Bruno Wicht

Adam Bialek

Tim De Witte

Jędrzej Gąsiorowski

Thomas Schlatter

Philipp Hanneck

Tobias Stark

Michał Wolff

George Juckes

Tomasz Pawłowski

Erik Schiller

Niek Vermue

Tomasz Madzia 

Marek Skýva

Lari Rauno

Piotr Garnek 

Krystian Jakubek

Julian Klose

Andreas Rüther

Wojciech Wronka

Konrad Boksa

Bastian Schneider 

Jakob Zuchna

Krzysztof Nowak

Lukas Werner

Tomas Kovacs

Filip Wantoch-Rekowski

Jakub Jermak

Nora Battermann

Joanna Rumińska-Pietrzyk

Krzysztof Bujak

Krzysztof Wolański

Oliver Ball

Wojciech Gawliczek 

Vaidas Pažusys

Lenzer Christoph

Rafał Mianowski

Grzegorz Chłopek

Bolesław Kowalski

Stephen Zavestoski

Tomasz Kuś

Bartosz Swiderski

Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi

Beat Siebenhaar

Justyna Jarczok

Krzysztof Sadaj

Michal Kramář

Marcin Kabała

Marta Gryczko

Bartek Wieczorek

Anton Lasy

Michael  Farbrace

Samo Kysela

Martin Drøger Hansen

Piotr Stęplewski

Marcin  Juzepczuk

Völkel Joschka

Piotr Skweres

Patrycja Drzewiecka

Maciek Kordas

Władek Barzdo

Piotr Krzynowek 

Alexander Kühn 

Łukasz Bąk

Heiko Franz

Darek Urbańczyk

Dmytro Neporozhnii

Milan Hanyk

Jakub Tomasik

Claudia Decker 

Tomas Dvorak

Matias Gorlitz

Rafał Wanat

Paweł Figiński

Gerold Lehmann

Tomasz Sieczkowski

Jakub Osadnik 

Ewa Modrakowska

Michał Orchulski

Bartłomiej Kozłowski 

Norman Lomax

Wojciech Bystrzycki 

Brendan Cassidy 

Paweł Wszołkowski

Maciek Tomiczek

Thorsten Naber

Evelyn Weiss

Krzysztof Sienkiewicz

Tadeáš Mahel

Łukasz Tasz

Michał Wójciak

Anna Koseska

Paddy Dunne 

Piotr Gdowski

Simon Epperlein

Innes Ogilvie

Krystian Korzański

Marek Badora

Tomek Jedrzejewski

Bartłomiej Bińkowski

Peter Tannenberger 

Christian Schaefer

Lucjan Kornicki 

Wojciech Florek

Bernd Folberth

Tom Asklof 

Felix Heine

Mariusz Obtułowicz 

Sławomir Ostrowski

Mateusz  Marcinek 

Elzbieta Rogoz

Radoslaw Rogoz 

Arno Burgi

Jarosław Środecki

# Last woman rider home

On Friday afternoon, __#33 Patrycja Drzewiecka__ rolled through the finish line in Polanica-Zdrój as the final finisher among RTPL No 7 women. Upon arrival, she triumphantly raised her arms, holding her treasured brevet card in her hand. Congratulations Patrycja!

![DSC 8836](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2mtlZNBdiGeHOZRfiQ8es2/666fa022132588b17de7fdb771f6bea5/DSC_8836.JPG)*...and that wraps up the women's race (photo: Bite of Me)*

# Last pair rolls in

Also on Friday afternoon, roughly half an hour before Patrycja, the race's final pair __#201a Bernd Folberth__ and __#201b Tom Asklof__ arrived at Polanica-Zdrój, completing the pairs' race and the pairs podium at the same time.

![DSC 8705](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4Qm39PhK1kHwJmp3DFVPpp/e366af42731ba5ba0a16faf9d83641c3/DSC_8705.JPG)*Team 201 on the home stretch (photo: Bite of Me)*

# Race Through Poland No 7 is in the books

On Saturday noon, the finish line in Polanica-Zdrój closed, marking the official ending of Race Through Poland No 7. And what a race it's been! By far the largest edition, it attracted as many as 125 solo participants and 7 pairs for a total of 139 riders. Of those, 117 solo riders and 6 pairs set out from Polanica last Friday at 5 am.

RTPL No 7 has been not just the largest, but also possibly the longest of Paweł's races so far, with most riders who finished clocking significantly more than 1,500 kilometres on their various navigation devices. And the weather… well, it proved pretty memorable with spells of rain, wind and fog in the mountains interspersed with periods of blue skies. Depending on where riders placed within the overall field, they could get very lucky or very unlucky, arriving at checkpoints dry and smiling or soaked to the skin - but usually equally cheerful! As for temperatures, let's just say that the spectre of heat exhaustion never loomed.

The riders' unending cheer documented on photographs taken along the route should not fool you - the race was in no way an easy touring adventure. Between the demanding parcours and the constantly changing conditions, as many as 49 solo riders and three pairs scratched. By the Saturday noon cut-off, 66 solo riders and three pairs had successfully finished the race, with two more riders still on the route.

The race left us with many unforgettable moments, including two incredibly close races for victory in both the men's and women's categories where literally nothing was decided until the very last moment. Bruno, Adam, Nora and Joanna - thanks for all the emotions, this was ultra-distance racing at its best!

![obraz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/bnTxc9fpVlwqSK7D3leTS/4f6fe4bbdfea2795e8d854b63444453a/obraz.png)*If you're inspired by Bruno's ride, you can try his route yourselves - or just marvel at his stats! (https://www.strava.com/activities/14616267147)*

# Let's party!

On Friday evening, even before the finish line had closed, the RTPL No 7 finishers' party got underway in Polanica. There were long speeches and a series of discussion panels that presented interesting insights into the discipline. No, just kidding. There was grill, beer and overall good fun. 

Well, there was one short speech. Before the party had started, Race Director Paweł 'Piko' Puławski checked the winners' GPX tracks in detail and did not find rule infractions that would result in time penalties exceeding their lead over the riders who placed second in both categories. At the party Piko, to great applause, officially announced Nora and Bruno official winners of Race Through Poland No 7!

Some pictures from the party (don't think they need captioning) below.

![DSC 9060](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1yeEZ2wuLd5JjPqkBxYgJP/92adaade23086f35f1b4ed1e0f4d8302/DSC_9060.JPG)*(photo: Bite of Me)*

![DSC08155](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2KPfwrmaPXG9Gf1losCvw6/6cfc2fdc0499414af471dd10d135870f/DSC08155.JPG)*(photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![DSC08159](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/24nE8Yi8vramPL3yqWS1Ut/cfe0c49725fdca10fe53892e7a7851f5/DSC08159.JPG)*(photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![DSC 9213](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4y0ysSJXMexlalUXrJknQ5/b9a966330598cf1fc94b53250ff5769d/DSC_9213.JPG)*(photo: Bite of Me)*

![ADR08137](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3Gx50QrwSv5bmZyuWpv67H/e8b3ccc03b5aef9596c5fd37bde070c2/ADR08137.jpg)*(photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

![DSC 9118](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/56HVuBCuOnRUq8fffDlZvC/01b59e22ef2f70fd9ef008b47d8df493/DSC_9118.JPG)*(photo: Bite of Me)*

# Unsung heroes

When __#7 Anna Rączkowska__ crashed and broke her collarbone (as it later turned out) near Stóg Izerski on the first evening of the race, __#40 Maciek Kordas__ immediately stopped to assist her. She urged him to continue, but he would have none of it - a rider was injured and it simply was his duty to help her, he said. Maciek helped Anna walk towards the Polish/Czech border, to the road where an ambulance would later collect her, and made sure her bike was safe, leaving it at a local orphanage. Only after he had made sure that she and her belongings were well looked after did he carry on with his race.

