73rd Tour de Pologne
July 12th - July 18th, 2016
Live Coverage:
TVP1 and Velon (Streaming available on web or in app)
Schedule:
Stage 1, Tuesday: 13:30 - 16:30 (Velon live coverage from 14:40)
Stage 2, Wednesday: 15:00 - 18:40 (17:25)
Stage 3, Thursday: 12:30 - 18:40 (17:25)
Stage 4, Friday: 13:10 - 18:40 (17:25)
Stage 5, Saturday: 12:40 - 18:40 (16:55)
Stage 6, Sunday: 13:20 - 18:40 (16:45)
Stage 7, Monday: 15:00 - 18:40 (16:45)
All times are CEST.
Downloads:
Roadbook & Rules (PDF, 89 MiB, Polish/English)
Website:
http://tourdepologne.pl/
https://twitter.com/Tour_de_Pologne
Confirmed Startlist:
http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Tour_de_Pologne_2016_Startlist
Invited Teams:
Bardiani - CSF
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
Gazprom - RusVelo
One Pro Cycling
Poland National Team
Team Novo Nordisk
VERVA ActiveJet Pro Cycling Team
Route:
Stage 1: Radzymin → Warsaw (135 km)
Stage 2: Tarnowskie Góry → Katowice (153 km)
Stage 3: Zawiercie → Nowy Sącz (240 km)
Stage 4: Nowy Sącz → Rzeszów / Podkarpackie (218 km)
Stage 5: Wieliczka → Zakopane (225 km)
Stage 6: Bukovina Resort → Bukowina Tatrzańska (194 km)
Stage 7: Kraków → Kraków (25 km, ITT)
Stage 1: Radzymin → Warsaw (135 km)
CyclingQuotes.com said:In the early years as a WorldTour race, the Tour de Pologne sometimes started with a short team time trial but since it has found a more fixed format, the sprinters have always had their say on the first day – with the very special 2013 edition being the exception. This year it will be no different as the opening stage will mostly be held on a difficult circuit in the capital of Warsaw where the fast riders are expected to shine.
From 2007 to 2011, the capital always hosted the finish of the opening stage but in recent years the race has mainly been held in the southern part of the country. Since then, the race has rarely ventured into the northern part but in 2014 the race finally returned. During their journey to the hilly south, the riders visited Warsaw on stage 2 and so the capital was back after a two-year absence. Last year the opening stage was the only one not to take place in the south and this year the riders will again race do their stage in Warsaw earlier than usual to make room for an evening travel to the south where the rest of the race will take place.
Last year the opening stage was held entirely on a circuit but this year the riders will start in Radzymin before they head to the capital where they will do most of the stage on a new circuit with a similarly tricky finale. At just 135km, the opening stage is a very short one, with the first 35.6km bringing the riders from the starting city to the circuit in the city centre. After 37.9km of racing, they will cross the finish line for the first time and then the rest of the race consists of seven laps of a 13.8km circuit.
The first part of the circuit is mainly made up of a long, straight road but the second part is a bit hillier with two small climbs. Importantly, one of them is very technical and comes with just 1.5km to go. Last the sprint came just after that climb but this year the finish line comes a little later. After the technical section, the riders will pass the flamme rouge and then there’s sharp right-hand turn. Finally, there is a sweeping left-hand bend and a sharp left-hand turn inside the final 500m, the final of those leading onto the 280m finishing straight. There will be cobbles between the 850m and 280m to go marks.
There will be an intermediate sprint on the fifth lap while there will be KOM points on offer on the first climb in lap four and on the second climb in lap 6.
The Tour de Pologne has always been a festival for sprinters and it doesn’t make much sense to go to the race without a fast finisher. Hence, the start list is loaded with fast guys who will be eager to strike on the opening day, get a stage win and wear the yellow jersey. Hence, it is very hard to imagine that the opening stage won’t come down to a big bunch sprint in the streets of Warsaw. However, the very tricky finale will make lead-outs much more important than pure speed. Last year it was a hugely confusing finale and even though the finish line has been moved a bit, it will still be very technical. This sprint is all about positioning as it was the case in 2015 when Marcel Kittel took the win.
