Tour de Pologne 2023: four jerseys up for grabs
The riders will compete for the leader’s jersey in the general classification, but also for the best sprinter, the best climber and the most active rider jerseys.
Ahead of the official presentation on 19th June live on TVP Sport, the 80th edition of the Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour is unveiling the four jerseys that riders will compete for on Polish roads from 29th July to 4th August.
The most coveted jersey will undoubtedly be the general classification jersey, sponsored for the first time by ORLEN, a long-standing partner of the Lang team for all races on the extensive sporting calendar: ORLEN Nations Grand Prix, Tour de Pologne Junior and ORLEN Tour de Pologne Amatorów and ORLEN Lang Team Race
The outgoing winner is Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers), who won the 2022 Tour de Pologne 11” ahead of Thymen Arensman (now Ineos Grenadiers, then Team DSM) and 18” ahead of Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious).
This year’s best sprinter’s jersey is sponsored by Energa, one of the four largest national energy companies and part of the ORLEN Group. In last year’s edition it was worn by Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) on the final podium, ahead of Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious).
The best climber’s jersey, once again sponsored by the PZU insurance company, was worn by Jarrad Drizners (Lotto Soudal), who commented on his experience: “My teammate Kamil Malecki was the leader of the climbing classification. I was in the breakaway on the last stage, which had some tough climbs, and we wanted to keep the leader’s jersey in the team, so I tried to get as many points as possible. It was really special because it was my first jersey in the pros and it was great to win it in such an important WorldTour race. In fact, it is now the most valuable piece of the collection I have at home.”
Finally, the most active rider’s jersey will be up for grabs, once again in partnership with LOTTO. Totalizator Sportowy, owner of the LOTTO brand, and member of the most important international lottery organisations. The 2022 jersey went to Polish rider Patryk Stosz (Polish National Team), who built his success on courage and determination: “Last year, the team and I analysed the route before the race and immediately realised that this jersey was worth aiming for. With 9 of the 14 prizes up for grabs in the first three fractions, I had a good chance of winning this classification. That’s why I joined the breakaways in the first two stages, where I collected 16 points in total. Definitely a good haul for the following days. To be on the podium and wear the jersey in a race like the Tour de Pologne, where the level of the riders is very high, is something special for me. Then, in Krakow, my family was waiting for me and I was able to stand on the podium with my son. I will remember all these moments for a long time, just like two years ago when I won the climber’s classification.”
In less than two months’ time, the jerseys of the four leaders will be awarded to those who best manage their strengths, interpret the right strategy and complete the team’s work to perfection.