Tour de Pollogne organizers have announced the route for the 77th World Tour race. The race will take place August 5-9 and will mark the return of stage racing at the highest level after a five-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tour of Poland's program has been shortened by two days to accommodate the revised calendar presented by the International Cycling Union. Of the remaining five stages, three will cater to the needs of sprinters, while two will test the leg strength of punters and climbers who have been away from racing for several months. In the first stage race to be held in the new atmosphere of medical checks and sanitary measures, racers looking to get back into the rhythm will be racing 891 km.

The race will start exactly one year after the death of talented Belgian Bjorg Lambrecht, who crashed on stage 3 of the 2019 edition and died as a result of his injuries. In an official announcement, organizers confirmed that the race's young rider class will be marked with his name and that number 143 will be retired from all future competitions. A minute of silence will also be observed before the start of the race in memory of the former Lotto Soudal rider.

Although the program will change, the route will follow a somewhat familiar pattern. The first two stages are expected to be dominated by sprinters. Starting at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, the riders will travel an undulating course to the finish at the famous Katowice circuit.

John Degenkolb, Jasper Steiven (Trek-Segafredo), Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma), and Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) will be in the mix, with many teams looking for a group sprint. Stage 2 features several small climbs on the way to Zabrze.

The overall classification will be decided on stage 3, but this stage may appear to favor the climbers, with 12 climbs on the 203km route, and a bonus second will be key, as the winner will likely be contested on the 3km long climb finish in Bielsko Biała.

The next day the climbing continues. The race heads into the Podhale region to tackle the famous loop of Bukovina, with the Tatra Mountains in the background. Shorter in distance than in previous years, but jagged with short, steep climbs on narrow country roads, the 48.5 km loop includes the Rzepiska (2 km, 6.5%), Gliczarów Górny (5.5 km, 5.6%), and the Wierch Rusiński (1.7 km, 7.2%) un There is a categorized climb with few flat sections in between. The race winner will likely emerge on the final climb, Bukovina (3km, 4.8%). In the past two seasons, Simon Yates and Matej Mohoric have won the stage after a successful breakaway.

The teams' rosters are still being finalized, but Rafau Mayka (Bora-Hansgrohe), Jakub Fuglsang (Astana), Richard Karapas (Team Ineos), and Remco Evenepoel (Detunink-Quick Step) are all expected to show up in Poland. The race is expected to be a great success. And given the race's recent history, young riders could also put on a show.

The race will conclude in the small Polish capital of Krakow. While the sprinters are certainly the favorites to win, the first 100 km will be an opportunity for riders hungry for a race. The route north from the ski resort of Zakopane is short and punchy, with a series of climbs. Organizers have also built in a long, steady climb to the Cloviarka pass early on, meaning teams looking for a final sprint will have to expend more energy on controlling the pack.

The Tour of Poland will be held in accordance with Polish government regulations and UCI guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic. The UCI has released regulations for teams and race organizers, and race organizers confirmed yesterday that they have submitted the proposed race protocol to the authorities for approval.

The first three stages of the Tour of Poland, traditionally held in southern Poland, will now take the route through the Silesian region, where the number of coronavirus cases has been increasing in recent weeks. The Polish Ministry of Health confirmed 148 new cases today, while the daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza reported that 13,000 people have been infected and 334 have died in the region since the start of the pandemic. [Poland has recorded more than 35,000 coronavirus infections and nearly 1,500 deaths; restrictions implemented in March were eased through April and further eased in May and June, but masks on public transport, in most public spaces, and when interacting with people outside the home remain are still required to be worn in public transportation, most public spaces, and when interacting with people outside the home. Social distancing rules still remain in place, and public gatherings are restricted to no more than 150 people.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, mass events may resume after July 17, but only if 50 percent (indoor) and 25 percent (outdoor) of seats are open to the public under strict social distancing rules. For outdoor events, organizers must either implement a 2-meter social distance rule with 5 square meters of space per participant or require participants to wear masks to separate spectators from passersby.

Race director Czeslaw Lang has previously confirmed that the public will not be allowed in the start-finish zone of the stage. According to national television's TVP Sport, all race participants and team staff must be examined prior to the event, and those permitted to participate in the "race bubble" will undergo daily medical examinations as part of the UCI's established monitoring.

Special measures will be taken at the hotel and before the start, with athletes waiting in team buses and the sport director registering start lists on their behalf. The presentation and podium ceremony will be cancelled or cut to a minimum, with only Lang handing out the jersey on the podium and no podium presenter. TVP Sports also reported yesterday that media access will be restricted to a few reporters and TV personnel, and that organizers are preparing to set up a digital channel to facilitate interviews.