Tour de Pologne 2026 overall and stage 1 preview; How to watch on TV/Live in the USA and UK - UAE hunt GC win whilst Milan and Magnier battle for opening sprint
CyclingSunday, 02 August 2026 at 19:32
The 2026 Tour de Pologne takes place between the 3rd and 9th of August and gives continuation to the World Tour calendar. Between the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, it often sees a few riders that participate in both; whilst providing opportunities for many different kinds of riders. We take a look at its profiles.
The race was first held all the way back in 1928, giving Poland's best the opportunity to showcase their skills on the bike. Feliks Wiecek won the first edition, at the time not held in consecutive years. After 1939, Poland was invaded during World War II, and the race only returned in 1947.
It is not an event that gathered much international attention until it rose to (what is now called) 2.HC category in 2005, an edition won by Kim Kirchen. In 2011 it climbed its way into World Tour level, reaching the top level of cycling over 80 years after its first edition. Besides becoming international, its palmarès began including many top riders, and a lot of diversity as well.
Daniel Martin, Peter Sagan, Tim Wellens, Michal Kwiatkowski, Remco Evenepoel, João Almeida and even Jonas Vingegaard have put their name on the palmarès of the race. It continues, after all these years, to gather some strong names despite a heavily contested position on the calendar. In 2025, it was Brandon McNulty who took the overall win.
Stages Tour de Pologne 2026
| Stage | Start | Finish | Distance | Type |
| 1 | Gdynia | Koszalin | 234.0 km | Hilly |
| 2 | Międzyzdroje | Szczecin | 150.8 km | Flat |
| 3 | Gorzów Wielkopolski | Zielona Góra | 193.5 km | Hilly |
| 4 | Żagań | Karpacz | 175.5 km | Mountainous |
| 5 | Opole | Kocierz Resort | 218.5 km | Mountainous |
| 6 | Bukovina Resort | Bukowina Tatrzańska | 125.6 km | Mountainous |
| 7 | Wieliczka (Salt Mine) | Wieliczka (Salt Mine) | 12.4 km | Individual Time Trial |
Preview Tour de Pologne 2026 overall classification
The overall classification battle will be quite interesting, and very open when comparing to most World Tour events. The race is mostly suited to puncheurs, but one of the hilly stages features a rather long climb towards the end; and this time around the time trial is short, meaning not many riders can rely on it.
Hence form will be crucial, and so will consistency throughout a variety of different finales that will suit different riders. There are some present that are climbers and will need to push on stage 4 as much as possible such as Santiago Buitrago; whilst the likes of João Almeida and Aleksandr Vlasov can also be very dangerous but do have alternatives in the likes of Jan Christen and Finn Fisher-Black respectively.
There are some that are specially dangerous against the clock such as Matteo Sobrero, Magnus Sheffield, Max Schachmann and Iván Romeo who can indeed make the difference if they have their best level.
Otherwise there will be plenty other classics specialists and puncheurs waiting for their opportunity and an elusive World Tour victory: Paul Lapeira, Andreas Kron, Neilson Powless, Andrea Bagioli and two teams with dangerous trios: Astana with Christian Scaroni, Diego Ulissi and Alberto Bettiol; and Visma with Louis Barré, Wilco Kelderman and Bart Lemmen.
Prediction Tour de Pologne 2026 overall classification:
*** Jan Christen, Finn Fisher-Black, Christian Scaroni
** João Almeida, Louis Barré, Santiago Buitrago, Aleksandr Vlasov
* Iván Romeo, Magnus Sheffieldd, Matteo Sobrero, Diego Ulissi, Neilson Powless, Wilco Keldermann, Max Schachmann
Pick: Jan Christen
Preview Tour de Pologne stage 1
The opening stage will be a bunch sprint, a flat stage however with a small hilltop towards the finale. It won't drop any of the fast men, but it creates a barrier that some may struggle with, and may favour some in the final kilometers.
The true battle to expect in the opening days of the race is that of Paul Magnier versus Jonathan Milan. The two riders, who dominated the sprints at the Giro d'Italia, meet up once again in Pologne with several well suited stages to begin with. Both have their leadout men present, whilst Lidl does seem to have the advantage in that field.