![obraz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6qwssDXCPocl0dpe7boRju/b451e8140c2aa6b16253b23bde064046/obraz.png)

# And that's all from me

This concludes my coverage of this year's Race Through Poland. As it was my debut as a Dotwatcher contributor, I was pretty apprehensive about taking on this task. Since I am not an ultra-cyclist myself (my wife is, perhaps you know Joanna - that's my conflict of interest declared), I had a strong impostor syndrome. I hope you enjoyed the coverage and will forgive any inaccuracies that inevitably crept in. Some of these have already been corrected with the help of attentive readers! Whether you were a rider yourself, watched the dots with interest or just wanted to read something about the race, I hope you had a good time!

Bartek

![ADR08098](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/222BF3jGJ7k1IQVAgbldR0/a07d53058fddec3a945a1171f7727544/ADR08098.jpg)*Piko says goodbye until the next year! (photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

*Featured image: Adrian Crapciu*

Race Through Poland No 7 Wrap Up

# Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi completes the women's podium

Shortly after 5 am on Friday, __#5 Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi__ rolled through the finish line in Polanica-Zdrój as the third woman to complete Race Through Poland No 7 - and take the last spot on the podium. Hannah took the race in her stride, relishing the sights around her (if not necessarily always the weather) and not really bothered by her own placing or by those of her competitors. After the hardships of the rain-soaked Ore Mountains, she regained her composure by Šumava and rode very consistently from then on. Having little contact with the rest of the women's field behind her who were mostly following through Strážný rather than through Austria, she rode at her own pace. She got her rewards in due time - fine weather on the Praděd summit and a day later, the satisfaction of having not just completed the race, but podiumed as well!

![DSC07930](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3rNFttgTADSMiveZnosF7E/c2ec657b8dcb2cfae2b8fda5e6f8bd98/DSC07930.JPG)*Replenishing energy reserves at the Švýcarna (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![ADR07979](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5xDB6NFFeMukUQs9XctI6F/24fe5be1e954ea55287c51f65a538c7c/ADR07979.jpg)*Hannah on the finish line with Race Director Paweł Puławski (photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

# Justyna and Marta complete the race

Around 8 am, __#48 Justyna Jarczok__ rolled into Polanica-Zdrój, followed two hours later by __#11 Marta Gryczko__. Both proved not only very persistent, but also cheerful in the face of various routing and other mishaps, providing much entertainment and also quite valuable tidbits on ultra-distance racing on their social media profiles.

![DSC 8004](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7a5EonThln5t6chzpNU2uo/1c2b08385338e6b8c9a993d8bea542bd/DSC_8004.JPG)*It's hug time! (photo: Bite of Me)*

![obraz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3NvW4oVv1xmlWOEcVUCE7W/52ba4aa2dd4e49e66c01986b60c1fb30/obraz.png)*Justyna boasting a full set of stamps (justine_bike on Instagram)*

![DSC 8170](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6bLQc6JkXuxFgqWi2jS7gj/b993e5dff0deb8b4bfa35028c3cce13b/DSC_8170.JPG)*Arrival in the rain - Marta rolls through the finish line (photo: Bite of Me)*

![DSC 8205](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4vqo9Af53rZ1IDdDEeluv4/d801aa506d46c0bbe7075b413dfc30b3/DSC_8205.JPG)*Collected them all! (photo: Bite of Me)*

On Friday, one day before the official ending of the race, numerous finishers are streaming into Polanica-Zdrój - the total number of those lucky souls who no longer need to think about routing, logistics, weather and time limits has exceeded 50 at the time of writing.

# Second pair home

Just a few minutes after Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi, __#203a Wojciech Florek__ and __#203b Lucjan Kornicki__ rolled home, having spent exactly six days on the road. Veterans of RTPL events (dubbed 'the best looking pair of Race Through Poland'), the guys have ambitious plans for the next year, having set their sights on winning the pairs category!

![ADR07981](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3N7ibgN91JsHOEddIQwHlu/c65b43899ebe3702a21ecb2129b5a67d/ADR07981.jpg)*Ready, steady… (photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

![ADR08028](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/724uJiJya5tCAxePbf0bOK/f146510c05ba30e1fa34aa3a51c30312/ADR08028.jpg)*…celebrate! (photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

The third (and final) pair __#201a Bernd Folberth__ and __#201b Tom Asklof__ are now on the finish parcours.

# CP4 closed

At 10 am on Friday, checkpoint 4 at the hospitable Švýcarna tourist lodge near the summit of Praděd closed its doors. If you haven't managed to get your stamps (there seem to be three riders still on the road who haven't reached CP4 yet), not all is lost guys - just document your arrival at the Švýcarna (e.g. with a receipt from the till or a photo) and you can still claim finisher status!

![DSC07904](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7lVwLhndxU5ChogC44Txiy/cfc7075f361d1a5bc86925e1b5bb0303/DSC07904.JPG)*Finally fine weather at the Švýcarna (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![DSC08076](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/49Vrx6Ahk9LjZI8jesrJaQ/bca8444e415833a1a80a7c6827bdc7dc/DSC08076.JPG)*Goodbye from the CP4 team (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![WhatsApp Image 2025-05-29 at 18.19.17 9b09b57f](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3DPOEkwNeHFRM0YIebnkTL/e7a7856f33d00ffffc026dabd95d60e2/WhatsApp_Image_2025-05-29_at_18.19.17_9b09b57f.jpg)*Those who arrived at CP4 yesterday afternoon were greeted by blue skies (photo: Paweł Puławski)*

# Socialising at Polanica-Zdrój

When you have completed an ultra-cycling race and recovered a bit, what do you do next? Hit the town, that's what! At 7 pm on Thursday, at Bruno's instigation, a large group of finishers met at the Smaki na Szlaku restaurant in the centre of Polanica for a hearty recovery meal. Apart from catching up on their much depleted calories, riders regaled one another with stories from the road, and possibly discussed their plans for future events.

![DSC 7718](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/33UD2S8XbbnQvkrcZdFd6/ae9cb661989ff781836056c70a8cc272/DSC_7718.JPG)*Nouvelle cuisine doesn't seem to be popular here (photo: Bite of Me)*

![DSC 7708](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2p9eXIAXeLvpNmObCzeqag/c7c1f838b5778b8c414b9ce78d8f7a5f/DSC_7708.JPG)*Friends we made along the way (photo: Bite of Me)*

*Featured image: Tadek Ciechanowski*

Day 7 - women's podium complete and second pair home

# Two different routes

The places where the two leading women chose to sleep reflected their very different strategies for the next morning. While __#2 Joanna Rumińska-Pietrzyk__ decided to stay at the Švýcarna tourist lodge under the Praděd summit on Wednesday night, __#106 Nora Battermann__ descended from the top of the mountain in the directly opposite direction, soon arriving in the picturesque spa of Karlova Studánka. I mean, probably picturesque as it was pitch black by the time she reached it anyway.

