Wild Cards Awarded for the 81st Tour de Pologne

In addition to the route of the 81st Tour de Pologne, we also learned about the four invited teams that will compete in the week-long race alongside the best UCI World Tour teams. Among them, once again, is the Polish national team, which will present itself to the home fans in white and red colors!

Less than a month remains until the start of the 81st Tour de Pologne. It’s time to announce the list of teams that will compete in the biggest cycling race in this part of Europe. The Tour de Pologne is part of the prestigious UCI World Tour series, ensuring the participation of all top division teams.

Among them will be famous and recognized teams with long histories, such as INEOS Grenadiers, UAE Team Emirates, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Soudal – Quick Step, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. Additionally, the organizers have the opportunity to grant wild cards to second-division teams and national teams.

In the Tour de Pologne, we will once again see the white and red jerseys of the Polish national team, which every year valiantly presents itself in breakaways and stage finishes. Last year, Patryk Stosz won the blue jersey for the most active rider classification, sponsored by LOTTO. The Polish national team will be selected by Tomasz Brożyna, who will choose 7 riders from among the best Polish continental cyclists.

The start list for the 81st Tour de Pologne will be completed by three ProTeams – second-division teams. One of them will be Israel – Premier Tech, a team that was racing with a UCI World Tour license just a few years ago. Their roster includes Chris Froome, Stephen Williams, Ethan Vernon, and Pascal Ackermann, who are striving to return to the highest level.

By competing in the Tour de Pologne, the Israel – Premier Tech cyclists will surely be motivated to fight not only for victories but also for valuable points in the UCI ranking.

Wild cards for the 81st Tour de Pologne have also been awarded to the Swiss teams Tudor Pro Cycling Team and Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. The first is a team led by Fabian Cancellara, a former outstanding cyclist, multiple winner of prestigious races like the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix, and world champion in individual time trials.

The team focuses on youth and development, and participating in the Tour de Pologne will be one of several opportunities this season to present itself to a wide, international audience. Among the riders in the black Tudor jerseys, we regularly see dynamic riders like Alberto Dainese and Arvid de Kleijn, as well as the experienced Matteo Trentin, who serves as the team captain.

The start list is completed by Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team – a Swiss team with Polish elements. The sports director of the relatively new ProTeams-level team is Piotr Wadecki, and the riders include Kamil Małecki and Szymon Sajnok. The first shone in the 2020 Tour de Pologne, finishing 6th in the general classification. Later, the Pole struggled with injuries, but recently he has shown that he is returning to his best form, which he might demonstrate on Polish roads.

The 81st Tour de Pologne will take place from August 12-18 on a route from Wrocław to Kraków.