This event has become not only the most important cycling event in all of Eastern Europe; it is also turning out to be one of the most significant dates on the World Tour summer calendar.
“There are going to be 7 fantastically thrilling stages, from Warsaw to Krakow. We developed the 2015 parcours with the intention of using cycling to unite the two capitals of Poland: the actual, modern capital of Warsaw with the historical and cultural capital Krakow,” explains general manager for the Tour de Pologne Czeslaw Lang. “Our aim is to promote the international importance of the Tour de Pologne and the Polish cycling movement more and more, year after year. We have a great race, and now we can count on a great generation that includes riders like Rafal Majka and Michal Kwiatkowski, who are here with us today and who we hope will be lining up for the race in August; they represent the maximum expression of this event.”
As for the route for the 2015 Tour de Pologne, after the first three stages suitable to sprinters in Warsaw, Dąbrowa Górnicza and Katowice, the first real pitfalls will surface with the new arrival at Nowy Sącz, a long, hilly stage covering 220 km. Then there will be the two genuine mountain stages with arrivals in Zakopane (which will feature a new climb) and especially with the classically difficult circuit in Bukowina Tatrzańska, before the grand finale featuring the 25 km individual time trial in Krakow.
“It’s a very nice parcours; the 4th stage will pass close by my house. I think the key stages will be the 4th as well, with the arrival at Nowy Sącz, and the 6th stage in Bukowina Tatrzańska, besides the final chronometer,” says the winner of the 2014 TdP Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo). “Last year the victories in the Tour de France were important for me, but winning the Tour de Pologne, with all the esteem and affection I felt from the crowds all along the roads of Poland, this gave me a joy that I can’t describe. According to my schedule I will ride in the Tour de Suisse, then in the national championships, and then I’ll be at the starting block for the Tour de France, but of course, if everything goes according to plan, there is also the will and desire to return to the Tour de Pologne as a major player.”
“I like the route; I’m sure it is going to be a great Tour de Pologne. I think the race will be decided in the last two days, between the climbs at Bukowina Tatrzańska and the time trial in Krakow,” says World Champion Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx – Quick-Step). “I’m very happy with how my season has been shaping up; winning a classic like the Amstel Gold Race while wearing the World Champion jersey was an extraordinary feeling. Now I’m going to compete in the Tour de Suisse, the national championships and then the Tour de France. In order to be at the Tour de Pologne it will be important to see how I come away from the Tour de France but this year the Tour de Pologne will definitely have a special place in my thoughts. I would really like to race here wearing the world champion’s jersey along the roads of my native Poland. It would really be something special, a dream come true and which I’ve had since the first time I pedalled right here in the Mini Tour de Pologne children’s race.”
The 4 jerseys for the Tour de Pologne were also presented: The yellow jersey will identify the leader of the Skandia general classification; the cyclamen Tauron jersey will go to the leader in the classification for the mountain grand prix; the blue Lotto jersey will distinguish the most active rider in the pack and the white and red Lang Team jersey will be worn by the best sprinter.
In keeping with tradition, there will be plenty of events associated with the professional race: the Nutella Mini Tour de Pologne, the event for the youngest riders, which saw more than 1500 kids in 2014; the Tour de Pologne Amatorów which every year in Bukowina Tatrzańska brings fans out to pedal on the same roads as the ones ridden by the athletes in the race. In 2015 the new event will be the Tour de Pologne Challenge Trentino, a granfondo race scheduled for Saturday, June 6th, in Trentino on the Dolomites, organized by the Lang Team in association with Trentino Marketing to celebrate the memorable stage arrival on the Passo Pordoi in2013.
The Stages in the 2015 Tour de Pologne
Stage 1 – August 2nd Warsaw – Warsaw 122 km
Stage 2 – August 3rd Częstochowa – Dąbrowa Górnicza 146 km
Stage 3 – August 4th Zawiercie – Katowice 166 km
Stage 4 – August 5th Jaworzno – Nowy Sącz 220 km
Stage 5 – August 6th Nowy Sącz – Zakopane 223 km
Stage 6 – August 7th Bukovina Terma Hotel Spa – Bukowina Tatrzańska 174 km
Stage 7 – August 8th Krakow – Krakow (ITT) 25 km
Photo © Szymon Sikora
Source: Lang Team
