Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) already looked like the sure winner of stage 6 of the Tour of Poland. The US-American already had a big lead. However, Victor Langellotti (INEOS Grenadiers) came flying past at incredible speed - and made history in the process.

Because Victor Langellotti is Monegasque. And never before has a professional from the Duchy won a stage of a WorldTour race. The 30-year-old has also taken the lead in the overall standings, seven seconds ahead of McNulty. However, whether the lead over the strong time trialist from the USA before the final battle against the clock will be enough to become the first overall winner from Monacco is another matter.

"If they had told me last week that I would be wearing the yellow jersey with one stage to go, I probably wouldn't have believed it. Brandon is a fantastic time trialist, so it will be very difficult. But I will do my best," said Langellotti in the winner's interview.

However, the uphill finish in Bukovina, where the race also began and led over seven difficult climbs on a 148-kilometre circuit, seemed to be made for Langellotti, who had hardly shown himself throughout the day. Even in the leading group, which formed on the penultimate climb around 15 kilometres before the finish, he was more likely to be found at the back. Except in the finale. An enormous mountain sprint catapulted him right to the front.

"I knew I had to wait until at least the last 500 metres, that was my strength. I just wanted to wait for the last moment to start my sprint. I'm super happy because everything went according to plan," said the day's winner.

Lapeira loses more than six minutes

Langellotti had been second behind Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) before the stage. However, the day was too difficult for the ailing Frenchman, who was unable to stay in the lead and lost more than six minutes in the end. The day's assets were others. In addition to McNulty, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain - Victorious) had repeatedly tried to break away from the peloton early on. The Italian crossed the finish line with the first chasers, finished fifth and is now third overall, 20 seconds behind Langellotti. Third on the stage was his team-mate Pello Bilbao, who led the group across the line seven seconds behind the first rider.

Apart from the overall victory, all the other jerseys are already in the bag. Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers) is no longer out of the points jersey. Timo Kielich (Alpecin-Deceuninck) also only has to finish the final time trial to take home the mountains jersey.

Tour of Poland 2025 - Results of the 6th stage

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This is how the 6th stage of the Tour of Poland 2025 went

Just as prominent as the list of riders no longer competing in stage 6, which included Niklas Behrens (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Michal Kwiatkowski, Magnus Sheffield (both INEOS Grenadiers) and Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), was the list of professionals in the day's breakaway group. After Kielich had picked up the points for the mountain jersey on the first climb after less than six kilometres, three stage winners of the tour, Olav Kooij, Matthew Brennan (both Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) completed the group with a few other riders.

Kielich also secured the other mountain points in the course of the race, making himself uncatchable in the battle for the jersey. However, the nine-man group, which also included Chris Hamilton (Team Picnic PostNL), was never left far behind precisely because of the Australian, who was only 32 seconds behind in the overall standings. The escapees were therefore not awarded more than one and a half minutes.

McNulty and Tiberi try a lot

Around 50 kilometres before the finish, it was therefore already over. At this point, several groups formed on a climb, which then merged into a large extended group of favourites. Lapeira wasn't part of it for a while, but fought his way back to the front.

The group was still together 18 kilometres before the finish, with the last climb before the decisive final ascent looming. Lapeira ran into problems there again. At the front, it was Tiberi, McNulty and Zana who tried to break away from the rest of the peloton with alternating attacks. However, when this failed, the pace dropped dramatically. And so a group of 16 went into the final climb together.

Once again, it was mainly Tiberi and McNulty who tried to set the pace in the last two kilometres. McNulty then accelerated again in the final kilometre and nobody was able to follow. The UAE pro seemed to be riding safely towards his 17th victory as a pro. But he had not reckoned with Langellotti. The Monegasque came flying out of the depths of the chasing group at incredible speed. McNulty saw him coming, but was unable to pick up the pace. In the last bend 70 metres before the finish, Langellotti was on the same level and passed him in an instant.