Tour de Pologne: second stage route preview

May 20, at 8.30 pm, the entire route of the 78th edition of the Tour de Pologne will be announced. Of the seven stages planned, the second promises to be rather selective and particularly testing.

The stage will start from Zamość and reach Przemyśl after 201 km, characterized by a predominantly undulating first part followed by the final 50 km featuring all the stage’s pitfalls. The riders will be engaged in a circuit that takes in three climbs – Wółka Hucińska (3rd cat.), Kalwaria Paklawska (2nd cat.) and Gruszowa (2nd cat.) – which will make the riders tackle an 1800m total elevation gain without respite.

Past the third ascent of the circuit, Gruszowa, the final 15-20 km lead into Przemyśl. A slight incline might facilitate some surprise attacks, but the race result will be settled in the last 1500m, where the field will roll on a wide downhill road on tarmac that progressively narrows and runs on setts, whereas the climb includes sections with 13 to 15% gradients.

– We expect it to be a really beautiful stage surrounded by enchanting landscapes throughout the 200km-long course. At the finish, a wonderful view of the mountains can be enjoyed. The technical difficulties of the territory allowed us to design a rather selective stage – explains Czeslaw Lang, General Manager of the Tour de Pologne. – I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the finale, a small group of athletes or some riders expert in explosive stage finishes would fight to claim the victory – he concludes.

Przemyśl is not really new to the Polish stage race. It hosted a stage finish in 1960 for the first time and welcomed the international cycling peloton again in 1967 and 1980.

The city, in the south-eastern part of Poland, just 15 km from the border with Ukraine, has hosted many ethnic groups, cultures and religions since the Renaissance, and has been an important strategic, economic and commercial center between Krakow and Lviv. The old town boasts many monuments, churches, an ancient town hall, a castle and a fortress, the third largest in Europe.

Lying at the foot of the Carpathians, Przemyśl enjoys an exclusive view and offers numerous cycling and hiking trails. Its proximity to the mountains has provided all the necessary ingredients for the Lang Team to organize an absolutely interesting stage that will be important to sketch out the overall classification.

Below is the link to follow the entire presentation in Polish https://bit.ly/3v7h7U8