Nora had a completely different plan than Joanna, and a very bold one too. While Joanna - as everybody before her - intended to go down the CP4 parcours until the Desna River valley and then make her way to Stronie Śląskie, where the finish parcours started, using small winding roads and negotiating the Płoszczyna Pass, Nora devised a route that did not make sense at first glance, but started making a lot of sense once you looked more closely.

![obraz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6MK2B2yffG1HomNq4qhXU8/b553732326b16261110efee36c4ad217/obraz.png)*Joanna's route: 54 km*

![obraz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/64vubneoUKuXOhmzRf1Ea9/8e09ebdfcf1a4b89dffdea3c237f1d34/obraz.png)*Nora's route: 87 km*

Nora's accommodation, unlike Joanna's, was not high up the slopes of Praděd, which made it possible for her to avoid some of the morning chill, and also eliminated the need to descend on slippery rocks directly below the tourist lodge. On the other hand, how could choosing a starting point that was located east from Praděd be sensible? Surely, as the finish parcours started northwest of the mountain, Nora's choice would he highly suboptimal, forcing her to cover a much longer distance in the morning?

Well, yes and no. Nora had everything calculated. While approaching the finish parcours in Stronie Śląskie from her lodgings would indeed require going further, not everything was bad about this option - far from it, in fact. The difference in distance was not negligible (around 33 kilometres), but she had much fewer things on her route that could slow her down. Starting in the valleys below Praděd, it would take her gradually to lower altitudes via mostly pleasant roads, and less winding too than in Joanna's variant, enabling Nora to go much faster. In order to approach the parcours from the direction of Lądek-Zdrój, she would need to climb the Lądek Pass, but it wasn't really that different from the Płoszczyna Pass on Joanna's route. All in all, Nora's choice was not clearly worse from Joanna's, and it had one considerable advantage - unlike in the Desna River valley, no elaborate manoeuvring around a national road, where a small error could result in a painful time penalty, was required. In a nutshell, Nora's route was elegant.

# The start

Having spoken to each other in the late evening, each rider knew that she herself - and her opponent - wanted a good night's sleep after an exhausting day of storming CP4. There was a silent understanding that neither of them would dash instantly into the night after they parted ways. At around 5.10 (Nora) and 5.30 (Joanna) next morning, they started on their respective routes, which were bound to converge on Stronie Śląskie where the finish parcours began.

# The handicap

In the event, it was Joanna who arrived at the parcours first, but only barely - 20 minutes was nothing on the scale of 69 kilometres with 1,400 metres of climbing that the final stretch of the race demanded. And she had a serious problem. She had strained a muscle in her thigh and pedalling - especially when she tried to push more power - caused pain. She adapted by shifting more effort to her other leg, but this was neither very effective nor comfortable. She knew that she was not going to be very fast on the parcours. Of course, she would give her best, but at the back of her head she had a fear that she might develop a serious injury, and having to scratch just a few dozen kilometres before the end of a 1,500 km race would be simply unbearable. This made her pretty apprehensive about racing Nora, hot on her heels, and much younger, to Polanica-Zdrój.

On the other hand, Nora - as described by the race photographer she passed en route - was smiling and fresh, in a very good mood and bursting with energy. Entering the parcours 20 minutes behind Joanna, she did not start sprinting to catch up as soon as possible - she knew she had almost 70 kilometres to do that and there was no need to rush things, as overexerting herself carried its own risks.

![DSC 7305 (2)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/WlE1pr0vz3ppA5YPyZBJm/1cc532ab619104b15991d73b6b752fe9/DSC_7305__2_.JPG)*A chase in the Sudetes (photo: Bite of Me)*

# The showdown

Accordingly, the gap between the two did not shrink very fast. But it did shrink. While spectators who sat in front of computer or smartphone screens saw the dots move somewhat haphazardly  on the map, refreshing at varying intervals, the pattern soon became clear - Nora WAS gaining on Joanna. In due course, twenty minutes became eighteen. The finish parcours started with a long climb, which added 400 metres of elevation in just 7 kilometres, and Nora was clearly climbing faster, not hampered by the sort of injury that her opponent had. Some respite came when the first hill ended, but it turned out that Nora was every bit as good a descender as Joanna, so the gap - while it did stop shrinking for a while - never grew again.

![DSC 7233](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4DphSbn1ZiydDppfzY0oCp/9f9a26a2503f68b17f2bc1abef77b1d5/DSC_7233.JPG)*Some relief but no escape (photo: Bite of Me)*

On the long ascent from Bystrzyca Kłodzka to Spalona - slightly less steep than the first  hill  - Joanna's lead dropped below fifteen minutes. There was still more than half of the parcours to go, with Nora clearly advancing, closing in on her. At the Spalona Pass, media cars could be seen. It is not often that photographers at ultra-cycling races catch such an intense moment when riders race each other for the top spot and both know that the gap is so minute. This was nothing like the (already exciting!) chase Adam gave after Bruno in the men's race - this was much more direct and riveting to watch.

![DSC 7394](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3fgfWsYo7QDgeuXm2hSCGM/b98faa6c936713d05363a2f880b64d68/DSC_7394.JPG)*Joanna, working hard on the climb (photo: Bite of Me)*

![DSC 7286](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1JjaVeWGqLOFNpCmrZS0jb/0c636121f997867c16cf1fbe5e2c5265/DSC_7286.JPG)*Nora gaining ground (photo: Bite of Me)*

After the short descent from Spalona, the gap was closing ever faster, and at one point Nora could already see Joanna, which could only fuel her motivation. The turning point came on the first of the two smallish hills that still separated both riders from the final descent to Polanica. Nora stepped on the pedals and powered up the climb. 14-15-16-17 kilometres per hour to Joanna's 10, and by the end of the climb she was pulling ahead. On the short descent to the second hill, Nora was already leading Joanna, and on the second climb she extended her lead considerably. By the time the final descent to Polanica began, with just 14 kilometres to go, the result was a foregone conclusion. Nora triumphantly rolled into Polanica-Zdrój at three to one in the afternoon. Joanna reached the finish line 22 minutes later. In a race that took them both 128 hours to complete, less than half an hour determined the outcome. The final parcours was a compelling spectacle that is usually associated with road racing rather than ultra-cycling - the small and shrinking gap, direct contact between the racers, the attack on the climb. Incredible stuff from the showdown in the women's race at RTPL No 7!

![ADR07763](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3MvU22XdHlvR9DqA00t71r/023bd109f8f31862fd6cbb400f57be6e/ADR07763.jpg)*And that's it, Nora! The finish line (photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

# The champion

In Race Through Poland No 7, Nora Battermann did something extraordinary. With no extensive experience with competitive ultra-racing, she managed to win at first go a prestigious event that is considered one of the toughest in the region and that puts the riders' strength and wits to the ultimate test. And in doing that, she unseated the previous champion, an RTPL veteran with three podiums in three starts. That's some serious work there Nora! Kudos to you!

![ADR07825](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/16mlZr85LeIG72OFBHzaXN/a726ccd26fedd236c97ae2372903233a/ADR07782.jpg)*A celebration is in order (photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

![DSC 7470](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/26zGlriPhxygYY9thC38y2/fc171a95fe6fa8d2b55fb0283a6f73c3/DSC_7470.JPG)*Two champions comparing notes (photo: Bite of Me)*

# First pair on the finish line!

On Thursday afternoon, __#202a Christian Schaefer__ and __#202b Peter Tannenberger__ won the pairs category, arriving in 5 days, 11 hours and 37 minutes. They have been friends since they were five and this gives them a huge edge over ad hoc pairs who do not know each other so well! Christian and Peter took part in the Transcontinental Race three times, once podiuming in the pairs category.