Before Kittel’s win, Warsaw last hosted the Tour de Pologne in 2014 when Petr Vakoc took a hugely surprising solo win on a day that was expected to be for the sprinters. In 2011 Marcel Kittel took his first ever WorldTour victory on the opening day before going on to win another three stages of the race. In 2010, Jacopo Guarnieri was the fastest in the opening bunch sprint while Borut Bozic was the first winner in 2009. In 2007 and 2008, the race opened with a team time trial in the capital and they were won by Lampre-Fondital and Team CSC-Saxo Bank respectively, with Roberto Longo and Lars Bak becoming the first race leaders.
Stage 2: Tarnowskie Góry → Katowice (153 km)
CyclingQuotes.com said:The sprinters that were left disappointed on the opening day will get an immediate chance to take their revenge as the second stage is another one for the fast riders. After a travel overnight, the riders are now in the hilly southern part of the country but they will wait another days before they go into the hills. That will give the sprinters another day to chase success before they head into survival mode.
One of the classic stages in the Tour de Pologne is the one that finishes in Katowice which has been visited every year since 2010. This year the city will welcome the event on the second day and it will use largely the same circuit that has been used every time. A few modifications were made in 2015 to increase the length from 12.3km to 14.7km and this year the same circuit will be used.
With the long travel, it is no surprise that the second stage is another short one. At just 153km, it brings the riders from Tarnowskie Gory to Katowice and it is another almost completely flat affair. Having done tackled a small circuit in the starting city, the riders will travel south for most of the day. There are a few rolling hills but they will do nothing to challenge the riders.Along the way, they will contest intermediate sprints at the 41.5km, 62.2km and 72.3km marks respectively.
The riders will enter the finishing circuit after 79.5km of racing and after crossing the finish line just 1km later, they will end the stage by doing five laps of the 14.7km circuit that is almost completely flat. However, there are two small climbs that will be used to hand out KOM points. The hardest comes in the first half of the circuit and will offer points on the fourth lap while the second ascent comes just 1.2km from the finish and will offer points on the second lap.
The circuit is pretty technical and has several corners interspersed with long, straight roads. However, the finale is not too complicated. The riders will turn left just before the 2km mark and then go straight through a roundabout before they head up one of the small climbs. The summit comes just before the flamme rouge which is located in a roundabout where the riders will turn around to get onto the finishing straight which is slightly descending.
This could be the final opportunity for the sprinters and so there is little chance that they will miss out on the chance to sprint for the win. The late climb has often been used to make late attacks but it is no major challenge and even though it comes a bit closer to the finish than it has done in most of the past editions, it is unlikely to prevent the sprinters from having their say. The downhill sprint on a long, straight road is usually one of the fastest in the WorldTour and will be the perfect scene for the riders with the highest speed.
Last year Matteo Pelucchi continued his success by claiming his second straight stage win here ahead of Giacomo Nizzolo and Tom Van Asbroeck. In 2014 it was Jonas Van Genechten who took the biggest win of his career by holding off Jacopo Guarnieri and Luka Mezgec. One year earlier Taylor Phinney did what most thought to be impossible by making a brave move and narrowly holding off the sprinters before Steele Von Hoff beat Yauheni Hutarovich in the sprint for second. In 2012, Aidis Kruopis prevailed in a bunch sprint while Marcel Kittel was the fastest in 2011. In 2010, Hutarovich took a big WorldTour win when he beat Lucas Haedo and Allan Davis in the Polish city.
