Tour de Pologne 2019 odds
Tour de Pologne 2019
The Tour de Pologne is the biggest sports event of the year in Poland, and is part of the UCI World Tour calendar. The 76th edition of the race features seven stages, starting on 3rd August 2019 and ending on the 9th August, and includes a mix of climbs, sprints and rolling terrain.
The current champion is native Polish rider Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Ineos, formerly Team Sky), who beat Simon Yates (Team Mitchelton-Scott) and Thibaut Pinot (Team Groupama - FDJ) on the podium in 2018.
The 2019 race preview
Stages:
Stage 1: Kraków - Kraków. 136 km.
Stage 2: Tarnowskie Góry - Katowice. 153 km.
Stage 3: Chorzów - Zabrze. 157 km.
Stage 4: Jaworzno - Kocierz. 173 km.
Stage 5: Kopalnia Soli “Wieliczka" - Bielsko-Biała. 154 km.
Stage 6: Zakopane - Zakopane. 155 km.
Stage 7: Bukovina Resort - Bukowina Tatrzańska. 132.5 km.
The race begins with a traditionally flat circuit around Krakow, Poland’s capital city. This year, the route includes a steep summit finish on stage four, which is likely to play a huge part in the race for victory. This steep climb is called the “Wall of Kocierz”. It’s 2 km long and the middle section averages 18% gradient, with a few sections over 20%.
Stage two features the fast descent to the finish line in Katowice, while stage three is known as ‘the race of the stadiums’. That’s because it starts in the Slaski football stadium, returns for a lap around the stadium during the stage, and then ends outside another football stadium in the town of Zabrze. It will likely finish in another bunch sprint.
Stage four features the climb of the Kocierz wall - definitely one for the climbers. And stage five is potentially another one for sprinters. The last two stages include the difficult climbs of the Tatra mountains and will decide the overall winner.
Czeslaw Lang, General Director for the Tour de Pologne, says: “The first two days, with the arrivals in Krakow and Katowice, will be dedicated to the sprinters. Things will start to heat up in the third stage; like we did in 2018, we will set off from the Slaski stadium in Chorzów, but this year the show will be more elaborate, as the group will ride a lap around the city circuit and then do another lap inside the stadium. The fourth stage will definitely offer the biggest surprise. In fact, this fraction will feature an all-new arrival for the Tour de Pologne; the climb to the finish line at Kocierz is a steep wall, about 1 km long with gradients of more than 20%. This gruelling climb promises to be spectacular as the riders go all in and discover how far they can push their limits. The fifth stage will return to the finish line in Bielsko-Biala, where the sprinters will have to pay close attention if they want to win; in fact, last year it was Kwiato himself who came out ahead here with a fantastic victory. Then there is the sixth stage in Zakopane, which has been laid out on a new route rendered even more spectacular with an excruciating final climb about 4 km from the arrival. It will be the perfect launch pad for anyone who wants to plan an all-out attack. As always, the seventh and final stage will be the grand finale on the challenging circuit in Bukowina Tatrzanska, the perfect terrain for whoever will have enough strength left in their legs to come up with a winning strategy. We are hoping to have the usual champions lining up for the start, including Michal Kwiatkowski and Rafal Majka , who are two of the most recognizable riders from our movement, as well as lots of other stars from the international cycling scene.”
All the UCI World Tour teams will line up so a strong startlist is expected. Kwiatkowski is expected to defend his title and will be looking for another win in his home country, as will fellow Polish rider Rafal Majka (Team BORA - hansgrohe) who won this race in 2014.
Alongside the current podium position holders, challengers include Fabio Aru (UAE-Team Emirates), who came tenth last year, 2017 winner Dylan Teuns (Team Bahrain Merida), who came fifth last year, and George Bennett (Team Jumbo-Visma), who came fourth last year.
Previous winners of the race also include former World Champion Peter Sagan (Team BORA - hansgrohe), Ion Izagirre (Astana Pro Team), and Tim Wellens (Team Lotto Soudal).