With beautiful spring weather and a gentle crosswind, the ATT Investments team had big plans for the day. Their rider, Czech Daniel Turek, won the first intermediate sprint in Järva-Jaani.
There were small breakaway attempts earlier as well, but the real action began in the second half of the stage. For example, by the mountain sprint at Luua (after 154.4 km), 19 riders had broken away, holding a 45-second lead over the peloton. However, 20 kilometers later, that advantage had been cut in half.
As somewhat expected, the decisive events unfolded from Town Hall Square and culminated on the now-iconic Lossi Street climb. In the final sprint, it was Boguslawski who came out on top, narrowly beating Andersen. Vahtra finished four seconds behind the top two.
"At the start, the race was a bit boring, but the second half was very tough. There were a lot of attacks. Before reaching Tartu, it was important to get a good position, and the last 500 meters were all about fighting for the perfect spot before the final corner. My teammate Norbert Banaszek gave me a great leadout, allowing me to sprint to the finish," said winner Boguslawski.
Looking ahead to tomorrow, the Polish rider said that defending the yellow leader’s jersey will be a challenge. "I remember three years ago when I raced here, the Tartu GP was really tough—we had to climb that hill 16 times (just like on Saturday). Tomorrow is going to be a very hard race.”
The average speed today was higher than expected—Boguslawski completed the stage at a remarkable 49.23 km/h. Vahtra, the best-placed Estonian, also noted the high speed and said that maybe he was missing that final burst at the end. “My legs were a bit empty after all the attacks and the effort earlier, so maybe that cost me a bit. Still, it was not that bad. This year, the finish was actually easier too—if you have the legs, you can easily pass 20 riders in the last 500 meters.”
The full results of the Tallinn–Tartu stage can be found here.
Before tomorrow’s Tartu GP, where the 10.1 km circuit will be completed 16 times (again including the Lossi climb and Town Hall Square), the Ladies Tour of Estonia will also take place.
More information about the Tour of Estonia (schedule, teams, riders, course maps, etc.) can be found here.
