We are just hours away from the start of the
\n78th edition of the Tour de Pologne and the 22 teams attending the
\nPolish race were revealed at today’s official presentation in Lublin.<\/p>\n
Below are some top contenders’ statements on the race kicking off on
\nMonday 9th and finishing on Sunday 15th. It’ll be seven exciting stages
\n– including the beloved arrival in Bukovina and the ITT in Katowice –
\nwhich will test the riders on all terrains.<\/p>\n
Micha\u0142 Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers)
\n“It\u2019s always a privilege to compete on home roads. Tour de Pologne was
\none of my first big races as a pro in 2012 and I have always dreamt of
\nwinning it in front of Poland\u2019s cycling fans. We made it happen in
\n2018 and it was one of my proudest moments. I would love to do it again
\nwith the Grenadiers. It\u2019s always a very close race \u2013 won or lost by
\nsingle seconds, so we have to stay focused from the start of day one.
\nSome punchy finishes and a TT in Katowice will surely affect the GC.”<\/p>\n
Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates)
\n“The last victories in Sardinia were won on stages that were tailored to
\nmy characteristics and the Tour de Pologne this year features routes
\nthat suit me,” said the Tuscan rider. “I’ve already managed to get on
\nthe podium in the general classification once and I want to confirm that
\nand also try to fight for the overall. We have a competitive team and
\nwe’ll try to be always there to try to win the stages and get a good
\nplacement in the general classification. At the moment my feelings are
\nvery good, at the beginning of the year I had a heart problem and the
\nstart of the season wasn’t easy but luckily I was able to leave it all
\nbehind quickly, get back my best feelings and get some victories. Morale
\nis high and I want to do well in the second half of the season. This is
\nan important appointment so we’ll definitely face this trip with great
\nmotivation. “I’ve ridden the Tour de Pologne several times, it’s a race
\nI really like. Among the best memories there is definitely the stage I
\nwon in 2013, when the race started from Italy. Michele Scarponi was also
\nin the team and I always remember those moments with particular
\nemotion.”<\/p>\n
Tomasz Marczy\u0144ski (Lotto Soudal)
\n\u201cThe Tour de Pologne will be my first race after a pretty long break,
\nas I rode my last race more than six weeks ago. I am really happy to
\nresume racing in my country, it\u2019s going to be my 13th – or 14th –
\nparticipation in this competition, I guess, and it\u2019s always exciting
\nto compete in front of my compatriots. In the last month I trained again
\nto build up my condition, I worked very hard in Sierra Nevada and I am
\nreally looking forward to getting back racing.
\nWe\u2019re going to have a super motivated and fighting team with Oldani,
\nWellens, and I think it\u2019s going to be great. It\u2019s also going to be
\nmy last Tour de Pologne as a professional cyclist, so it will be for
\nsure a special emotion. That’s why I really count on all the Polish fans
\nwho\u2019ve been supporting me all these years. It\u2019s really a beautiful
\nrace, perfectly organized, and this year the route has a big change
\ncompared to last year: also the ITT will be super interesting to race
\nand watch. I really look forward to being there!\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicolas Roche (Team DSM)
\n\u201cThis edition of the Tour de Pologne is undoubtedly different from
\nother years: there are new arrivals and the time trial comeback. I have
\na great memory of the time trial in the city centre. Krakow is beautiful
\nand I discovered a part of the world I didn’t know before. It’s an
\nintense race. When you have a WT race with such a high-level line-up, a
\nfinish in the mountains like Bukovina and an important time trial, you
\nhave to spare yourself the first few days to be in top form for the
\nfinish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrea Pasqualon (Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty-Gobert)
\n\u201cI really like this edition, there are two or three stages that suit
\nme well. It will be my second participation in the Tour de Pologne and I
\nwill be happy to be at the start. The route is open to all the riders,
\nthe difficulty of the race is not in the hardness of its climbs but in
\nthe frequency of its many short uphills. For sprinters like us,
\nthere\u2019s definitely three stages – the first, the third and the seventh
\n– and I\u2019m happy there will also be some quite difficult finishes like
\nthe ones in the second and the fifth stages, which are certainly good
\nfor me.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be at the start with a well-prepared and organized team
\nand with strong athletes like Quinten Hermans, Belgian cyclo-cross
\nrider, and Lorenzo Rota, who got a good placement in the Basque Country
\nlast week.<\/p>\n
Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Fenix)
\n\u201cAfter the three hard weeks in France, I feel well recovered and in
\ngood shape and I\u2019m looking forward to testing my legs again in the
\nraces. I think it\u2019s a nice race for us as a team with some sprint
\nopportunities and then some more hilly stages, I believe, towards the
\nend. In general it\u2019s a nice stage race, and I\u2019m very happy to be at
\nthe start.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toms Skuji\u0146\u0161 (Trek – Segafredo)
\n\u201cI\u2019ve ridden the TDP once before, but actually, when coming up
\nthrough the continental teams, I raced quite a lot in Poland and, every
\ntime I go back, or drive through, or race there, and when I did the TDP
\nlast time, it really brought back some really nice memories of racing as
\na young kid and of friends from my city, and I am really looking forward
\nto getting back. It\u2019s always a nice race: people are nice and the race
\nisn\u2019t really hard. The most difficult aspect of TDP is aggressive
\nracing, as there are many hilly sections and never really flat legs, so
\nit\u2019s quite unpredictable and exciting for both the people to watch and
\nthe riders to race. It\u2019s hard to say how I\u2019m feeling right now
\nbecause, having had a big block of races, now I am taking a few easy
\ndays and the TDP will be the first race I am back after Tokyo, I\u2019ll
\nsee the family again and hope my legs won\u2019t \u2018disappear\u2019 but I
\ndon\u2019t have too high expectations for it just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giovanni Aleotti (BORA – hansgrohe)
\n“I’m looking forward to racing in Poland,” he commented. “There are not
\nmany real mountain stages but the second from Zamo\u015b\u0107 to Przemy\u015bl, the
\nfourth in Bukovina and the fifth finishing in Bielsko-Bia\u0142a may be
\nwithin my reach, with short climbs and uphill finishes. These stages,
\nalong with the time trial, will undoubtedly be decisive for the overall
\nclassification. The Tour de Pologne is a World Tour race and the level
\nis very high but we have a great team and we will try to get good
\nresults.”<\/p>\n
Matteo Sobrero (Astana – Premier Tech)
\n“I’m looking forward to racing in Poland. It’s my first race after a
\nbreak from the Giro d’Italia, so I’m looking forward to racing with the
\nteam again and, of course, the ITT stage will be one I’m aiming to do
\nwell.”<\/p>\n
Matej Mohori\u010d (Bahrain – Victorious)
\nI rode Tour de Pologne many times and I like it. This year they have
\nchanged the course slightly, it’s a little bit more punchy, there are
\nless long climbs and I’d say it suits me a bit better. Dylan (Teuns) and
\nI will aim at getting a good GC placements and I’ll also for sure look
\nfor any good opportunities to win a stage. I am eager to start racing.<\/p>\n
Dylan Teuns (Bahrain – Victorious)
\nIt’s my first race since the TDF and I’m very motivated and will
\ndefinitely do my best to get good results. And who knows, maybe I will
\nbe lucky and good enough to relive the emotions of a few years ago.<\/p>\n
Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal)
\nThe course looks really nice, I’d say it’s a bit less hard then in the
\npast but hard enough to make it challenging of course. The ITT looks
\nquite interesting with technical up and down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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