The 78th edition of Tour de Pologne 2021
\nwill be open to many scenarios, totally out of the classic schemes, as
\npredicted by the sport directors who have evaluated the routes during
\nthe last weeks. With just a few days to go before the competition, which
\nwill kick off on Monday from Lublin and will end on August 15 in Krakow,
\nhere\u2019s the voices of who will be guiding the riders during the race.<\/p>\n
Fabio Baldato (UAE-Team Emirates)
\n“It’s going to be a beautiful and varied race,” he said, “more open to
\nclimber-passers and Ardennes riders, with a good sprint. For sure you
\nhave to defend yourself in the time trial which is one of the crucial
\npoints of the race, where the final classification will probably be
\ndecided. The key stages that will determine the overall classification
\nare the second with the finish placed at the end of a climb and the
\nBukovina stage, while the time trial will determine the final gaps in
\nthe classification.\u00a0 It’s almost likely going to be a great last-second
\nchallenge, uncertain until the end.”<\/p>\n
Geert Van Bondt (Deceuninck – Quick-Step)
\n\u201cI think we have a very good team to go to the Tour of Poland. We have
\nAlvaro Hodeg who has shown his good condition in the last weeks. I see
\ngood opportunities for him in stages three and seven. For sure, it\u2019s
\ngonna be a sprint stage. Jo\u00e3o Almeida and R\u00e9mi Cavagna are also in
\nshape and very motivated for the race. We can count on Mikkel Honor\u00e9,
\nwho showed a great performance about a week ago, while Tim Declercq, Ian
\nGarrison, and Stijn Steels will be a very good asset to support our
\nriders. The strength of this Tour of Poland edition is that you have
\nseven stages and all kind of riders have a chance to win one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frans Maassen (Jumbo-Visma)
\n\u201cThe the crucial points of the 2021 edition of the Tour de Pologne –
\nfundamental to conquering the overall victory – are stages two, four and
\nfive, and the individual time trial is key, of course. The secret to
\nsuccess is to survive all climbs and be very strong at the ITT.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rolf Aldag (Bahrain – Victorious)
\n\u201cThe Tour of Poland it\u2019s a prestigious race due to its long history
\nand the fact that the Lang family brings a lot of experience into it to
\ncreate an exciting race. It is world tour level, and a lot of points can
\nbe earned for both teams and riders. Compared to the past, the course
\nhas some not as pure climbing stages, which could make it a race about
\nseconds, not minutes, for the GC. Already in the final of stage two,
\nsome important seconds can be lost. The 19km individual time trial will
\nnot create big gaps, but it will be decisive for the overall. Stage four
\nhas two longer climbs in the final, which means that traditional GC
\nclimbers need to try to distance the \u201cpuncheurs\u201d. So stages two,
\nfour and six will be key to winning the Tour of Poland, while stages
\none, three and five can be a showdown for the fast guys. This year\u2019s
\nroute is very balanced, but not easy. The long stages will make riders
\ntired and only the best will be able to deliver. It isn\u2019t crazily
\nhard, so everything will be about fighting for every second on the road
\nand TT stages. Even the time bonuses can make a difference on winning or
\nlosing at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stefano Zanini (Astana – Premier Tech)
\n“This year’s Tour de Pologne has a beautiful route with good
\nopportunities for all types of riders, this will be great for the show.
\nThe two climber’s stages will be crucial for the general classification,
\nand also the time trial – so technical and long – could make a
\ndifference and put seconds between the GC men.
\nWe will field a team that can do well. Sobrero is going to be our man
\nfor the time trial, but he and Pronskiy will also try to place in a good
\nposition in the general classification without stress. The others will
\nhelp the captains but will also be free to go in a breakaway and win a
\nstage.”<\/p>\n
Maximilian Sciandri (Movistar Team)
\n“I won a Tour de Pologne as a sport director with Dylan Teuns and it’s
\nalways quite a challenging race. It has a good fit on the calendar, a
\ngreat route and good organisation, and that always helps. We thought of
\na team around Ivan Cortina – for the fast finishes with a small group –
\nand Matteo Jorgenson – for the overall classification. I think the
\nBukovina stage and the time trial will be decisive, especially if the
\nweather is not too good.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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