81st Tour de Pologne goes down in history!

Great emotions, triumphs of young stars, and the final victory of Jonas Vingegaard, one of the best cyclists in the world – these are things we’ll remember from the 81st Tour de Pologne, which concluded on Sunday.

The 81st Tour de Pologne is over but we will remember it for a long time. Cyclists competed on an exciting route from Wrocław to Kraków, where each rider had the opportunity to showcase their skills. Climbers, time trialists, punchers, and sprinters all fought for victories, with the general classification being decided by mere seconds.

The race began with a stage from the Centenary Hall in Wrocław to Karpacz, with the finish line at Orlinek. Thibau Nys from Lidl-Trek showcased his talent there –over the next few days, the Belgian proved that his Monday victory was far from a fluke. However, he did not fight for the overall classification. In the Tuesday time trial from Mysłakowice to Orlinek, he lost significant time, and the well-known Jonas Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France winner and stage winner of the 2019 Tour de Pologne, took the yellow leader’s jersey. The Dane from Team Visma | Lease a Bike didn’t win the stage, though–victory went to Belgium’s Tim Wellens from UAE Team Emirates, a team that showed its strength in the time trial, with four of its riders finishing in the top ten!

The next day, the riders raced from Wałbrzych to Duszniki-Zdrój, where the mountainous stage promised more interesting moves. Despite numerous attacks, the win was again decided by a sprint from a select group of favorites, with Thibau Nys once more proving the strongest, continuing the Belgian streak.

“When I saw the profile of the first stage, I knew I had a great chance of success here. I’ve already won very similar stages in the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse, so I had great confidence in myself. I also thank my team for positioning me well on the third stage. After Ryan Gibbons was hurt in a crash, I got a bit distracted. It’s never good to hear that a teammate had an accident, and this win is for him. I can’t believe that I’ve already won a stage in every weekly World Tour race I’ve started this year,” said Thibau Nys.

The next stage ended on a slightly hilly route from Kudowa-Zdrój to Prudnik – the city of the outstanding Polish cyclist Stanisław Szozda – where the fastest in the peloton was Olav Kooij. “I have good memories from Poland, and it was great to be back here. We have a strong team here, and we’re aiming for both the overall classification and sprints. Racing this way makes everyone very motivated to achieve the best result. I’m happy to have won today, and the team did an excellent job to make it easier for me,” Olav Kooij commented after his victory.

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider, who had previously won stages at the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix and the Tour de Pologne, had to concede to Tim Merlier the next day. The Soudal – Quick Step rider was the best on the stage that started and finished in Katowice, largely running through the hills of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. “I’m glad to be back in Poland and to start the second part of the season with a win. The most important thing is to stay at the highest level,” Tim Merlier said after his victory.

The “queen” stage of the 81st Tour de Pologne took place on Saturday on the route from Wadowice–the city where Pope John Paul II was born and raised–to Bukowina Tatrzańska. In breathtaking scenery, the riders competed on the iconic climbs of the Harnaś Wall and BUKOVINA Wall. At BUKOVINA Resort, the phenomenal Thibau Nys triumphed once again, completing a stage hat trick.

“A very interesting rider. It’s clear he inherited all the best from his father, Sven, an excellent cyclocross racer. He has a combination of skills that can bring him many victories on tough, hilly stages. It’s nice to see such beautiful careers developing in our race,” said Czesław Lang, General Director of the Tour de Pologne.

The race concluded with a dynamic route from the Wieliczka Salt Mine to Kraków–the famous loops around Błonia crowned a week of racing, with Olav Kooij again being the fastest there. Team Visma | Lease a Bike left Poland in the best spirits, as Jonas Vingegaard won the overall classification, beating Diego Ulissi from UAE Team Emirates and his teammate Wilco Kelderman.

Diego Ulissi also won the best sprinter classification, ENERGA GRUPA ORLEN, while the other jerseys were claimed by determined Poles – Michał Paluta became the best climber, PZU, and Norbert Banaszek the most active rider, LOTTO. In the special classification for the best young rider in memory of Bjorg Lambrecht, Romain Gregoire from Groupama-FDJ triumphed.