Stage 3: Zawiercie → Nowy Sącz (240 km)
CyclingQuotes.com said:This year the course has been described as one of the hardest yet and one of the main reasons for that is the inclusion of the third stage. This year the riders will hit hillier terrain a bit earlier than usual as this third leg will see them tackle a few climbs that can create an initial selection. For the second year in a row, they will finish in the city of Nowy Sacz where Maciej Bodnar took a breakaway win and denied the sprinters in 2015 but this year a hillier run-in means that the stage will be harder. With a downhill finish, it’s not a day to win the race but it’s a day when you can definitely lose it.
What will make the race even tougher is the distance. The Tour de Pologne has been known for its many very long sprint stages. This year they have been shortened significantly but the hilly stages are long. This one covers a massive 240km and brings the riders from Zawiercie to Nowy Sacz where the riders will end the race with their usual circuit finish.
In the first part of the stage, the riders will travel in a southerly direction along mainly flat roads until they get to the city of Wadowice after 78.3km of racing. Here they will contest the only intermediate sprint and turn to the east to approach the finishing city. The roads are still flat but gradually the terrain gets more difficult as they venture into the hills.
The feed zone is located at the 109.2km mark and then it is time for the climbing to start. The next part has several smaller climbs which will have taken their toll when they reach the bottom of the first category 1 climb whose summit is located 61.1km from the finish.
The riders will now descend towards the finishing city but instead of going to the finish line, they will head into the hills on the eastern outskirts of the city. Having contested a special sprint at the 193.9km mark, they will tackle two category 3 climbs in quick succession with 33.3km and 26.7km to go respectively. Then it’s time to again descend to the finishing city where the riders will get onto the finishing circuit with 22.4km to go
200m later, the first passage of the finish line signals the start of the first of 3 laps of the 7.4km finishing circuit. It is mainly flat and very straightforward, with only a few technical challenges. The riders will make a U-turn with 1.5km to go and then it’s a straight road to the finish. The stage includes 1860m of climbing.
Compared to last year, the stage has been changed. The category 1 climb is the same as the one that was used last year but back then they turned around to tackle it again from another direction. This year they will do the two category 3 climbs instead and they come closer to the finish. However, they are both relatively short and with the flat circuits in the end, there will be time for a regrouping to take place. Last year a breakaway stayed away and it’s definitely not impossible that we will have a similar scenario if the break doesn’t contain riders that are dangerous for the GC. The sprinters will be a bit uncertain about their chances so it’s not evident who’s going to do the chase. On the other hand, the GC riders don’t want to let their overall ambitions slip away so they will probably control things and the most likely outcome is a reduced bunch sprint which should suits riders like Fernando Gaviria, Sacha Modolo and Niccolo Bonifazion who are known for their ability to survive late climbs.
Last year Maciej Bodnar, Kamil Zielisnki and Gatis Smukulis held the peloton off by 20 seconds, with Bodnar taking the victory. Caleb Ewan beat Luka Mezgec and Tom Van Asbroeck in the reduced bunch sprint for fourth.
Stage 4: Nowy Sącz → Rzeszów / Podkarpackie (218 km)
CyclingQuotes.com said:The first part of the race has mostly been a sprint festival. This year two of the four first stages are a bit hillier but the fast finishers should still find plenty of room to shine. They will hope to get their finale opportunity on the fourth day. The city of Rzeszow has featured on the course regularly and has mostly hosted a sprint stage. After a one-year absence, the race will return to the city but this year a hillier run-in to the finish could change the nature of the race.
At 218km, the fourth stage is another very long one which will bring the riders from Nowy Sacz to Rzeszow. It mainly consists of a long easterly and northeasterly run through relatively flat terrain. However, the organizers have added an interesting sting in its tail which will make things harder. Instead of continuing straight to the finishing city, the riders will digress from the direct tour to tackle two category 3 climbs on the southern outskirts of the city at the 110.2km (1.2km, 8.4%) and 117.7km (3km, 5.8%)respectively. Then they will head along flat roads to the finish where they will cross the line for the first time with 78.9km to go.
