Great emotions right from the start!
We’ve been waiting a long time for this day. Today the 81st Tour de Pologne starts from the Centennial Hall in Wrocław. The 7-stagerace promises to be very exciting, and the fight for victory and precious seconds of advantage over others will begin from the first stage. Riders will finish on the challenging climb to Orlinek in Karpacz.
The countdown to the grand depart of the 81st Tour de Pologne is almost over. In Poland, a cycling festival will begin, lasting 7 days. Everything will be inaugurated by a challenging stage starting from the Centennial Hall in Wrocław, where yesterday the participants of Poland’s biggest cycling race – the only one included in the prestigious UCI World Tour – were presented.
“I am very pleased that once again so many wonderful cyclists will be starting in the Tour de Pologne. This year’s edition will feature, among others, the two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard and one of the best Polish riders of recent years, Rafał Majka. The defending ORLEN general classification winner from last year, Matej Mohorić, will also be at the start, along with many other great cyclists,” says race director Czesław Lang.
After the honorary start through the streets of Wrocław, the riders will head on a flat section towards Sobótka, well-known for its cycling traditions. There, the first LOTTO sprint will be located. Shortly after, the peloton and potential escapees will begin the climb to the categorized Tąpadła Pass, marked as a PZU category III KOM.
In the later, hilly part of the stage, the riders will compete for the Soudal special prime in Świdnica, another LOTTO sprint in Czarny Bór, and the last PZU KOM sprint, whose line will be on the challenging Kowarska Pass. The race will then enter its decisive phase, with the favorites fighting to reach the summit in the lead. Shortly after, the climb to Orlinek in Karpacz will begin. The motivation to attack should also be the bonus Lake Hill prime, 5 kilometers before the finish.
The challenging climb will cap a 156-kilometer section. Last year, Matej Mohoric from the Bahrain Victorious team won here, ultimately becoming the best in the ORLEN general classification. The Slovenian will start today and fight to defend his title and achieve another victory.
“I’m very happy that Wrocław is on the race route, especially since it’s a cycling city. Many cyclists come from here, there was the Dolmel club where Ryszard Szurkowski, Henryk Charucki, Jan Faltyn, Jan Brzeźny – many champions – rode. The presentation will take place in the Centennial Hall, and the start will be there the next day. After 9 kilometers through the streets of Wrocław, the first stage will begin. The finish will be on the well-known climb to Orlinek in Karpacz. The first stage will already impact the general classification,” described the first stage Czesław Lang, General Director of the Tour de Pologne.
However, his task will not be easy, as many excellent cyclists are on the start list. Among them is the favorite of all Polish fans, Rafał Majka from UAE Team Emirates – a former winner of the Tour de Pologne general classification. Dynamic Aurelien Paret-Peintre from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, talented Romain Gregoire from Groupama-FDJ, Magnus Sheffield from INEOS Grenadiers, Thibau Nys from Lidl-Trek, and Jonas Vingegaard – two-time Tour de France winner, familiar with the taste of victory on Polish soil – can also hope for success.
There are many favorites, but the climb will verify their current form and chances to fight for the ORLEN general classification yellow jersey. Who will wear it on the podium in Karpacz after today’s stage? We’ll find out this afternoon! An extraordinary mountain spectacle is in the program!