the best time at the finish by 14 seconds. Despite a strong tailwind for the final riders at the start, nobody could get close to the result of the 32-year-old, who with a time of 19:10 became the first Italian to win a time trial at the Tour de Pologne since the race became part of the World Tour.

The victory catapulted Cattaneo to fifth on the general classification, after starting out the day in 18th, just behind his teammate Ilan Van Wilder, another Soudal Quick-Step rider who produce a strong time trial in Katowice, which helped the young Belgian move up to fourth ahead of the last stage.

“I worked hard in this discipline, improved a lot in the last couple of months, and to be rewarded with my first victory in a World Tour race means a lot to me, especially when I look over the classification and all the strong guys I beat. It’s also a result that boosts my confidence ahead of the World Championships, where I will try to go for a good result. I was relaxed at the start of the day, the parcours suited me, and as I like this type of effort, I gave everything out there. The fact that I made it into the top five overall after this win is a bonus, a really nice one.”

“Today I was also motivated by the fact that the last 500 meters of the ITT were the same as those of the stage in which Fabio crashed three years ago. That left me with a strange feeling at the end of the recon, but at the same time made me want to do my best, and I’m satisfied with the outcome”, Mattia – who recently extended his contract with Soudal Quick-Step until 2025 – explained after the stage.

Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images