The riders will now take on a 60.9km circuit that includes a category 2 climb (2.3km, 8%) and the two category 3 climbs that have already been tackled once. They come with 56.1km, 47.7km and 40.2km respectively. Having returned to the finish, the riders will end the stage by doing three laps of a 6km circuit, with the only intermediate sprint coming with 17.3km to go. The circuit is flat and doesn’t include many technical challenges. There are turns with 2.75km, 1.6km, 1.05km and 0.85km to go but from there it is a straight road to the finish. The stage include 2000m of climbing.
The total amount of climbing will be bigger than it was in the previous stage and two of the climb are pretty steep. However, they come way too far from the finish for the GC riders to make a move but they will definitely be too hard for the pure sprinters. As some riders will have lost time in the previous stage, it could be another good opportunity for a breakaway so it will probably be a very fast stage. On the other hand, a rider like Fernando Gaviria is a great climber and he should usually be able to overcome these challenges. As it’s the final chance for the sprinters, there will probably be a few teams going for the win so another reduced bunch sprint is the most likely outcome.
Rzeszow last hosted a stage finish in 2014 when Theo Bos beat Luka Mezgec and Michael Matthews in a sprint. One year earlierThor Hushovd marked his return to form by beating Mark Renshaw and Steele Von Hoff in a bunch sprint. It 2009 his compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen held off Jürgen Roelandts and Danilo Napolitano in the final dash to the line but in 2008, Roelandts did one better when he beat Jose Joaquin Rojas and Steven De Jongh to take a big WorldTour win in his first year as a professional.
Stage 5: Wieliczka → Zakopane (225 km)
CyclingQuotes.com said:After four days with flat finales, it is finally time for the first serious climbing day in this year’s Tour de Pologne when the riders tackle the stage to Zakopane which has often welcomed the city. In the past, it always had the same layout and been a perfect stage for strong sprinters and puncheurs who have excelled in the moderately hilly terrain and the uphill sprint as the climbs were never very steep. However, the stage was markedly different in 2015 as the climbing was made a lot tougher and this year it will be almost identical, meaning that it is the first chance for the GC riders to make their mark.
At 225km, it is another very long stage that brings the riders from the Wieliczka to Zakopane. The first part of the stage is made up of a predominantly flat southerly journey but the road gradually starts to rise as the riders approach the finishing circuit which they will enter after 109.2km of racing. At the 102.5km mark, they will contest a special sprint.
The circuit is 50.1km long, includes three category 1 climbs and is a bit short than last year’s. Before getting to the finish line, the riders will do the final 15.5.6km and that includes one of the climbs. It is the Koscielisko Butorwy Wierch which is 4.2km long and has kilometres that average 9.2%, 6.2%, 7.8% and 4.8% respectively. The steepest section of 18.4% comes at the bottom. From the top, there are still 8.7km to the finish.
After the first passage of the line, the riders will do two full laps of the circuit. The first part is almost all uphill and culminates at the top of the category 1 Glodowka climb which is 8km long and mostly averages around 4-5%. There’s a flat section near the top before it ramps up for the final kilometre where it reaches it maximum gradient of 8.8%. The summit comes with 31.1km to go and then the riders will descend to the bottom of the Zab climb which is 4km long with kilometres averaging 4.0%, 7.5%, 6.4% and 7.3% respectively and a steep 11.4% section at the midpoint, and then it’s time for Koscielisko Butorwy Wierch again. The final two ascents will be tackled with 15.8km and 8.7km to go respectively. The final part is mainly descending but the final 3km are very slightly uphill. There are two turns in quick succession just before the flamme rouge but the final kilometre is straight. There will be intermediate sprints on the final lap with 20.3km and 5.6km to go respectively.
Compared to last year, the circuit has been changed slightly in the end, meaning that the climbs come around 2km closer to the finish. However, the final 3km are unchanged. The total amount of climbing is 3370m.
