Edition number 73 of the Tour de Pologne UCI World Tour was officially presented today, Monday, April 4th, at the Hotel Marriott in Warsaw.

There’s lots of news for a Tour de Pologne which will come earlier and be doubled in 2016. It will come earlier because the Polish stage race will hit the scene from July 12th to the 18th to fit in and accommodate the 2016 Rio Olympic calendar. It’s doubling because this year for the first time ever there will also be the Tour de Pologne Women, with three stages scheduled from July 19th to the 20th, immediately after the men’s races. 

The 2016 edition of the Polish stage race highlights the modernity of an event that’s experiencing continuous evolution and growth on an international level. This race is closely linked to the historical and cultural traditions of a great nation like Poland. 

“The Tour is an event that represents all of Poland and its people. In addition to the competition, the 2016 edition will also keep with the tradition of featuring a background theme. The title we’ve chosen this year is Tour de Pologne“Szlakiem Historii” which means “historical route”. Through the bicycle and the places in which the race will touch down, we will in fact be commemorating some of the most symbolic events and people who have come to symbolize the history, culture and traditions, even religion of Poland,” explained General Director for the Tour de Pologne Czeslaw Lang. 

The are 7 stages on the schedule; the race sets off from the capital Warsaw on Tuesday, July 12th, with an in-line stage, and will arrive to the conclusive individual time trial in Krakow, the historic/cultural capital of Poland, on Monday the 18th, after a total of 1168 km.

12/07 Stage I, RADZYMIN - WARSZAWA, 138 KM
13/07 Stage II, TARNOWSKIE GÓRY - KATOWICE, 128 KM
14/07 Stage III, ZAWIERCIE - NOWY SACZ, 240 KM
15/07 Stage IV, NOWY SACZ - RZESZÓW/PODKARPACKIE, 218 KM
16/07 Stage V, WIELICZKA - ZAKOPANE, 225 KM
17/07 Stage VI, BUKOVINA RESORT - BUKOWINA TATRZANSKA, 194 KM
18/07 Stage VII, KRAKÓW - KRAKÓW, 25 KM

You can consult and download planimetries altimetry and all the details of the stages on the new website:http://tourdepologne.pl/, which was also introduced during today’s ceremony.

“We’ve laid out a mixed and balanced route, in line with the one in 2015, in hopes that this can contribute to making the race thrilling, spectacular, unpredictable and hard fought up to the last metre, as we have done in the last several editions. We start out giving space to sprinters with the circuits in Krakow and Katowice. In the next stages, for example at the finish lines in Nowy Sacz and Rzeszow, the terrain will be suited to attackers and breaks; then between Zakopane and Bukowina the climbers and classification leaders will be called upon to reveal themselves, with the final time trial in Krakow deciding the ultimate verdict,” continued Lang. 

The 2016 jerseys were also revealed. Skandia is still the title sponsor of the yellow jersey that identifies the leader of the general classification, and Tauron is still the title sponsor of the cyclamen jersey for the mountain grand prix. While Hyundai, which is already the official supplier of all the cars in the Tour de Pologne caravan, has also become the title sponsor of the white jersey for the best sprinter. Furthermore, the winner of the Tour de Pologne will be rewarded with a Hyundai Tucson and the winner of the Tour de Pologne Women will take home a Hyundai Elantra. 

Among the sponsors included Trentino, where the Tour de Pologne started in 2013, confirming its important role. Trentino Marketing (Territorial Marketing Agency of Trentino) in fact, in 2016 is for the seventh straight year official partner of the Tour de Pologne.

“The Tour de Pologne is not just an international sports event, but through the media coverage and exposure during the race and otherwise, from any perspective it has become an important showcase of Poland in the world. I’d also like to underscore the great social and educational value of an event like the Nutella Mini Tour de Pologne, which is committed to including children and their families,” emphasizes the Sports and Tourism Minister Witold Banka.

In fact, this year the pro race will again be associated with the event for kids called theNutella Mini Tour de Pologne. Riding the wave of success enjoyed in the past several editions, the event will once again feature six days of two separate races, for kids from 8 to 12 and kids from 13 to 14 riding in clubs. For info:https://www.minitourdepologne.pl/ 

“This year we are at edition number 9. In 2015 a total of more than 2000 kids were involved. These are significant numbers that we find highly rewarding, and they motivate us to work with passion and commitment on this event, which, in terms of numbers and organizational quality, has become a European role model which we can affirm, is unique of its kind. Obviously, all of this couldn’t be possible without the beneficially close collaboration the Tour de Pologne enjoys with Ferrero and the Nutella brand, who’ve been our partners for many years,” says Enrico Bottero, General Manager for Ferrero Polska. 

The Tour de Pologne is for kids, and also for amateurs and cycling tourists. Once again this year the Tour de Pologne Amatorow will be an event not to be missed. The race will take cycling enthusiasts on a ride covering the pro circuit in Bukowina. 

Finally, the biggest news is for the ladies, with the first edition of the Tour de Pologne Women, which has been added to the UCI international calendar, scheduled from July 19th to the 20th. The 3 stages were also presented today under the watchful eyes of women’s champion Katarzyna Niewiadoma, tenth classifier in the Women’s Ronde Van Vlaanderen on Sunday, and a beacon in the Polish women’s cycling movement. 

The first stage on Tuesday, July 19th, will be on the Zakopane circuit. Wednesday, July 20th will feature a double event, with an in-line stage in the morning and a time trial in the afternoon for the women as well on the hard circuit in Bukowina Tatrzanska.