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Rabo Cyclingteam
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Margijnenenk 34
7415 JZ Deventer
The Netherlands
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Poland: Hellish Tour of Poland now historyThe final stage resulted in a bunch sprint; Graeme Brown was in a position behind crash.
Probably the entire pack had expected something different from the Tour of Poland this year. Well, at least in terms of the circumstances in which the riders were forced to complete the tour. Due to the bitter cold and rain, the seventh and final stage was also drastically curtailed from 150 to 102 kilometers. There was a pack split-up due to a crash. The bunch sprint was won by Robert Förster. Rabo trump card Graeme Brown was positioned behind the crash and ended up in the second group.
"It was a rather remarkable tour for this time of the year," said a somewhat smiling team leader Erik Breukink. The inclement weather resulted in many slippery roads and shortened stages. "Yes, we had expected something different from this tour," said Breukink. "We are here with a couple of guys who can ride a good race uphill. A stage such as the one on Friday cannot be compared when the weather is good or when it is the way it was now. It is just completely different then."
The final stage was more of the same: in the rain and cold, the stage was shortened by more than fifty kilometers. Additionally, there was a decisive crash, which caused a pack break-up. "A crash occurred due to the turns and slickness. None of us was involved; everyone could continue their race. But everything had broken up into bits and Graeme Brown was in the second group. There was not much in it for us," concluded Breukink.