![DSC 6783](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5bT5JbhK1UUye6ViM1lHOJ/236a6148f4f851245d0c9e5e22fa66b8/DSC_6783.JPG)*Team 202 making the final push (photo: Bite of Me)*

__#203a Wojciech Florek__ and __#203b Lucjan Kornicki__ who are currently second in the pairs category have just conquered Praděd and are currently pushing toward the finish parcours via a creative route through Bělá pod Pradědem. They are both regular participants in Race Through Poland events, including brevets.

![DSC 6206](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5LcUuoamgnoPiNYU0IubXS/b9c29c3a6991c722c33c30748694f72b/DSC_6206.JPG)*Team 203 dividing their duties between watching the road and navigating (photo: Bite of Me)*

# More finishers arrive

__#42 Julian Klose__ and __#56 Krystian Jakubek__ were finishing so close to each other that it came down to a sprint on the last straight, with Julian finally prevailing over Ultratigger.

![DSC 7101](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1UMuoIyAeeN6MXdwDuattO/bd4a7d7a1891c8eeacbb8bd3b1d32589/DSC_7101.JPG)*Almost caught him! (photo: Bite of Me)*

__#130 Wojciech Wronka__ of the four-way MPP win fame caught a flat on the last descent and pushed his bike the last five kilometres, but still arrived on the finish line all smiles.

![DSC 7084](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3bULBbVJjyRUnrEQDPGycP/f165dda2bb366bdf0dee1081ee082cd9/DSC_7084.JPG)*We used to ride, and now we push (photo: Bite of Me)*

__#208a Arno Burgi__, who got separated from his partner on the way, did not sleep for the last 960 kilometres, which is even more impressive seeing as he's 62 years old!
![ADR07652](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/73eTrlIMWbfmoaXEat7u4h/069433dc0fb094dc8cae8fbd68a034b0/ADR07652.jpg)*Arno finally catching up on his sleep (photo: Bite of Me)*

# Paddy Dunne arrives at CP2

Race Through Poland's famous lanterne rouge __#60 Paddy Dunne__ has announced his arrival at CP2 where he is currently sampling local delicacies.
![obraz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2jAH79YtuBIKEhf6hEn5qo/09bdd59000a61aa3eb5ee721f06eb257/obraz.png)*Paddy: possibly the only rider who found good weather at CP2 (photo: Paddy Dunne)*

# Race Director's records from the finish line

![WhatsApp Image 2025-05-29 at 18.14.35 9ed9db50](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/49BBZHGVVLsvlyf0OmeyPM/24f280a1792381476f407e9d576e39af/WhatsApp_Image_2025-05-29_at_18.14.35_9ed9db50.jpg)*Arrivals list part one*

![WhatsApp Image 2025-05-29 at 18.14.35 d2cd1bbd](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/43XyeyKsq1GEbYMqUKWLRx/ad5fe57c4824262ba4f2c0163234c461/WhatsApp_Image_2025-05-29_at_18.14.35_d2cd1bbd.jpg)*Arrivals list part two*

### Scratches
- __#36 Anna Koseska__ scratched due to bad weather
- __#82 Ewa Modrakowska__ scratched due to bad weather
- __#62 Jakub Osadnik__ scratched after slipping and crashing on wet tram rails twice, suffering some bruises
- __#125 Tomasz Sieczkowski__ scratched as he felt persistently cold, cycling in inclement weather
- __#114 Paweł Figiński__ scratched, no reason given
- __#21 Rafał Wanat__ scratched due to time constraints
- __#107 Norman Lomax__ scratched due to bad weather and time constraints
- __#37 Matias Gorlitz__ scratched due to Achilles tendon injury

On the sixth day of the race, we have 43 solo scratches in total.

*Featured image: Adrian Crapciu*


We have a winner in the women's race!

# Eventful night at CP4

Yesterday's news about __#19 Claudia Decker's__ scratch completely changed the dynamics of the women's race. Initially, it looked like now the top spot would easily go to __#2 Joanna Rumińska-Pietrzyk__ who was roughly even with Claudia at the time the German rider pulled out.

However, __#106 Nora Battermann__ clearly had other ideas. She was now virtually guaranteed the second place, but not necessarily content with this outcome. Knowing that the race would soon be decided, with less than 24 hours to go, she started to accelerate. And the distance between her and the new leader Joanna soon began to shrink - first almost imperceptibly, a minute here and a minute there, but the trend was unmistakable. The gap that had been four hours in the morning became three and a half by 2 pm, and then just three by 6 pm. Nora was steadily gaining on Joanna, giving a determined chase and her energy reserves did not seem to be dwindling one bit during the day.

![DSC 6693](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6pUexf47CHhr4BWKEgdmI3/03214b2b9bf8b6ecfd8e504f659c5d0d/DSC_6693.JPG)*Joanna, here chased by a Škoda (photo: Bite of Me)*

![DSC 6806](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5tqm8L24xitbxML9wZPKt9/ec77e4341dee2010f05ddb54137b2dd2/DSC_6806.JPG)*Nora, giving chase with apparently no effort (photo: Bite of Me)*

Joanna reached the CP4 parcours leading to the Praděd at half past three and started climbing towards Dlouhé Strané, then the Turistická chata Švýcarna checkpoint and finally the summit. The going was slow and arduous, she was soaked to the skin after riding most of the day in fairly inclement weather, and the accumulated weariness of the previous four days of the race made itself acutely felt. She reached the tourist lodge shortly before 9 pm and proceeded to the summit. Upon returning to Švýcarna, she realised that she would simply not be able to continue that evening - it was just 10 pm, so pretty early for going to sleep for her usual standards, but she felt she had no other options than to rent a room at the lodge and get a (relatively) good night's sleep to recover and dry all her things.

![DSC07365](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2693wVdwxGGoaRm4qqdqdH/cb8a839bda2d8c9b7bac4ec42000f53d/DSC07365.JPG)*Supper at the Švýcarna tourist lodge (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![DSC07436](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7e4ycSQRJq39Yr5f6xdCxO/0bd4955a91ba50c399892e9dd5ea8f6a/DSC07436.JPG)*Let's hope these are dry by the morning (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

Meanwhile, Nora was powering on - she managed to climb from the start of the parcours to the checkpoint in just four hours compared to Joanna's five. 

![DSC07419](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5HsmiZPzv6wKi138MzR9KC/ae92af04faa6b859552feda81965cbdb/DSC07419.JPG)*Nora Battermann reaching the lodge at night (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

And to her surprise, when she entered the lodge, she saw Joanna - not really preparing to leave, but about to go to her room for the night.

![DSC07422 (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6RjQOBjYpExMAUupAxbte8/96ece8a0318a03655ab12cb52c2f9bf9/DSC07422__1_.JPG)*Dr. Livingstone, I presume? (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![DSC07427](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/37jkDsUu9A8yYguR8EsjFf/837ba023be288619dd40990c0bd34845/DSC07427.JPG)*Fashion tips - Nora discusses the pros and cons of wearing rescue blankets (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

In fact, this fit quite well with Nora's plans, since after a full day spent chasing her opponent, she was not that keen to press into the night either. However, her sleeping arrangements did not involve the Švýcarna lodge at all. 

