On a completely flat stage with no mountain classifications and no wind – which could well have played a part given the proximity to the Baltic Sea – everything pointed towards a bunch sprint right from the start. And there was no stopping it; the Milan and Magnier teams had everything under control. However, there were very few attempts to alter the most likely outcome of this stage.
On the home straight, the Italian was in a league of his own. Not even Magnier could pose a threat to the 25-year-old. He now has ten wins this season, overtaking Magnier’s team-mate Tim Merlier as the most successful sprinter of the year in terms of wins. Only Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates –XRG), with 19 victories, and Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), with twelve, are ahead of the Italian champion in terms of the number of wins. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) also has ten victories to his name.
“That was fun,” said Milan after the race. “I still felt really good in the sprint, so I set off early because I was a bit worried I’d get boxed in.” On the wide home straight, however, this danger existed at most before the 180-degree turn a good 500 metres from the finish. XDS Astana tried to make the most of this bend. Matteo Malucelli, who ultimately finished third, let the gap to his team-mate Alessandro Romele open up there. The hope that Romele could build up a sufficient lead for the final metres didn’t materialise, though; the distance was still too great.
There were no changes in the standings. Milan continues to lead the overall standings, with Magnier eight seconds behind.
2026 Tour de Pologne – Results of Stage 2
Stage 2: Międzyzdroje - Szczecin
Tour de Pologne 2026: Stage 2, Międzyzdroje - Szczecin
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lidl - Trek | 03:05:37 |
| 2 | Soudal Quick-Step | +00:00:00 |
| 3 | XDS Astana Team | +00:00:00 |
| 4 | Movistar Team | +00:00:00 |
| 5 | Bahrain - Victorious | +00:00:00 |
| 6 | Alpecin - Premier Tech | +00:00:00 |
Here’s how the second stage of the 2026 Tour de Pologne unfolded
Another day in north-eastern Poland took the peloton from Międzyzdroje on the Baltic coast to Szczecin, right on the border with Germany. As a result, the riders from Germany were particularly active. Alongside the two Poles, Radosław Frątczak and Patryk Stosz (both on the national team), Jonas Rutsch (Lotto Intermarché) and Anton Schiffer (Team Visma | Leas a Bike) formed the leading group, which was, however, kept on a very tight leash by Lidl - Trek and Soudal Quick-Step.
For the first half of the stage, the gap remained steady at just under one and a half minutes. After that, the peloton began to close the gap further. Around 60 kilometres from the finish, the gap had been reduced to just 40 seconds. It was time for Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco AlUla) to go on the attack. The man in the mountains’ jersey – who was unable to pick up any more points for his jersey due to the lack of mountain classifications on this section – caught up with the leading group about ten kilometres later. Stosz had dropped back from that group because the Belgian’s move had brought the main field to within 20 seconds.
After that, however, the gap widened again to 50 seconds. With 16 kilometres to go, though, it was all over for the breakaway riders. On the way to Szczecin, there were no further attempts to prevent a bunch sprint. Despite a 180-degree bend 500 metres from the finish, the sprint was more orderly this time. Nevertheless, no one could deny Milan’s victory.
