World Tour action continues with Tour de Pologne (August 12-18) starting on Monday. Three stages for sprinters, three hilly/mountain finishes and one time trial are what the riders will be dealing with this year. Soudal - Quick-Step won't be defending their double top-5 in GC from last year, throwing all their beans towards stage victories instead.
The most successful sprinter of the season, Tim Merlier will pin on a number for the first time since the Belgian Nationals where he arrived 6th. With twelve triumphs next to his name in 2024, there will be at least three more opportunities to secure his place on the sprinting throne, although it won't be a walk in the park against the likes of Mads Pedersen, Olav Kooij and Phil Bauhaus.
Traditionally, Merlier can count on a strong support from the Belgian team, who pretty much forfeit the GC battle in order to maximize their sprint train's power. This year's comet Paul Magnier and Merlier's good friend Bert Van Lerberghe will be responsible for delivering their leader in the best position possible on stages 4, 5 and 7. Completing the team will be rouleur Ayco Bastiaens and youngsters Pepijn Reinderink, Martin Svrcek and Warre Vangheluwe.
"We have a strong squad for Poland. It’s obvious we won’t be going for the GC, but for stage wins instead, and we are confident in our chances of getting at least a victory with Tim. He comes here from a nice altitude camp, where he was present with many of his teammates, and all the boys are motivated to get the maximum out of this race," said sports director Klaas Lodewyck ahead of the race in press release.
Soudal - Quick-Step lineup for Tour de Pologne 2024:
Tim Merlier
Ayco Bastiaens
Paul Magnier
Pepijn Reinderink
Martin Svrcek
Bert Van Lerberghe
Warre Vangheluwe
Ayco Bastiaens
Paul Magnier
Pepijn Reinderink
Martin Svrcek
Bert Van Lerberghe
Warre Vangheluwe
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Time for the @Tour_de_Pologne team presentation 😃
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