The climbers don’t have many chances to make a difference in this year’s Tour de Pologne so they need to make the most of the two opportunities they have got. One of them is stage 5 which has some very significant climbing. The first climb is not very hard but to the two ascents inside the final 25km are definitely perfect opportunities to go on the attack. With a mostly downhill finish, it won’t be impossible for a single rider or a small group to make it to the finish even though the final 3km favour a bigger group. At the same time, the selection could leave many teams with limited domestique resources and this opens the door for late attacks in the final 3km which will be very hard to control. A sprint from a small group or success for a late attack is the most likely outcomes of what will be a tough day in the Polish hills.
Last year it was such a late move that worked out. After the climbs, a select 12-rider group was formed but it was impossible for the fast riders to hold it together for a sprint. Bart De Clercq made a late win for freedom and held off his chasers to claim a surprise win and take the leader’s jersey. Pre-stage favourite Diego Ulissi did his best to catch him in the finale but had to settle for second.
Zakopane also hosted stage finishes in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013 but in those editions it was the well-known, easier final circuit that suited the strong sprinters. That is clearly reflected in the list of winners. In 2013, Thor Hushovd powered to an uphill sprint win by beating Matthieu Ladagnous and Daniele Ratto while Ben Swift was faster than Elia Viviani in 2012. In 2011, it was Peter Sagan who laid the foundations for his overall win by taking the stage victory and in 2009 Edvald Boasson Hagen was the fastest from a 19-rider group. In 2008, Jens Voigt rode away to a solo win that later would secure him the overall win.
Stage 6: Bukovina Resort → Bukowina Tatrzańska (194 km)
CyclingQuotes.com said:It has become a tradition for the Tour de Pologne to have the classic stage on the hilly circuit in Bukowina Tatrzanska on the penultimate day of the race. It made its debut in 2010 and since then it has been on the course every year and so it well-known by many of the riders. This year there is no doubt that it will the queen stage of the race and with the only uphill finish in the race, this is the day for the climbers to really make their mark.
The exact lay-out of the stage varies a bit from year to year. The 2015 edition of the stage is 194km long, brings the riders from the Bukovina Resort to the finish on the top of the Bukowina Tatrzanska climb. The main change is that this year’s stage is held entirely as a circuit race as it is made up of five laps of a 38.9km circuit but the circuit has also been modified a bit to include an extra climb.
It consists of three climbs, their subsequent descents with no flat roads in between and the uncategorized climb to the finish. The category 1 Zab climb (4.5km, 5.8%) which the riders already did in the previous stage is the first challenge. The kilometres average 4.0%, 7.5%, 6.4% and 7.3% respectively and it has a steep 11.4% section at the midpoint. The top comes with 26.8km to go. Then it is time for the category 1 Sciana Bukovina (5.5km, 5.6%) is the first. The first half is relatively easy but it gets much steeper near the top and has a tough 21.5% section at its midpoint. The top comes with 13.2km to goThe next difficulty is a small category 2 climb that comes just 3.8km later. The final difficulty has not been categorized but the 5.0km ascent with an average gradient of 4.4% has the finish line located at its top. After an easy start, the third kilometre is the hardest with an 8.1% gradient and an 11.5% maximum but the final two kilometres are much easier at 2.6% and 3.8% respectively. The finish line comes at the end of a long only slightly winding road. There will be an intermediate sprint 31.3km from the finish on the final lap. The total amount of climbing is 3690m.
