For  CCC Sprandi Polkowice, the Tour de Pologne is one of the season highlight and they go into the race with their A team. Below some of their stars look ahead to the event.

Marek Rutkiewicz

This year’s preparation was different than in previous years. Usually I would race one or two weeks before the Tour to improve my form. This season I had a tight racing schedule – Tour of Croatia, Giro d’Italia, Tour de Suisse, Sibiu Tour - so I had to make some changes in the build-up and rest after the race in Romania.

This time I spent a few weeks before TdP at home in Malopolska. The weather was great and I could train in good conditions. This season I spent a lot of time away from home, so it was nice to be back for a longer period.

I think I managed to recover well and get back freshness after all those races. It’s good for me that the Tour of Poland starts with flat stages, because I will have the opportunity to find my race rhythm and be ready for the mountains.

Every time I compete in the Polish one-week event I aim for the podium. That is also the case this year. I am well prepared, we have a strong team and we will start the race with an ambitious attitude.

Maciej Paterski

It was a productive time spent in Szklarska Poręba, where I was training for the Tour de Pologne. After the training camp I had a chance to rest at home and I believe I am well-prepared. It took me some time to fully recover after the Giro d’Italia, but I should be ready. I don’t know if my legs are as fresh and strong as they were at the beginning of the season, but the sensations are good and I’m willing to fight. If you ask me, I would prefer to save some energy on the first days of TdP and spend it in the second part of the race, on the hardest stages. The race may change my plans though. My goal is to win a stage, but if the opportunity to win a most aggressive or KOM leader jersey occurs, I will try to take advantage of it.

Davide Rebellin

I was preparing for the TdP at home. My last race was Sibiu Tour, which was held about a month ago. After that, I trained hard to not lose my shape and even improve it. My condition is good and I am confident I can go fast in the mountain stages, which are most suitable for me. I will try to win a stage and be at the service of the team.

Jan Hirt

After Tour of Austria I needed a bit of rest. Then, I came back to my training regime at home. I did several endurance trainings and after that, some faster interval trainings. I believe that my condition is similar or little bit better than in Austria. The main goal for the race is to help the team to get a good result and if there is some possibility for me, I’d like to try to win a stage.

Nikolay Mihaylov

I did my preparation in Bulgaria. After Sibiu Tour I had a little break and after that I returned to hard training. I spent a couple of days at high altitude in the mountains. I was in good shape at the last race in Romania and I did some solid work to keep this form until now. The last stage of Tour de Pologne is a TT and I hope to do a good time. If I don't lose too much time in the mountain stages, why not to try to fight for top place in the general classification?