The competition is strong however, Pologne did attract a strong sprinter field. Jordi Meeus will be present and backed up by Danny van Poppel meaning Red Bull have serious weapons to play; whilst the likes of Juan Sebastián Molano, Sam Welsford, Matteo Moschetti, Noah Hobbs, Matteo Malucelli and Decathlon sprinter Tord Gudmestad are all contenders for the first win of the race.
Prediction Tour de Pologne 2026 stage 1:
*** Jonathan Milan, Paul Magnier
** Jordi Meeus, Juan Sebastián Molano
* Sam Welsford, Tord Gudmestad, Matteo Moschetti, Matteo Malucelli, Noah Hobbs, Marijn van den Berg, Maikel Zijlaard, Paul Penhoët
Pick: Paul Magnier
How: Regular bunch sprint.
Profile stage 1: Gdynia - Koszalin
Gdynia - Koszalin, 234 kilometers
The race starts off in Gdynia and right away with the longest stage of the race. In fact, one of the longest at this point of the year, at a time period where even Grand Tours rarely go above 200 kilometers.
It is a stage that is designed for the sprinters, even if the profile shows a rather difficult finale. There is a hilltop with 1.8 kilometers in length and 3.7% average gradient.
This small ascent ends with 7 kilometers to go, it is unlikely that it will make much of a difference. After a small descent, the final kilometers should see the sprinter teams come to the front in Koszalin.
Profile stage 2: Miedzyzdroje - Szczecin
Miedzyzdroje - Szczecin, 150 kilometers
Stage 2 of the race begins in Miedzyzdroje and finishes in Szczecin. It is a day that is purely for the sprinters with no chances of surprising, featuring no climbing from start to finish.
The fast men will come to the front on the day and will lead to a very fast and likely tense finale by the riverside.
Profile stage 3: Gorzow Wielkopolski - Zielona Góra
Gorzow Wielkopolski - Zielona Góra, 193 kilometers
The third stage of the race is another day for the sprinters, not exactly as pan-flat as the previous one, but unlikely to be interrupted by anyone who isn't a sprinter.
The day is 193 kilometers in length and the peloton heads towards Zielona Góra. It will be an urban finale, rather technical and nervous once again with a fresh peloton.
Profile stage 4: Zagan - Karpacz
Zagan - Karpacz, 176 kilometers
The race's second half begins in the fourth day. The first part of the stage heading off Zagan is still pan-flat, but the riders will be taking on some climbs to make for an interesting finale.
The riders tackle three climbs: The first is Borowice, 4.6 kilometers long at 5.7% and ending with 21 kilometers to go. The quick succession of efforts will make it more difficult.
The main ascent to Karpacz is 7 kilometers long at 6.2%, with an intermediate sprint halfway through and a summit that is a mere 4.5 kilometers to the finish line.
The riders descend and then take on a 1.1-kilometer hilltop right off the ski station, averaging 8% but maxing out at around 15% in what is usually a sprint finish between the climbers.
Profile stage 5: Opole - Kocierz Resort
Opole - Kocierz Resort, 218 kilometers
The fifth stage of the race is also going to be important and prioritizing the steep climbs. Most of the day, with 218 kilometers in length, is pan-flat. But the riders will go back up in the final kilometers.
A first ascent is 4.1 kilometers one at 5.7%, ending with 27.5 kilometers to go, but only serving as a warm-up to the finale which will take place on Kocierz Resort.
The climb is, officially, 1.5 kilometers long at 11.5%. It is an anaerobic effort, but long enough for the climbers to make the difference in such gradient. This part of the climb ends with 1.5 kilometers to go, and most riders will be at the limit.
However the winning attacks may come after, as the final 1.5 still have a false-flat rise to the line where those that survived the climb with something in the legs can create the winning gap then.
Profile stage 6: Bukowina Resort - Bukowina Tatrzanska
Bukowina Resort - Bukowina Tatrzanka, 125 kilometers
The queen stage of the race will take place in the Tatras mountains, with a difficult circuit around Bukowina once again proving to be a great challenge. This is ultimately the Tour de Pologne's signature queen stage, one where a lot can happen.