Nora had a different plan - so radically different that no one before her had tried it. She intended to finish the parcours after a short rest in the lodge and then descend from Praděd, but instead of switching back on herself and retracing the parcours, she was going to continue from the summit using the tarmac road to Karlova Studánka and stay there for the night. And then she was going to reach the finish parcours via a large eastern loop through Vrbno pod Pradědem and Zlaté Hory - a pioneering enterprise in Race Through Poland No 7.

![obraz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6Xi9FzvVwh137SXvOi3xvM/a0b1bef5fd720bd6e7f78e5597128d77/obraz.png)*Nora on a radically different route*

Both riders rested until the morning, neither deciding to give herself a running start by setting out very early. The dots only started moving after 5 am, first Nora then Joanna. The race for the women's crown was on.

### Scratches

__#24 Tomas Dvorak__ scratched because of knee pain, bringing us to 37 solo scratches.


Day 6 morning - the women's race is being decided

# The magnificent ten

After four and a half days of racing, we have the ten fastest riders of Race Through Poland No 7 on the finish line in Polanica. These guys were not just able to cover the 1,500 km route quickly, but also proved the most resilient in the face of problems that inevitably crop up during ultra-cycling races. How do you cope with persistent bad weather, forcing you to ride in wet clothes for days on end? Are you able to repair or at least bodge a mechanical? How do you improvise a detour when a bridge you intended to cross en route turns out to be closed? And most of all, do you have the focus to push forward and suffer even when your motivation ebbs? It takes all of these things to end in the top ten of a major self-supported cycling race like RTPL!

So, who had all it took to make it into the top ten?  Without further ado, let's start with the results as recorded by Race Director Paweł 'Piko' Puławski upon each rider's arrival:
![WhatsApp Image 2025-05-28 at 17.14.49 1b8dec65](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4YPTbI1aBiIqrYTj0eT3VM/3ae38606457defd83814e75b4425147a/WhatsApp_Image_2025-05-28_at_17.14.49_1b8dec65.jpg)*Preliminary RTPL No 7 results*

1. __#127 Bruno Wicht__: 3 days 6 hours 30 minutes

![DSC06922](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7ntujn3uugwU9ysTAtn0o5/6a54602ae620da7b8e7c9208e63a63c5/DSC06922.JPG)*Bubbly for the winner (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

2. __#111 Adam Bialek__: 3 days 7 hours 38 minutes

![DSC04211](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3TfVlD8pLoTjP16eGBaDYq/252ed010e8408762b73701b21be3241b/DSC04211.JPG)*Racing for victory until the very end (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

3. __#101 Tim de Witte__: 3 days 15 hours 20 minutes

![DSC07056](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/74LG7WzvK2RladV8KN08Dp/b77de22951a528994547eba39461bfca/DSC07056.JPG)*No setback can stop him (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

4. __#3 Jędrzej Gąsiorowski__: 3 days 23 hours 26 minutes

![DSC07131](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5rtIoJ7yIhrwpJPP0uLbhK/50f4423acf6244a0239365559d0676c7/DSC07131.JPG)*Night time brake repair specialist (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

5. __#10 Thomas Schlatter__: 4 days 1 hour 43 minutes

![DSC07189](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5x9cZfQuuMS5hPYz0npHZV/8e030361eecbd24b6e172d09a4ca4df8/DSC07189.JPG)*Consistent sleep means consistent riding (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

6. __#1 Philipp Hanneck__: 4 days 3 hours 35 minutes

![DSC04264](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6b8MiomBqIZgpNu8vEKCtv/94297d52ecf2540445da8f878242805f/DSC04264.JPG)*Huge comeback from recent injury (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

7. __#8 Tobias Stark__: 4 days 6 hours 34 minutes

![DSC04287](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5TXbOs1VRFFPmU7CBmtKYd/60e8cdfffa147163f5d95caa49aa7ee9/DSC04287.JPG)*Not one to give up, even when it hurts (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

8. __#6 Michał Wolff__: 4 days 8 hours 11 minutes

![DSC07236](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7y6uzYp70J3RmU2S4LJJCg/0b04b9b41adbeb35c5151727f6a69125/DSC07236.JPG)*"What makes a man a man is not how he starts things, but how he decides to end them" (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

9. __#71 George Juckes__: 4 days 9 hours 0 minutes

![DSC04312](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/12GxpQ97toaOArvTJdjtE2/bf7339c62a0f48969626da695d327299/DSC04312.JPG)*Sleeping under the stars (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

10. __#124 Tomasz Pawłowski__: 4 days 9 hours 44 minutes

![DSC07259](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6DSqTSLpjMSunLwmH00GMg/2244e102751356efd2d170bb7eb29e47/DSC07259.JPG)*Bounced impressively back into the top ten at the very end (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

*Featured image: Tadek Ciechanowski*
*Wilk_on_bike's quote adapted from Guillermo del Toro* 


Day 5 evening - Race Through Poland No 7 top ten is complete

# Claudia Decker pulls out

After yesterday's crisis, __#19 Claudia Decker__ seemed to have come back with a vengeance. After leaving her lodgings at Humpolec at around 4 am today, she set off towards the CP4 parcours, and at quite a pace too. She was quickly gaining on __#2 Joanna Rumińska-Pietrzyk__, who had passed near Humpolec on her route. As a result, just before Ústí nad Orlicí the two leading women drew even, meeting at a crossroads, which may not have been a setting as dramatic as the summit of Praděd, but the encounter was still remarkable, showing how capable Claudia was of chasing her rival.
![500309287 24501807296072557 5791071288191674376 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4ugJFwSBeYMh9a1bnvi4Ee/25655ddaf5247794b2ffd5fc68b5973e/500309287_24501807296072557_5791071288191674376_n.jpg)*Routes converge before Ústí*

Claudia also seemed to be in good spirits, as reported by Joanna, but quite possibly at that stage she was already aware that she would be quitting the race. Not even two hours later, she arrived at the train station in Ústí and informed Race Director Piko that given the circumstances - her infection - scratching was a grown-up decision. This turn of events is hugely disappointing not just for Claudia, who dominated the women's field in Race Through Poland No 7, but also for those who watched her brilliant performance.

Claudia has travelled by rail from Ústí to Polanica and has already arrived at the finish line - though, unfortunately, not in the way she must have imagined.

![DSC07254](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/67IPzmasGdd7Tog8aTtpAr/a80583709697eee36762efbe18ac45d6/DSC07254.JPG)*Claudia at the race headquarters (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

This is a huge upset to the women's race that Claudia was leading from the outset and looked guaranteed to win until yesterday. Joanna Rumińska-Pietrzyk is now left at the sharp end, with __#106 Nora Battermann__ approximately 3 to 4 hours behind. This appears relatively safe for Joanna so far into the race as she is now almost at the beginning of the CP4 parcours, with around 200 kilometres to go until the finish line. On the other hand, ultraracing history has seen greater gaps being erased through mishaps, differences in sleep patterns or simply the opponent's extraordinary determination. At this year's Race Through Poland, Nora has shown herself to be a highly capable racer and I wouldn't write her off at this stage.

As for the women's field beyond the current top three, __#5 Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi__, who, like Joanna and Nora, elected to go through Austria, is moving steadily north and is now around Jihlava, some 12 hours behind the leader. __#48 Justyna Jarczok__, __#11 Marta Gryczko__ and __#33 Patrycja Drzewiecka__ opted for the more creative route off the CP3 parcours via Strážný and are moving forward in the above order, but compared to Hannah, Justyna is around 60 kilometres further away from the CP4 parcours, and the remaining two riders are one to two hours behind Justyna.

