VERVA Activejet has selected an eight-man team that will participate in 2016 Tour de Pologne (July 12-18). Five Polish riders will be joined by a Spaniard, a German and a Czech, making up a versatile line-up.

Paweł Cieślik will lead the squad on Polish roads, drawing on experiences from Tour de Suisse where he proved he is capable of being among the top climbers in the peloton.

“It is a balanced roster, ready to fight on all sorts of parcours. Cieślik proved his value in Switzerland and he will be the leader," sports director Piotr Kosmala said.

Riders joining the 30-year-old climber have already raced the Polish tour. Łukasz Bodnar will manage the team on the road as the most experienced rider. His prowess in reading the race will be crucial in the team’s work for Paweł Franczak on flat stages.

“I raced the Tour de Pologne back in 2004, before it even became a WT event. You can see the metamorphosis of the race every time you go back. And it’s always an honour," Bodnar said.

Franczak will be VERVA Activejet’s fast man and will be led out by Adam Stachowiak, Bodnar, Jonas Koch and last year’s Tour de Pologne most active rider – Kamil Gradek.

“It is something special. I have done Tour de Pologne three times already but always in the national jersey. Racing with your own team is always different and I want to give Polish fans reasons to be proud," Gradek explained.

The team also includes on-form Jordi Simon, who was 3rd in the road race at Spanish National Championships, as well as Czech rider Karel Hnik, who returns to racing after a crash at the Tour de Suisse.

The Polish WorldTour race runs from July 12--18 and offers a balanced route – it combines flat stages with long and hilly days, while leaving the general classification battle for the last three days – two mountainous stages and a final time trial.

VERVA Activejet for 2016 Tour de Pologne:

Łukasz Bodnar, Kamil Gradek, Paweł Cieślik, Adam Stachowiak, Paweł Franczak, Jonas Koch, Jordi Simon and Karel Hnik.