The Polish Week
Starting next Monday, the Tour de Pologne celebrates its 81st edition. The race, which was exclusively amateur until 1993, has been part of the UCI WorldTour since 2009, and it is the most important race held in Central Europe.
Route
Once again, the Tour de Pologne consists of 7 stages. Although there are no major mountain passes, the race still features three summit finishes (stages 1, 3, and 6), which will undoubtedly be decisive for the general classification. The 15 km individual time trial on stage 2 will also be important. The remaining three stages (stages 4, 5, and 7) are flat and will most likely end in bunch sprints.
Favorites
Due to his performance in time trials and uphill finishes, Jonas Vingegaard (1200) is the main favorite for the general classification. For now, other contenders for the victory are Pello Bilbao (800), Matej Mohorič (600), Thibau Nys (400), Felix Grossschartner (400), Rafal Majka (400), and Attila Valter (200), although many teams have yet to present their line-ups.
Among sprinters, Mads Pedersen (1200), Tim Merlier (1000), Olav Kooij (1000), Jordi Meeus (600), Alberto Dainese (600), and Stanislaw Aniolkowski (400) are some of the fastest on paper.
Photo: © Tomasz Śmietana / Tour de Pologne