The 36th Memoriał Andrzeja Trochanowskiego delivered non-stop drama over its 157 km distance and 561 meters of elevation gain, kicking off in dry, windy conditions before descending into crosswinds and late rain. Just 2 km into the action, a massive pileup forced race officials to neutralize the event, leaving the peloton waiting for nearly 30 minutes. Once restarted, tactical stress mounted as crosswinds split the field, though clever positioning kept our riders safe at the front. Out of the chaos, Erik Fetter launched into a dangerous three-man breakaway, carving out an advantage that fluctuated between 1 and 2 minutes. The trio worked seamlessly together across the circuits, holding the peloton at bay until just 30 km from the line. As rain began to fall in the final 20 km, the main field accelerated violently, swallowing the break and setting up a frantic sprint finish at an astounding average speed of 52 km/h. Navigating the chaotic final laps through heavy crashes and headwind sprint conditions, Lars Rouffaer of EEW-VDK Cyclingteam claimed the victory. Both Nikolaos Michail Drakos and András Pakot positioned themselves well in the fast-moving finale, while Márkó Tóth fought his way to 5th place, finishing just centimeters away from a spot on the podium.
Márkó’s hunger for the box
“I tried to stay up front the whole time as much as I could because I felt the race was dangerous. There were a lot of crashes, and twice it was close for me too. The breakaway with Erik was actually perfect if it had made it to the line. In the last 20 km, I felt good and was going for the victory. The final laps were total chaos and I got lost a few times, but I knew I had to make a good turn into the home straight, and I managed to do that. The finish was in a headwind, which made it harder for me since I am not the fastest, and there was also a big crash, but the podium missed by just centimeters. I really want to win now, I feel like I have it in me.”
Erik’s afternoon on the attack
“The start of the race was very chaotic, lots of crashes, strong wind, a stressed peloton. In the beginning, I tried to position myself up front and went for attacks in the crosswinds that looked good. That is actually how I ended up in the breakaway. Three of us were able to get away. I hoped that a few more riders would bridge across to make it a bigger group, but in the end that did not happen, so the three of us carried on. We worked together very well, and our advantage grew lap by lap. In the end, the peloton caught us very suddenly. Probably the rain and the stronger wind resulted in a very high pace behind. By the finale, I was quite tired, so I just tried to bring it home safely with the main group, and luckily I managed to do that.”
Photo: Marcell Lippai