The addition of the category 2 climb is new but otherwise the circuit is unchanged. It has been used in the five most recent editions. In 2010, Bauke Mollema attacked from a long distance to open up a 7-second gap on a small group at the finish, in 2011 Daniel Martin put 1 second into his nearest chaser Wout Poels while race leader Peter Sagan lost 13 seconds, and in 2012 Sergio Henao was reeled in by Moreno Moser and Michal Kwiatkowski just on the line, with the Italian coming out triumphant. In 2013, Christophe Riblon made a brave attack on the final lap and made it up to the remnants of a big early break. Darwin Atapuma was able to hang onto his wheel and while the Frenchman rode himself into yellow, the Colombian took the stage win. 22 seconds later Leopold König narrowly held off Diego Ulissi who won the sprint of a 15-rider group of favourites. In 2014 it was a 12-rider group that reached the finish and Rafal Majka was able to open a 10-second advantage over Benat Intxausti and Ion Izagirre on the final climb. Last year Henao attacked on the final climb and reached the finish with an 8-second advantage over a 10-rider which split slightly on the final climb. Ulissi beat Lawson Craddock in the sprint for second.
The climbs may all have some steep sections but their average gradients are not fearsome and the final few kilometres are pretty easy. In fact, only Riblon, Majka and Henao have been able to make a bigger difference and the time gaps will definitely be a matter of seconds. It’s a day more for puncheurs than real climbers but the riders who excel on the climbs need to gain as much time as possible ahead of the final time trial. Usually, the final lap is very aggressive and turns into an elimination race as not one can allow themselves to wait for the final climb if they want to gain a significant amount of time. In any case, it will be important to distance the best time triallists and this means that many teams have an interest in making the race hard. At the same time, the 2013 edition of the race proved that the circuit is very hard to control and it won’t be impossible for someone to do what Riblon did three years ago.
Stage 7: Kraków → Kraków (25 km, ITT)
CyclingQuotes.com said:In 2013, the organizers introduced the novelty of holding a time trial on the final day and apparently they liked the idea. In 2014 and 2015, the final stage was again a race against the clock and again Krakow was the scene for the end of the race. In fact, the race has ended here every year since 2008. This year the final stage will be the exact same that ended the two latest editions of the race.
There are not many similarities between the 2013 and 2016 time trials. At 37km, the 2013 course was longer as the riders will only have to cover 25km in this year’s edition of the race. Furthermore, the 2013 stage was held on a point-to-point course that was pretty hilly and included some nasty climbs. This year’s stage takes place on a completely flat out-and-back course that is held entirely within the city. There are a few turns at the start and the finish but otherwise, it is made up of long, straight roads. After just a few kilometres, the riders get to main road which will be the scene of most of the stage. They will simply travel along the flat road for several kilometres until they turn around and head along the same road back to the finish. In the end, they will approach the line from a slightly different direction, meaning that there are another few turns in the finale.
This stage definitely suits the biggest specialists and for the climbers, it could be a very costly day. There is little doubt it will be the most important stage in determining the overall winner of the Tour de Pologne and if one of the best time triallists can limit his losses reasonably in stages 5 and 6, he can do a lot of damage on this stage. With stage 7 set to decide the overall victory, the 2016 Tour de Pologne seems to be one for the time triallists and no one will win the race without possessing decent TT skills.
The fact that the course suits the specialists is evident from the previous results. Last year Marcin Baloblocki delivered a major surprise by beating Vasil Kiryienka by just 2 seconds. The best GC riders was Ion Izagirre in sixth, 1.24 behind the stage winner. In 2014, was Kristof Vandewalle who beat Adriano Malori by 3 seconds while Stephen Cummings was third at 10 seconds. The best of the riders in winning contention was again Izagirre who was seventh with a time loss of 29 seconds while Rafal Majka’s 13th place was enough to take the overall win. In 2013 Bradley Wiggins beat Fabian Cancellara by almost a minute in a true demonstration of force. Otherwise, the final stage has been one for the sprinters and it has been completely dominated by Germans. Robert Förster won the first battle in 2008 while André Greipel was the fastest in both 2009 and 2010. Marcel Kittel took a fourth stage win on the final day in 2011 while in 2012 his teammate John Degenkolb became the latest sprinter to win in Krakow.
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