### Scratches
- __#19 Claudia Decker__, the leader in the women's race, scratched due to an infection
- __#27 Gerold Lehmann__ scratched due to problems with his two phones and Garmin

So far, we've had 36 solo scratches.

Featured image: Bite of Me


Day 5 noon - women's race completely upended

# Jędrzej Gąsiorowski takes fourth and Thomas Schlatter comes fifth

Around half past four in the morning, __#3 Jędrzej Gąsiorowski__ rolled into Polanica-Zdrój, comfortably claiming the fourth place in just under four days. What seemed to be shaping up to be a nail-biting race between Gąsiorowski and __#30 Milan Hanyk__ yesterday, with just 10 minutes separating them at some points on the CP4 parcours, soon fizzled out when Hanyk found out that his Di2 battery had gone flat, leaving him unable to shift gears.

Hanyk had an AliExpress charger, but it turned out to be unreliable, failing precisely at this inopportune moment. As borrowing a Shimano charger from a volunteer or another rider would be using outside assistance, automatically placing Hanyk outside the General Classification, the Czech rider's only option to stay in the race was to seek out a bike shop that would sell or lend him one. Pessimistic about his chances of finding anything like that in the vicinity, Milan finally decided to scratch, which effectively handed the fourth place to Gąsiorowski (well, Jędrzej still had to ride to Polanica to collect the prize, but could do so at a rather leisurely pace). This was Jędrzej's third Race Through Poland (he podiumed in 2024). 

![DSC07113](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1mBRQvwRfaldUNOy7lAWUH/4187e617344b725c303ab4057a2d211e/DSC07113.JPG)*Jędrzej Gąsiorowski, the last rider to break four days (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

Two hours after Gąsiorowski, the fifth place was claimed - __#10 Tomas Schlatter__ reached the finish line, overtaking __#1 Philipp Hanneck__ who was fifth at CP4.

![DSC07157](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2M6tl9STTkII4ExIx34FZe/0befc8523a9f966fec2d45177467a470/DSC07157.JPG)*Thomas Schlatter nearing the finish (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

Hanneck came sixth a further two hours later. While he won't repeat his triumph from last year, he still gets a very respectable placing!

![DSC07220](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1iOuBJ0HIDHWNOJ2zH6n01/7b25ca1ce395c1782b92139a51028e16/DSC07220.JPG)*Philipp Hanneck brandishing his stamps (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

# Who else will make the top ten?

The first six places are already taken, and around Praděd and CP4 there are quite a few contenders jostling to make it into the top ten. Two riders have taken a clear lead here: __#8 Tobias Stark__ , who is already approaching the finish parcours, and Race Through Poland veteran (this is his fifth start) __#6 Michał Wolff__ riding around an hour and a half behind Stark. __#71 George Juckes__ is already leaving the CP4 parcours after collecting his stamp at the Švýcárna lodge and should take ninth, leaving just one spot for all the other guys around CP4.

![ADR07267](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5hIoq4s1IK6J7662xm5TUN/d970f5786e58054741b07dc381dfff6a/ADR07267.jpg)*Pushing vs. riding on the CP4 parcours (photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

![ADR07350-Enhanced-NR](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4WdsYTOSg5bUQnGlZysP6l/70dd928fc49077cdac97058e2afbff02/ADR07350-Enhanced-NR.jpg)*In the Švýcárna dining room (photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

# Women's race still in play

__#19 Claudia Decker__, who had a commanding lead, faced something of a crisis yesterday afternoon. She apparently diverted from her chosen route towards Humpolec and notified the Race Director that she wasn't sure whether she could continue as she had a bad cough and her lungs hurt. However, she decided not to scratch right away but to get some rest instead and later see if she could continue.

In Humpolec, Claudia rested for 11 hours. Her earlier routing choices had been clearly superior to her rivals' and she had held a stellar pace, but this was really a very long pause mid-race, and when she finally set out again in the early morning, she was no longer in the lead. In the night, __#2 Joanna Rumińska-Pietrzyk__ pushed steadily on, resting relatively little, and overtook Claudia.

However, the speed at which Claudia Decker left Humpolec reflects renewed purpose, and the gap between her and Joanna is very slim at around an hour. If Claudia has recovered from yesterday and can keep going, she can still win here. That she is still a serious contender for the top spot after nearly a half day's rest is testimony to her fantastic performance from the outset.

The women's race no longer looks like a foregone conclusion, and while this may be not what Claudia planned, the unexpected twist is bound to inject some excitement among dotwatchers!

![DSC 4549](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6hKRNedzvcffaPukLgMxIg/3b8109973f68e7a2cd08a001ecb5a4cd/DSC_4549.JPG)*Claudia, smiling in the rain (photo: Bite of Me)*

![DSC 5938](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6h7wTdBv4ANspUweVjyHkR/778c71496e06221e285cb15988d1c650/DSC_5938.JPG)*Joanna, having finally found some sun (photo: Bite of Me)*

As for the other women riders, the brave ferry chaser __#106 Nora Battermann__ slept in the historical Hussite settlement of Tábor and is now on her way, firmly in third place and possibly still able to make contact with the leading two. __#5 Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi__ has declared that she's now firmly in tourist mode, but we'll see whether she sticks to her promise.

__#11 Marta Gryczko__ and __#33 Patrycja Drzewiecka__ are on the CP3 parcours, having already collected their stamps, and __#83 Ewa Modrakowska__ has yet to reach Knížecí Pláně.

![DSC 6601](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1mMSFbWEyDFCZQoKMVUZAw/87f911ea86223869ee3c8202ced603ce/DSC_6601.JPG)![DSC 6573](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5mFP6z2IqXrR1D4TjVa8ip/a2eb8e315d99917bb36a2c519bba7f77/DSC_6573.JPG)![DSC 6067](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3WAbfeqUtEOENFjfF8dCx0/86f6876f325537796f198fcae158ce7a/DSC_6067.JPG)*Marta and Patrycja checking in at Knížecí Pláně, Nora already on her way (photos: Bite of Me)*

# CP3 closes at 8 am

At the time of writing, seven riders still in the GC had not yet passed through CP3; only one of them has a realistic chance of making it on time, and the rest should document their presence at Knížecí Pláně, e.g. with a photo, to make sure that they are classified as finishers.

![DSC 6629](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1fTTNGTolcqYGa5HUwJDfM/c76c7998d95e831b861691d3541a0ff6/DSC_6629.JPG)*CP3 at dawn (photo: Bite of Me)*

### Scratches
__#30 Milan Hanyk__ scratched when his Di2 battery went flat.

There are now 34 scratches among solo riders.

Featured image: Adrian Crapciu


Day 5 morning - who will make the top ten, women's race restarted

# Tim de Witte takes third

On the desolate Dreisessel summit, __#101 Tim de Witte__ was looking for the non-existent checkpoint. When he finally called the Race Director, his heart sank at the news. He realised that a moment's oversight that resulted in missing the actual checkpoint at Knížecí Pláně had cost him a lot. From the end of the CP3 parcours, he had planned to ride onwards to Austria. Now, if he wanted to stay in the race, he needed to return to Knížecí Pláně to collect his stamp, and then go back to Dreisessel, a round trip of 80 kilometres culminating in a strenuous climb to the summit… again. Was this really worth it? After all, he could scratch and go home. Only 60 kilometres away, it was a shorter trip than to CP3 and back. 

