“I finished fifth and third earlier this week, so I was determined to win a stage,” Barré said afterward. “I’ve been in excellent form for quite some time now, and I picked the right moment to attack. Today, I absolutely have to thank my teammates for all their hard work. This victory belongs to all of us. Tomorrow, I’ll give it everything I have in the time trial and see where I end up.”  

On the penultimate day, the riders faced a short but demanding stage in and around Bukovina. The 125-kilometer route featured six categorized climbs. Nine riders formed the early breakaway, but the riders from Team Visma | Lease a Bike kept the peloton under control. The breakaway was caught with 35 kilometers to go. The finale featured three ascents of the Ściana Bukovina, a short but steep climb.  

As the breakaway was caught, Santiago Buitrago accelerated out of the peloton, immediately followed by Barré. The two reached the foot of the final ascent of the Ściana Bukovina together. There, Barré proved to be the strongest and began his solo effort. Thanks in part to the excellent work of his Team Visma | Lease a Bike teammates, his lead was never threatened. Barré, who is in his first season in the team’s yellow-and-black colors, claimed his first professional victory.  

“Louis told us early on that he was feeling good and wanted to go for the win,” sports director Robert Wagner said. “When he attacked, the team tactics were executed perfectly. Everyone on the team wants to see each other succeed, and that makes us so strong. We can say that the strongest rider won today.”  

Barré moves up to second place in the overall standings. He is three seconds behind the new race leader Scaroni. Lemmen finished 15th and lost the yellow leader’s jersey. The 30-year-old Dutchman is now five seconds behind Scaroni. An individual time trial on Sunday will determine who takes the overall victory in the Tour of Poland.  

“We’re in a good position in the overall standings with Louis, Bart and Wilco. Anything is still possible in tomorrow’s time trial. Our week can’t go wrong anymore. Two of our riders have claimed their first professional victories here. A spot on the final podium would be the icing on the cake,” Wagner concluded.