After the time trial on stage 6 of the Tour de Pollogne, the gap between race leader Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) and second-placed Joan Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) was just a few hundredths of a second. Instead, with one stage remaining in the competition, the gap between the top two riders could not be narrower.
Time bonuses on Friday's 166.6-km, mostly flat ceremonial stage to Krakow may play an important role in the overall battle.
In addition, bonuses of 10, 6, and 4 seconds will be awarded to the first three to cross the finish line on the spacious Marzauka Ferdinanda Focha street after three 5km laps of Krakow's Blonny Park.
Third-place finisher Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) is relatively far behind at 14 seconds, so the race for the win should theoretically be a battle between Mohoric and Almeida. However, as Mohoric told reporters after defending his overall lead in the stage 6 time trial, he strongly believes he has the potential to hold yellow all the way to the finish.
"I'm confident I can defend this lead with my teammates," Mohoric said. 'I think I'm faster than him in the bonus sprint.'
"If they go for the bonus sprint, we will challenge them.
Mohoric, who had always seen his chances of defending his lead in the time trial as slim, was asked if he honestly expected to be in first place, and said that he did, but did not want to say anything because it would "seem arrogant."
"I knew I had the legs for life, and I was second in the Junior World Championships time trial, so time trials are my thing. But with the Tour and everything, I haven't done a lot of time trial bike training. But when I have good legs, I have good legs."
Mohoritchev reminded reporters that he has had past experience with this kind of last-minute, cliffhanger GC scenario. Last year, he was in second place on the final day of the CRO race, and he earned a bonus second in the final group sprint to Zagreb to snatch the overall win from Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo Visma) at the last possible moment.
That victory was by one second, but here the gap could be even smaller. Such an achievement shows that, as he says, "I am going to challenge tomorrow."
On what gave him more satisfaction, keeping the jersey in the time trial or winning the uphill finish (against Almeida) in Carpats on stage 2 of the Tour de Pollogne, Mohoric said, "I am always happy to win a stage. Especially since Carpats was the hardest stage of the race."
"It was obvious today that Joan would be a little faster. He spends a lot of time on the time trial bike.
"I'm just a GC opportunist and when I get the chance I take it, but that's not all I focus on. So time trials are not my top priority for the whole season."
Almeida, who finished second in the stage, 13 seconds behind Mattia Cattaneo (Sourdal-Quick-Step) and just ahead of Mohoric in the overall, was adamant that he would not throw in the towel before the final finish on Friday.
"It's a new situation for me, but there is a first time for everything.
"I think it will be a sprint finish, but we'll see what happens.
"There is a time bonus in the middle of the stage, but if there is a breakaway I don't think we have a chance of that. It's an almost impossible mission, but I don't think we can beat the sprinters. But if I get the chance, I'm going to take it."
There is also the possibility that the UAE will drop their cautiousness and try something crazy, one journalist noted.
"That's not true. I have nothing to lose. He won the Tour de Croatia by taking the leader's jersey in a group sprint on the final stage."
"But João has other goals. He's going to the Vuelta, so I don't know if he's willing to risk a crash in the sprint.
"But if he's up for the challenge, I'm willing to take it. I will try not to lose him tomorrow, either on the stage or in the final."
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