Champions End Their Careers. Many of Them Found Success at the Tour de Pologne

As a UCI WorldTour event, the Tour de Pologne has for years attracted the biggest stars of the sport, who battle for stage victories and the overall classification. In 2025, many cycling champions brought their professional careers to an end – riders whose palmarès also included successes at the Tour de Pologne. One of them is Rafał Majka, one of the greatest Polish cyclists of all time.

The end of the season is traditionally a time of farewells to riders we will no longer see in the peloton. This year, many outstanding cyclists who for years provided fans with unforgettable emotions – also on the roads of the Tour de Pologne – retired from professional racing.

Of particular importance for Polish fans was Rafał Majka’s decision to say goodbye to the peloton. He did so in great style – in June he claimed the Polish national road race title, and in August he finished 8th in the 82nd Tour de Pologne, while also winning the Decathlon Team Classification together with his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates. Rafał Majka is one of the most accomplished Polish cyclists in history. His achievements include overall victory at the Tour de Pologne, three stage wins in the Polish race, an Olympic bronze medal from the road race at the Rio de Janeiro, as well as two victories in the mountains classification of the Tour de France and three individual stage wins.

The 2025 season was also the last for several outstanding sprinters and classics specialists. Among those who decided to retire were Italian European champions Elia Viviani and Giacomo Nizzolo, both of whom had repeatedly finished high and stood on stage podiums at the Tour de Pologne in the past. Both also won the points classification of the Giro d’Italia, while Elia Viviani can boast stage victories in all three Grand Tours, as well as world championship and Olympic gold medals on the track.

Among the Tour de Pologne stage winners for whom the 2025 season marked the end of their professional careers are other top sprinters as well – Arnaud Démare and Caleb Ewan. For many years, both were among the very best in fast, flat finishes. Alexander Kristoff, a winner of races such as Milan–San Remo and the Ronde van Vlaanderen, also found success on the Tour de Pologne route many times. He, too, ended his career this year.

We will miss each of these riders, but memories of their achievements – including those on Polish roads – will stay with us for a long time.