Peter Sagan snatches Tour of Poland title from Dan Martin

Peter Sagan’s second place showing in the Tour of Poland’s final stage gave him the time bonus he needed to leap over race leader and title holder Dan Martin of Garmin. It was the 21-year old Slovak’s second stage race win of the season after taking the Giro di Sardegna in late February.

The winner of the final stage in Krakow, German Marcel Kittel of Skil-Shimano, also won the first three stages of the race. Sagan himself won stages four and five.

The Irishman Martin told the media after the Krakow finish that he knew he’d have no control over the last stage so he “tried to attack on the penultimate climb (yesterday) to try and take more time.” Though Martin won that stage, he only held a three second gap on Sagan before the last stage. Martin vowed to “aim to do something big at the Vuelta” now that his form is honed.

Some race fans and media were surprised that Sagan wasn’t included in Liquigas’s team at the Tour de France in July, but team staff, including general manager Roberto Amadio, have expressed a desire not to push one of the greatest young talents in cycling too far too quickly.