Monaco's Victor Langellotti just can't stop making cycling history at the Tour de Pologne this year. The Ineos Grenadiers pro had already clinched his country's first-ever podium finish in a WorldTour race with a third place on Pologne's stage 2 on Tuesday.
On Saturday in the same race, the 30-year-old not only claimed Monaco's first outright WorldTour stage victory, he also moved into the overall lead.
Just one of two professional racers from the tiny, southern European state in the current peloton and Monaco's first and only representative in a WorldTour team to date, Langellotti was a surprise signing for Ineos Grenadiers last autumn, moving up from his only previous professional squad, Spanish Proteam Burgos-BH.
However, as he showed on the tough, irregular ascent to Karpacz last Tuesday, Langellotti is growing increasingly confident of his abilities in cycling's top league. And his blistering late acceleration at Bukovina Tatranska's more grinding uphill on Saturday has shown him break yet another glass ceiling in style.
"I knew that I had to wait until at least the last 500 metres, that was my strength. I just wanted to wait that final moment to launch my sprint. I’m super happy because everything went according to the plan," Langellotti said afterwards.
The Monaco rider's late move proved to be perfectly timed, allowing him to overhaul another last-minute attack, UAE Team Emirates-XRG racer Brandon McNulty. As a result, both the stage win and the overall lead were his for the taking.
"The idea was to wait because I knew the last climb suits me pretty well," Langellotti, now seven seconds ahead of McNulty and a full 20 seconds up on third-placed Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), explained.
"I really wanted to wait, to keep calm and to keep as much energy as possible to make the difference in the last kick. Obviously the other guys tried, and it was a big fight, but everybody was on the limit today, so it’s been very hard for all the bunch."
Langellotti's victory is the second in four days for Ineos Grenadiers in Pologne, following Ben Turner's triumph on the partly-suspended Queen Stage on Wednesday, and the Briton is also with a commanding lead in the points competition as well.
Whether Langellotti can defend the yellow jersey on an expert time triallist like McNulty with just a seven-seconds margin remains to be seen, but barring disasters a top-three finish on Sunday overall at the very least, certainly looks more than likely.
On the downside for Ineos, the British squad lost two of their best-known participants in Poland on Saturday, with both Magnus Sheffield and Michal Kwiatkowski having to abandon sick. Second in a Pologne time trial a few years back, Sheffield would have been a top contender for Sunday's final race against the clock, while Kwiatkowski is a former Pologne winner back in 2018, one of his country's most popular racers - every morning he has been mobbed by both media and fans alike - and has also been instrumental in leading out both Turner and Langellotti on the final climbs earlier in the week, too.
"It was a bit of a shock this morning when we woke up and we knew Magnus and Kwiatko were sick," Langellotti confirmed. "It was a tough moment but we kept our heads up, we kept on fighting all day, the guys were amazing.
"I’m so thankful for the hard work they’ve done today and we showed that with four riders we could also win. When the team gives the best for you, you cant let them down. It gives you an extra boost. For sure, without them I wouldn't have won.
"It’s been an amazing week for us with Ben’s win and several podiums. Everything is going super great in Poland."
Langellotti was realistic about his chances of keeping the jersey on Sunday's 12.5-kilometre race against the clock, but he promised that he will defend it with all his strength come what may.
"It’s going to be a big challenge, obviously, but I’m feeling positive, and we’ll see the result," he said.
"Honestly if last week you’d told me I’d be wearing the yellow jersey one stage from the end, I probably wouldn’t believe it. Brandon is a fantastic time triallist so it’s going to be very hard. Anyway, I’m going to give my best."
Whether these milestone moments like Monaco's first WorldTour win and first WorldTour race lead can continue on Sunday remains to be seen, then. But It goes without saying that the 2025 Tour de Pologne has already been a massive breakthrough both for Langellotti, and for his country's cycling, too.