On the phone, Paweł urged him to reconsider - de Witte was third in the race and the riders behind him were not exactly breathing down his neck. He could yet salvage the podium, but needed to be smart about that. And perhaps going back to Dreisessel was not particularly smart, Tim thought. What if he devised a new route from Strážný and followed Bruno Wicht? This could allow him to limit his losses. Energised by the thought, he started descending the summit.

Fast forward a day and a half, and Tim de Witte is in Polanica-Zdrój, completing the podium. In fact, his third place was never in doubt, as no one behind him even managed to come close. His route from Strážný that he cobbled together at CP3 worked a treat. 

It was not all plain sailing though. After Tim had managed to plan a new route that would take him from Strážný to CP4, his Garmin gave up the ghost. Luckily, he had a copy in his smartphone, but everyone who has ever tried to navigate using a phone knows that this is far from ideal as the GPS module and the screen being constantly on chew up the battery pretty fast, and not even a dynamo hub supplied enough juice to cover the power draw. So Tim, drawing on his local knowledge, kept the phone turned off for long stretches, only checking the route at places he was not familiar with (he has extensive local knowledge - an expat, he has lived in Czechia for quite a few years). A laminated card with locations of all resupply places and multiple elevation profiles recorded also helped no end.

![ADR07192](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2Jx0iNc9dCwp7oyotvSc90/301c4f6e835c57c690a9b6603d82f9c0/ADR07192.jpg)*Tim is nothing if not methodical (photo: Adrian Crapciu)*

And everything worked out in the end - at quarter past eight in the evening, Tim rolled triumphantly through the finish line.

![DSC07029](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1lrfitEYkuwY3XyAb4bFtV/96386de7cef3e2ee601fe5d4eb078c1a/DSC07029.JPG)*Look ma, no hands! (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![WhatsApp Image 2025-05-27 at 21.25.38 7e6dbfe1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2yKs7CLEyG9Tb0KrUPVV9i/3f1dd71563ba49cbdcbfca9c0a52ff80/WhatsApp_Image_2025-05-27_at_21.25.38_7e6dbfe1.jpg)*Official arrival times of the first three (photo: Paweł Puławski)*

Upon arriving, Tim struck up a lively conversation with the Race Director, confiding that Race Through Poland was one of the hardest races in which he had taken part. That's some endorsement from a guy who podiumed the Transcontinental Race twice. Piko, you must be doing something right!

![ADR07138 (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7KFFQA3mt7q1P6DJ5rRJyb/5b6c7ff04a0a0dc37f7a10504db7b1d5/ADR07138__1_.jpg)*Tim de Witte climbing one of Paweł's hellish parcours (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

# Women's race heats up

Well, maybe not at the very top, but still. Everyone but __#17 Claudia Decker__ has so far proved somewhat less inventive - __#2 Joanna Rumińska-Pietrzyk__, __#106 Nora Battermann__ and __#5 Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi__ all chose to go through Austria rather than return to Strážný after summiting Dreisessel. While Claudia's lead looks unassailable, Joanna is slightly less safe in her second place after Nora managed to win her sprint against the ferry from Bližší Lhota to Horní Planá. While Joanna waited for her crossing for nearly an hour, Nora got through instantly! And Nora cannot dawdle too much either as Hannah is quite hot on her heels. The race towards CP4 is on.

# CP4 welcomes riders!

Speaking of CP4, it might have escaped your attention that in the small hours of Tuesday, a new checkpoint was inaugurated. This is where __#111 Adam Bialek__ and __#127 Bruno Wicht__ unexpectedly saw each other in the morning, and where all the other leading riders are now heading.

This year, one of Race Through Poland checkpoints is hosted by the exceptionally hospitable Švýcárna tourist lodge, which has gone out of its way to help the race, providing meals for volunteers free of charge and so on. The lodge is housed in a historical 19th century building and offers spectacular views! Check out their website: https://www.resortpraded.cz/turisticka_chata_svycarna/

![ADR07174](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5zbjNp8hXbggIqoycmJotl/635031be06fb45a1ed69b8fb64b4b972/ADR07174.jpg)*Tim chatting with CP4 crew (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

# Night rush to CP3
CP3 in the Šumava National Park will close its doors at 8 am tomorrow, so hurry if you want to collect your stamps there guys and gals! There are currently 17 riders still in the GC who haven't clocked in there yet, and most of them are almost sure to make the cut, judging by their position on the map. Just keep your eyes peeled for the hut at Knížecí Pláně, it's really easy to miss! (right Tim?)

![DSC 6171](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7gVNYkQYnblPLexD1DCkM9/96fd75720246163608da6e09735e06d9/DSC_6171.JPG)*Get your stamps here! (photo: Bite of Me)*

# Stories from the bunch (including the post-scratch bunch)

__#57 Łukasz Tasz__ has decided to go where no other rider has been during this race and visit Prague!
![IMG 20250527 120310](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/a5Y4JBQ61GSzQ7Tx3Htcv/d45a8c8a6923bf8e47622d7a4c59d1d2/IMG_20250527_120310.jpg)*Trains are so much faster than bikes (photo: Iveta Dvorak)*

__#44 Konrad Boksa__ shows us an expert ultracyclist's kit at his comfy lodgings (and check out the colourful Cinelli frameset!)
![WhatsApp Image 2025-05-27 at 20.01.17 051f1a5a](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/r1nras2EM7JK7o3Db4dyN/21105f9261c1cdc90603479a1c99715b/WhatsApp_Image_2025-05-27_at_20.01.17_051f1a5a.jpg)*A king size bed comes in handy (photo: Konrad Boksa)*

__#106 Nora Battermann__ is chasing ferries today!
![obraz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/Cp3ManFXYIVK2bttE4oZ6/ca14d602141ef0923df763d1f8958348/obraz.png)*Didn't have to wait another hour! (photo: Nora Battermann)*

__#48 Justyna Jarczok__ is definitely not going to get any penalties for using national roads!
![WhatsApp Image 2025-05-27 at 14.51.57 ab76ef6f](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6P3FIzP6XDWR3bJcTMLpkA/6788242109009a09dac80ad649d19319/WhatsApp_Image_2025-05-27_at_14.51.57_ab76ef6f.jpg)*Traffic seems to be light here today (photo: Justyna Jarczok)*

### Scratches
- #103 Michał Wójciak scratched, no reason given (but mentioned the brilliant CP2 parcours…)
- #43 Krzysztof Sienkiewicz scratched due to stomach problems

This makes 33 solo scratches.

*Featured image: Tadek Ciechanowski*


Day 4 evening - men's podium complete

At half past eleven on Tuesday morning, __#127 Bruno Wicht__ burst through the finish line in Polanica-Zdrój, securing a fabulous victory after an incredibly narrow race in which everything was literally decided in the final hours. At sunrise, the two great rivals - Bruno and __#111 Adam Bialek__ - met on the summit of Praděd in the Hrubý Jeseník mountains, pulling even just before the end. It was like the 1,500 kilometre race got restarted at the very last moment. Everything before was erased, and Race Through Poland No 7 became a clean slate. On Praděd, nothing was predetermined and any of the two men could come out on top - no past mistakes counted.

