Less than 24 hours after Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale were lamenting a major lost opportunity at the Tour de Pologne when their sprinter Sam Bennett crashed late on stage 1, a well-timed dash for the uphill finish line on stage 2 by Paul Lapeira meant the French squad could celebrate an unexpected but well-deserved victory - and the leader's jersey as well.
Not considered a pre-stage favourite for the short but punishing climb at Karpacz in south-west Poland, Decathlon nonetheless made their presence known at the foot of the three-kilometre, 6.7% ascent. The French team headed the fast-dissolving front peloton before Ineos Grenadiers' Michal Kwiatkowski took over and set down a blistering pace for his teammate Magnus Sheffield.
