Tour de Pologne, stage 4 – Heinrich Haussler – A better place was not possible –

THE STATEMENT

“Today, more was simply not possible,” commented Heinrich Haussler after taking fourth place for the stage. “This was not an easy stage today. Nevertheless, I never really had that much trouble on the climbs. But in the last kilometer, I felt just how long and hard the day had been. In order to be up front for the win, I am simply missing a little something extra. But that is completely normal, and my current form is not at all bad. With every race, that extra bit of sparkle will reemerge. I have a good feeling, and am looking forward with lots of confidence.”

THE ANALYSIS

Thierry Marichal, who is a directeur sportif along with Eddy Seigneur at the Tour of Poland, was satisfied the team’s result after the fourth stage: “This was not an easy stage today. Despite the three categorized climbs with around 40 kilometers to go, the finale was decided in a bunch sprint. Our plan was to drive the pace for Heinrich Haussler, and he was able to get another fourth place like yesterday. I am accordingly satisfied with the performance, and Heinrich has certainly earned himself another nice result.”

THE TASK AHEAD

Roger Kluge appeared in the rankings for the fourth stage with a DNF. However, this was due not to any ill fortune for the German. The 30 year old Kluge simply left the race in view of the difficult stages to come, knowing that he can better prepare at home for his next goals.

THE NEXT STAGES

The fifth and sixth stage will definitely force a change in the overall classification. “The next two stages are very difficult,” Thierry Marichal explained. “It’s a constant up and down, and we will try to do something with riders like Stefan Denifl, Larry Warbasse, and Jonathan Fumeaux, and hope one of them can come away with a stage. The forecasted rain could add another layer of complication to the weekend of racing.”

Race Pictures – BettiniPhoto & Tour de Pologne