In the end, it was Bruno who executed beautifully while Bialek blundered. When leaving the CP4 parcours, which they retraced after gathering their stamps and scaling Praděd, there was a choice to make. The road to the right led north towards Branná, while taking the one to the left meant going southwest to Hanušovice. Bialek's choice to opt for Hanušovice was completely counterintuitive, and in retrospect, it was exactly there that the race was lost and won.

Bruno Wicht had an advantage of around 30 minutes when he finished descending the CP4 parcours. Bialek had been the first man to reach Praděd, but then had to stop at CP4 to get his stamp and subsequently had some trouble on his way down, losing his way on the gravel shortcut. Wicht managed the descent adeptly, making no obvious mistakes, and put some distance between himself and Adam in this way.

30 minutes in the last 100 kilometres would not be an insurmountable gap for a rider like Bialek, but the Hanušovice turn inflated those 30 minutes to a full hour - just one suboptimal routing decision and that's it in a race that's so close. 

This one-hour gap held when both riders entered the finish parcours at Stronie Śląskie and Adam failed to shave even a few minutes off it. Bruno just could not be caught, undoubtedly energised by the realisation that he was winning - that it was just enough to keep up the pace. Three and a half hours of intense effort on the final 70-kilometre stretch were duly rewarded.

![DSC04089](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/K05rEY5fJU8U9fiak4Q6Y/eeb7f425d022b3ba277dece849accb30/DSC04089.JPG)*Bruno keeping up the pace (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![DSC04103](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2mWGfNkSNyOWgfBxUwZzJ4/3bb381afde8447a156ab06425e225fc1/DSC04103.JPG)*Adam chasing (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

Bruno had a fantastic race - after the first day, which brought some frustration, he steadily advanced, getting into the top three at CP3 and never letting Adam escape too far (you should never let Adam escape too far). Today, he achieved something very special, unseating a Race Through Poland legend who won the race three times and - until today - won each time he took part. Hats off to you, Bruno!

![DSC04148](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2HHDPwkTZ0RWRMelUYpGJ6/8acdc34b38a0c4b848413243757e3ffa/DSC04148.JPG)*Bruno Wicht on the finish line in Polanica (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![DSC04153](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2XWj5iFC079yLMmi84u1Gh/70796025a85b1e3844482b9c8e6d3625/DSC04153.JPG)*And that'll be the final stamp for you Bruno! (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

# Second rider home

Exactly one hour and eight minutes after Bruno Wicht, Adam Bialek arrived at the finish line, promptly laid his bike on the grass and sat next to it, looking a bit bewildered with his head in his hands. Finally, he lay on his back with a happy smile, realising that his work is finished and he can take a well-deserved rest (indeed well-deserved as his stopping time during the whole race was a paltry three hours).

![DSC06954](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2iG0Ln8ht8umtY0IFVINdW/8431bea78dcd05810498fb73b8304291/DSC06954.JPG)*That's a nice bike you've got there mate! (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

![DSC06951](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7yUQsuRZsxlUqAMNF6cBdM/db40f34809827ff633967295b290bffb/DSC06951.JPG)*Basking in the sun (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

The final formality was handing the race tracker back to Race Director Paweł 'Piko' Puławski.

![DSC06982](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2YbK7Fpb0DEqGmBs2k0WPZ/19a322ad2e9d2ae2288a0c07288b9986/DSC06982.JPG)*Take this - I don't need it any more (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

# Official times

![DSC06976](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7IgabWkfny0m6NeK6G5gFQ/11ad86f3d64950db07b27a1593a16c2c/DSC06976.JPG)*Under eighty hours - that's no mean feat guys!*

*Featured image: Tadek Ciechanowski*

We have a winner!

# There's life elsewhere too!

While __#127 Bruno Wicht__ and __#111 Adam Bialek__ are already racing the finish parcours with less than 40 km to go, let's look at the rest of the field, shall we?

# CP2 closed

CP2 Bärenstein closed its doors at midnight. All in all, 97 riders passed through this checkpoint; just three solo riders who are still active, and one pair, missed the cut-off.

![DSC06823](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7zEflQxfbsw8wMNaxfEtTd/9ff3c4733c1237a1bec1aac5b734681b/DSC06823.JPG)*Bye! (photo: Tadek Ciechanowski)*

# Women's race
The indefatigable __#19 Claudia Decker__ made short work of the CP3 parcours - entering it around 8 pm yesterday evening, she arrived at Knížecí Pláně half an hour before midnight - that's amazing performance for 60 km with 1,300 metres of climbing, and all that three days into the race!

__#2 Joanna Rumińska-Pietrzyk__ started the parcours two and a half hours later than Claudia, but the difference at CP3 was a full five hours, showing just how hard Joanna must have found the going to be. At earlier stages of the race, she complained of feeling persistently cold - the bad weather encountered from the very beginning, and then culminating on the CP2 parcours, must have affected her considerably, eating into her energy reserves.

What is more, Claudia stopped at Knížecí Pláně for just half an hour and was off to conquer the Dreisesselberg, which she managed very efficiently, and then made the sensible choice to turn back towards Strážný and exit the park there, shunning the Austrian route. She is now well north of the parcours, moving full steam ahead towards the CP4 one, while Joanna has not reached Dreisesselberg yet.

To cut a long story short, Claudia is the obvious favourite here, putting out a great performance, and the race is not so much someone else's to win right now but only hers to lose.

![obraz](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1PoA9gnFaG0VH3oHRUNItF/93a68f12372c225d8830d443aa26fc16/obraz.png)*Claudia's 50 kilometres ahead as the crow flies*

Behind Joanna, a fierce race for CP3 is unfolding with __#106 Nora Battermann__ already on the parcours, but __#5 Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi__ already hot on her heels, barely one hour behind. 

## Stories from the bunch

__#3 Jędrzej Gąsiorowski__ has a sound piece of advice: don't dry your bibs on your saddlebag boys and girls - before you know, you will be pulling them, completely mangled, out of your disc brake!

![WhatsApp Image 2025-05-26 at 20.46.20 3bae32f8](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5OAp0iXvtCk5HpsrSIzlzl/66a8041867ab23d4d04d6fb497d58531/WhatsApp_Image_2025-05-26_at_20.46.20_3bae32f8.jpg)*Braking works great, riding less so (photo: Jędrzej Gąsiorowski)*

### Scratches
- __#4 Evelyn Weiss__ scratched, citing inability to focus on the race
- __#57 Łukasz Tasz__ scratched due to Achilles tendon injury
- __#75 Tadeáš Mahel__ scratched due to knee injury
- __#79 Morten Kjaersgaard__ scratched as prospects of making CP3 on time looked distant
- __#108 Omar Meza__ scratched due to technical and health problems
- __#206a Sławomir Ostrowski__ and __#206b Mariusz Obtułowicz__ scratched, no reason given (the pair missed the CP2 cut-off)

Which brings us to 31 solo scratches (and there are only three pairs left in the race).

*Featured image: Bite of Me*

Day 4 morning - the OTHER races

Bartek Pietrzyk

This free-route race’s seventh edition will focus on the Bohemian Massif. With its natural beauty, interesting and rich culture, and demanding land, riders will be tested by their own routing, weather and elevation.

Race Through Poland 2025 Tracking and Commentary

Race Through Poland 2025

DotWatcher.cc

Race Through Poland 2025

Distance — Elevation

Terrain

Website

Last Year's Male Winner

Last Year's Female Winner

Covered By:

Leaderboard

Solo

Pairs

Outside of GC

Events Feed