The Tatra Mountains on the Horizon – Preview of Stage 5 of the 82nd Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour

The 82nd Tour de Pologne UCI WorldTour is entering its decisive phase. After thrilling stages on flat, hilly, and mountainous terrain, the battle for the ORLEN General Classification is still wide open. Today, the riders will compete on a stage from Katowice to Zakopane.

The longest stage of the entire race awaits the peloton – a mountainous route from Katowice to Zakopane. The riders will start in the charming and historic Nikiszowiec district, heading toward the mountains. The finish line will be located beneath the Wielka Krokiew ski jump in Zakopane, where previous winners include Jonas Vingegaard, Tim Wellens, and Jack Haig.

In the first part of today’s stage, riders will have opportunities to score points at two LOTTO Sprint Prime in Mysłowice and Wilamowice – locations that decided the outcome of the ORLEN General Classification two years ago. The route also features a Decathlon Special Prime in Porąbka, a PZU Mountain Prime on the Kocierz climb, a DPD Special Prime in Zawoja, and the final PZU Mountain Prime at the Krowiarki Pass.

The stage’s final climb is an uncategorized ascent to Gubałówka, located just 10 kilometers from the finish line.

The nature of the stage suggests aggressive and combative racing. It’s likely that many riders will aim to get into the breakaway of the day. Among them will surely be Polish representatives, especially Patryk Stosz, leader of the LOTTO Most Active Rider Classification, who could secure overall victory in this competition today.

A thrilling battle for the stage win is expected, with the favorites being punchy riders who can handle multi-kilometer climbs. Among the main contenders are previous stage winners such as Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), current ORLEN General Classification leader Paul Magnier (T-Rex Gold Quick-Step), and Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers).

Other hopefuls include Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Ethan Vernon (Israel–Premier Tech), Andrea Bagioli, Tim Torn Teutenberg (3rd yesterday, Lidl–Trek), and Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike).

The race will start in Katowice’s Nikiszowiec at 11:40, with the finish expected around 16:30 at the foot of the Wielka Krokiew in Zakopane. The stage will be broadcast on TVP and Eurosport, as well as streamed on HBO Max.