Favorites of the 82nd Tour de Pologne
Tour de Pologne is a race renowned for its unpredictability. The general classification has often been decided by mere seconds, with many riders battling for the yellow jersey. This year will be no different! The preliminary start list includes riders such as Antonio Tiberi, Ethan Hayter, Brandon McNulty, Daniel Felipe Martinez and two Polish stars – Rafał Majka and Michał Kwiatkowski
The 82nd Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour kicks off this Monday and will run through to Sunday. Over the course of seven stages, riders will be fighting not only for stage wins but also for the overall ORLEN General Classification victory.
Contenders for the prestigious yellow jersey will need to stay alert from start to finish. While the mountain stages and individual time trial seem decisive, history has shown that time gaps can emerge anywhere.
As a UCI WorldTour event, the 82nd Tour de Pologne has attracted all top-division teams with their leading riders. UAE Team Emirates-XRG arrives in Poland with a powerful lineup that includes Polish champion and former Tour de Pologne winner Rafał Majka, as well as the versatile Jan Christen and Brandon McNulty.
The varied route of the 82nd Tour de Pologne, featuring challenging stages and a time trial, suits well-rounded riders.
Strong performances are therefore expected from Pello Bilbao and Antonio Tiberi of Bahrain Victorious. The latter secured a podium finish at this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico and proved his time trial skills. INEOS Grenadiers will bring a strong squad too, with rising star Magnus Sheffield and the returning Michał Kwiatkowski – world champion and former Tour de Pologne winner.
The start list will be further enriched by names like Daniel Felipe Martinez (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), who finished second in last year’s Giro and Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), winner of the ORLEN General Classification three years ago.
The colorful peloton of the 82nd Tour de Pologne will feature many more exciting riders, including the versatile and unpredictable Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – one of the revelations of the season – as well as time trial specialists Stefan Küng and Remi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ), French champion Dorian Godon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Max Poole (Team Picnic PostNL), Alberto Bettiol, and Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana Team).
The 82nd Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour will take place from August 4 to 10, following a route from Wrocław to the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine. The race will be broadcast on TVP, Eurosport, and the streaming platform HBO MAX, reaching fans in 65 countries worldwide!