A new twist on Tour of Poland
Italian start, six-manꦓ teams liven up WorldTour race
This year's Tour of Poland offers a new twist on the WorldTour event: a start in Italy with two demanding days with uphill finishes followed by a flight ಌto the race's homeland with the usual rolling terra𒁏in, questionable weather and a multitude of inflatables for another five stages.
A 37-kilometer final time trial has attracted top chrono men like Fabꦅian Cancellara (RadioShack), Sky's Bradley Wiggins and Taylor Phinney (BMC).
The general classification will be complicated by the six-rider team experiment being put to the test in the Tour, in particular during stage 5, which includes six categorized climbs, and the penultimate stage, which takes on five laps🔥 of a relentless 38.4km circuit with three sharp climbs each lap.
The Cannondale team has won the last two editions with first 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Peter Sagan and then 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Moreno Moser. However, since both sprinters have just completed the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France, and the mountains i🍸n the first days and long time trial likely preclude a sprinter as overall victor, the team has chosen to go with Ivan Basso as its leader.
Gi🎐ro d'Italia champion Vincenzo Nibali returns to competition with Astana, and the long climbs which are very steep in places in the two opening stages should suit his capabilities quite well, if he is feeling motivated and refreshed after his break.
There are only two or three opportunities for𝔉 sprinters this year, with stages 3 and 4 the most likely to end in a bunch kick, and giving riders like Yauheni Hutarovich (AG2R), Ben Swift (Sky), Thor Hushovd (BMC), Mark Renshaw (Belkin) and Leigh Howard (Orica-GreenEdge) a chance to rub elbows in the final kilometer.
As a WorldTour race, the Tour of Poland will offer up those all important points toward the licenses for next season, and riders who are looking for new contracts, such as those from Vacansoleil-DCM, Saxo-Tinkoff or Euskaltel-Euskadi, whose futures are not secure, will be keen to get stage wins or show themselves in breakaways. And as always expect to see the Polish riders on the attack.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to 🅷your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Dual Corkscrew climb finale for women’s Tour Down Under in 2026 as men’s race tackle Willunga Hill triple on penultimate stage
Both courses deliver opportunity for shifts in overall standings right up to the very last kilometres of racing in the southern hemisphere summer -
Baloise Ladies Tour: Zoe Bäckstedt smashes prologue to claim first leader's jersey
Ellen van Dijk second, Charlotte Kool third in Yerseke -
Political protestor tackled at Tour de France finish in Toulouse as Abrahamsen-Schmid duo sweep across the line to conclude stage 11
Tour staffer's swift maneuver drives individual away from threat to riders and French riot police take suspect away in handcuffs -
'That was Ben' - EF Education-EasyPost say decision to slow peloton after Tadej Pogačar crashed taken by Tour de France leader Ben Healy
Team manager Jonathan Vaughters praises Irishman for fair play decision