The UCI WorldTour has started in Australia!

The Santos Tour Down Under in Australia has traditionally kicked off the UCI World Tour, a series of the world’s biggest cycling events. Among them, for over 20 years, has been the Tour de Pologne, which this year will take place from August 4–10.

A few months break from racing has come to an end. Although it’s still the heart of winter in Poland, road cycling races have begun in “warm countries.” The men’s top-tier season has started in Australia, where — as every year — the Santos Tour Down Under is held, the first race on the UCI World Tour calendar.

The Australian stage race has brought together all the top-tier teams at the starting line, including global stars, some of whom are well-known for their successes in the Tour de Pologne. Among them are overall winners of the Polish race — Michał Kwiatkowski (INEOS Grenadiers) and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) — as well as stage winners like Phil Bauhaus, Nikias Arndt (Bahrain Victorious), Ben Swift (INEOS Grenadiers), and Sergio Higuita (XDS Astana Team).

The first two stages of the Santos Tour Down Under were claimed by one of the hosts, Sam Welsford from Red Bull — BORA — hansgrohe, who, with the help of Poland’s Filip Maciejuk, secured further victories in his home race. On the third day of competition, on a slightly tougher route, Spain’s Javier Romo from the Movistar Team was the best. The race will conclude this Sunday.

Top-level competition has truly begun and will continue until October. In the upcoming months, cyclists will traditionally compete in the Grand Tours — Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España — the five Monuments (the most prestigious one-day races), and the Tour de Pologne, which has been a fixed part of the UCI World Tour for over 20 years. The 82nd edition of the national tour will be held from August 4–10, once again showcasing top riders from around the world along with all the teams from the top division.

Then we’ll find out who will succeed Jonas Vingegaard as the next winner of the ORLEN overall classification of the Tour de Pologne. In the meantime, it’s worth enjoying the return of cycling races, and the appetite for competition in Poland will surely grow with each exciting event!