Czesław Lang Reflects on the 82nd Tour de Pologne – A Great Celebration of Cycling in Poland

On August 10, 2025, the 82nd edition of the Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour came to a close in Wieliczka. After seven days filled with sporting excitement, fierce competition among the world’s top teams, and thousands of fans lining the roads, the ORLEN General Classification winner was American Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

The final act of the race was a 12.5-kilometre individual time trial, starting and finishing at the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine. McNulty recorded the fastest time of the day – 14 minutes and 31 seconds – securing both the stage victory and overall triumph. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) finished second in the GC, with Matteo Sobrero (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) in third. The best-placed Pole was Rafał Majka, 8th overall and winner of the ORLEN VITAY Best Polish Rider Award. Representing the national team, Patryk Stosz claimed the LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification for the third time in his career.

Czesław Lang: From Wrocław to Wieliczka – An Exciting Route and Thousands of Fans
Tour de Pologne Director Czesław Lang highlighted the unique character of this year’s edition:

“This year’s Tour de Pologne was very exciting. The 82nd edition began in Wrocław – a beautiful opening, a wonderful presentation. Then came the stage to Legnica – fast, with a fantastic finish by Olav Kooij. Next, we moved to the mountains – the Hotel Gołębiewski Karpacz–Karpacz stage was demanding and had a thrilling finale. The third stage was very tough, and on top of that we had an incident with a crash – we followed UCI regulations and had to neutralise the time, but the race went on.”

Lang especially praised the efforts of Polish riders:

“The fourth stage from Rybnik to Cieszyn was wonderful – fast, with Poles in the spotlight. Less than two kilometres from the finish, we saw Filip Maciejuk in the lead and were cheering hard for him – a beautiful fight. The stage from Katowice to Zakopane also had a great finale at the Wielka Krokiew. The sixth stage in Bukowina Tatrzańska featured a fantastic ride from Rafał Majka, who, realising he no longer had the strength to fight for victory, worked hard for his teammate.”

Summing up the event, the race director said:

“We ended the race with a time trial that kept us on edge until the very end – the overall winner was decided only on the seventh stage, finishing at the ‘Wieliczka’ Salt Mine. I’m happy that once again thousands of fans came out along the route this year. It was a true national celebration of cycling. Sport can unite – here there were no divisions or factions. Everyone celebrated together, cheering for Rafał Majka, Michał Kwiatkowski and other riders.”

Lang also stressed the importance of promoting Poland:

“Each stage, lasting around four hours, was broadcast to 65 countries, showcasing Lower Silesia, Silesia, Małopolska and Poland’s beautiful cities. We achieved what we set out to do. I thank all the fans along the route, in front of their TVs and on social media. I already invite you to next year’s edition – we will prepare a beautiful and exciting route for you. Love cycling!”

More action just around the corner

Although the 82nd Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour has concluded, cycling in Poland is not slowing down. From August 12 to 14, the 3rd Tour de Pologne Women will take place on the roads of the Lublin region.