It is 125 kilometers in length, featuring seven categorized climbs from start to finish. It is a day where a lot can happen, with several steep climbs to be tackled. The final circuit includes three ascents of Sciana Bukowina which is 1.6 kilometers long at 10% but features ramps well above that average gradient.
They end with 61, 36 and 13 kilometers to go. The climb begins already after after a few kilometers of false-flat roads, and inbetween climbs there is only descending and some small hilltops. The riders tackle it for the first time already with two other steep ascents in the legs.
The differences are likely to be made there, on territory where climbers and classics specialists alike can make the difference; and where sattelite riders can make a huge impact in the race.
If that climb is unable to make or break the race, the finale is still uphill, with the road up to Bukowina Tatrzanka featuring around 4 kilometers at 5.5%, with some steeper gradients also involved.
Profile stage 7 (ITT): Wieliczka Salt Mine - Wieliczka Salt Mine
Wieliczka Salt Mine - Wieliczka Salt Mine, 12.4 kilometers
The race ends with a time trial starting and finishing in the Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the most famous tourist attractions in the outskirts of Krakow.
Shorter this time around, the time trial is only 12.4 kilometers long, meaning not many riders can rely on it to win the race. It also features a tough uphill start with 1.7 kilometers at 5.7%; before slowly coming back around and down.
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Tour de Pologne 2026 schedule and start times
The 2026 Tour de Pologne will be held from the 3rd of August to the 9th of August. Stage dates and times (in Central European Time: CET) are as follows:
| Stage | Day | Date | Start Time | Finish time |
| Stage 1 | August 3 | Monday | 12:05 | 16:25 |
| Stage 2 | August 4 | Tuesday | 13:00 | 16:30 |
| Stage 3 | August 5 | Wednesday | 12:25 | 16:30 |
| Stage 4 | August 6 | Thursday | 12:00 | 16:35 |
| Stage 5 | August 7 | Friday | 11:45 | 16:40 |
| Stage 6 | August 8 | Saturday | 12:55 | 16:30 |
| Stage 7 | August 9 | Sunday | 13:30 | 16:30 |
How to watch the 2026 Tour de Pologne on TV
The race will be broadcast on the traditional channels, most notably Discovery, MAX, and Eurosport. As always, you can always follow the 2026 Tour de Pologne on CyclingUpToDate with our full coverage of the race.
In the United States and Canada you will be able to find the race on FloBikes; in the United Kingdom it will be broadcast on TNT Sports and in Poland it will be free to air on TVP Sport.
| Location | TV |
| United States | FloBikes |
| Canada | FloBikes |
| Pologne | TVP Sport |
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports |
List of winners Tour de Pologne 2026
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 2025 | Brandon McNulty | Antonio Tiberi | Matteo Sobrero |
| 2024 | Jonas Vingegaard | Diego Ulissi | Wilco Kelderman |
| 2023 | Matej Mohorič | João Almeida | Michał Kwiatkowski |
| 2022 | Ethan Hayter | Thymen Arensman | Pello Bilbao |
| 2021 | João Almeida | Matej Mohorič | Michał Kwiatkowski |
| 2020 | Remco Evenepoel | Jakob Fuglsang | Simon Yates |
