With the Tour de France in the books, it's already time to look ahead to the Vuelta a España. And to do so, there are certain races that, historically, serve as the perfect springboard for the three weeks in Iberia. The 2026 Tour of Poland welcomes some protagonists from the recent Giro d'Italia and relaunches others who, after some difficult months, are putting all their chips on the final stretch of the season.

The race has ancient roots, with its first edition held in 1928, but until the end of World War II it was naturally held very sporadically. From 1952 onwards, however, its trajectory has been on the rise, and since 2005 it has been part of the WorldTour circuit, with organization entrusted to one of the great names in Polish cycling history, Czesław Lang.

The recent roll of honor is of absolute prestige, with names like Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Peter Sagan. Four Italians have won the race: Francesco Locatelli in 1949, in what was his only professional victory, Maurizio Fondriest in 1994, Alessandro Ballan in 2009, and Moreno Moser in 2012. The race will be viewable on Discovery+ channels.

The Route

The 7 stages will take place entirely in the western part of the country, from north to south, starting on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The course is well divided into two parts, with the first three stages suited for sprinters and the last four that will decide the general classification.

It starts with a stage suited for sprinters, from Gdynia to Koszalin for a full 234 km. Despite the short and climbable Gora Chelmska hill in the finale, it will be almost impossible to escape a sprint with a full peloton. The same will be true for sprinters on the second day, which is shorter at 150 km from Międzyzdroje to Szczecin, completely flat. There's no two without three, so the third day will also smile on the fast wheels, with the Gorzów Wielkopolski - Zielona Góra stage of 193 km very straightforward.

Things will start to heat up in Stage 4, when the race will begin to encounter the Giant Mountains chain, on the border with the Czech Republic. It goes from Żagań to Karpacz for 175 km, with the climb toward the finish city measuring 7 km with an average gradient of 6.2%. Just under 4 km from the finish there will be a very short descent and then the final 1100 meters will climb again at an average gradient of 8.3%. The protagonists should be the same the next day, from Opole to Kocierz for over 218 km with a very explosive finale: there's a 1500-meter ramp at 11.5% that will end just over a kilometer from the finish line, preceded by a false flat where those with legs can make the difference.

The queen stage, however, is the sixth, short but very intense between Bukovina Resort and Bukowina Tatrzańska for 125 km. In particular, it's the Sciana Bukowina climb (1.6 km at 9.8%) to be repeated three times that, in the long run, will definitely cause damage (Evenepoel dropped two minutes on everyone in 2020 in a very similar stage). The road will also climb this time until 1500 meters from the finish, making the outcome unpredictable. This year too the race closes with a time trial, identical to last year's which rewarded Brandon McNulty, lasting 12.5 km with start and finish in Wieliczka. The first 1300 meters, by the way, go uphill, so you'll need to start already warmed up.

(altitude profiles on the cover)

The Favorites

After a first part of the season to forget due to some physical ailments, João Almeida is seeking answers in Poland ahead of the Vuelta a España. He has already won this race in 2021, but this time the goal is to rediscover his best self. UAE Team Emirates-XRG will provide him with a strong team nonetheless, with Jan Christen and Jhonatan Narváez being much more than simple alternatives.

The explosive finales appeal to several riders, including Christian Scaroni and the evergreen Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana), Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek), and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), who himself had an unlucky start to the season, but also Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), who returned well in Austria, and Magnus Sheffield (Netcompany Ineos). Keep an eye on experienced men like Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) and Wilco Keldermann (Visma | Lease a Bike), and then Paul Lapeira (Decathlon CMA CGM), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), and young Iván Romeo (Movistar), strong in time trials as well, just like Matteo Sobrero (Lidl-Trek), 3rd last year.

In terms of sprints, the duel between Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) will reignite after the sparks flew at the Giro d'Italia, with Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello Q36.5), Gerben Thijssen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Noah Hobbs (EF Education-EasyPost), Daniel Skerl (Bahrain Victorious), and Sam Welsford (Netcompany Ineos) ready to jump into the fray.