| 2019 | Pavel Sivakov | Jai Hindley | Diego Ulissi |
| 2018 | Michał Kwiatkowski | Simon Yates | Dylan Teuns |
| 2017 | Dylan Teuns | Rafał Majka | Wout Poels |
| 2016 | Tim Wellens | Bauke Mollema | Ion Izagirre |
| 2015 | Ion Izagirre | Bart De Clercq | Pieter Weening |
| 2014 | Rafał Majka | Beñat Intxausti | Jon Izagirre |
| 2013 | Pieter Weening | Christophe Riblon | Ion Izagirre |
| 2012 | Moreno Moser | Michał Kwiatkowski | Daniele Ratto |
| 2011 | Peter Sagan | Daniel Martin | Marco Marcato |
| 2010 | Daniel Martin | Grega Bole | Bauke Mollema |
| 2009 | Alessandro Ballan | Daniel Moreno | Karol Domagalski |
| 2008 | Jens Voigt | Christian Pfannberger | Robert Gesink |
| 2007 | Johan Vansummeren | Giampaolo Cheula | Marek Rutkiewicz |
| 2006 | Stefan Schumacher | Cadel Evans | Allan Davis |
| 2005 | Kim Kirchen | Marek Rutkiewicz | Jörg Jaksche |
| 2004 | Ondřej Sosenka | Grzegorz Gwiazdowski | Marek Rutkiewicz |
| 2003 | Cezary Zamana | Ondřej Sosenka | Marek Rutkiewicz |
| 2002 | Dariusz Baranowski | Cezary Zamana | Tomasz Brożyna |
| 2001 | Dariusz Baranowski | Tomasz Brożyna | Cezary Zamana |
| 2000 | Tomasz Brożyna | Dariusz Baranowski | Piotr Przydział |
| 1999 | Marek Leśniewski | Zbigniew Spruch | Tomasz Brożyna |
| 1998 | Marek Leśniewski | Zbigniew Spruch | Piotr Wadecki |
| 1997 | Zbigniew Spruch | Marek Leśniewski | Tomasz Brożyna |
| 1996 | Zbigniew Spruch | Piotr Wadecki | Marek Leśniewski |
| 1995 | Zbigniew Spruch | Piotr Wadecki | Zbigniew Piątek |
| 1994 | Piotr Wadecki | Zbigniew Spruch | Marek Leśniewski |
| 1993 | Dariusz Baranowski | Zbigniew Spruch | Piotr Wadecki |
| 1992 | Dariusz Baranowski | Zbigniew Spruch | Piotr Wadecki |
| 1991 | Dariusz Baranowski | Zbigniew Spruch | Piotr Wadecki |
| 1990 | Zenon Jaskuła | Joachim Halupczok | Janusz Kowalski |
| 1989 | Waldemar Matysiak | Zenon Jaskuła | Joachim Halupczok |
| 1988 | Andrzej Mierzejewski | Zenon Jaskuła | Waldemar Matysiak |
| 1987 | Lech Piasecki | Zenon Jaskuła | Joachim Halupczok |
| 1986 | Mieczysław Karłowicz | Lech Piasecki | Zenon Jaskuła |
| 1985 | Lech Piasecki | Andrzej Mierzejewski | Joachim Halupczok |
| 1984 | Andrzej Mierzejewski | Lech Piasecki | Zenon Jaskuła |
| 1983 | Ryszard Szurkowski | Janusz Kowalski | Andrzej Mierzejewski |
| 1982 | Andrzej Mierzejewski | Janusz Kowalski | Ryszard Szurkowski |
| 1981 | Janusz Kowalski | Ryszard Szurkowski | Andrzej Mierzejewski |
| 1980 | Janusz Kowalski | Ryszard Szurkowski | Stanisław Szozda |
| 1979 | Stanisław Szozda | Tadeusz Mytnik | Janusz Kowalski |
| 1978 | Jan Brzeźny | Stanisław Szozda | Tadeusz Mytnik |
| 1977 | Jan Brzeźny | Tadeusz Mytnik | Stanisław Szozda |
| 1976 | Tadeusz Mytnik | Jan Brzeźny | Stanisław Szozda |
| 1975 | Tadeusz Mytnik | Stanisław Szozda | Jan Brzeźny |
| 1974 | Stanisław Szozda | Ryszard Szurkowski | Tadeusz Mytnik |
| 1973 | Ryszard Szurkowski | Stanisław Szozda | Tadeusz Mytnik |
| 1972 | Ryszard Szurkowski | Stanisław Szozda | Tadeusz Mytnik |
| 1971 | Ryszard Szurkowski | Stanisław Szozda | Tadeusz Mytnik |
| 1970 | Zygmunt Hanusik | Ryszard Szurkowski | Stanisław Szozda |
| 1969 | Wacław Wrzesiński | Ryszard Szurkowski | Stanisław Szozda |
| 1968 | Jan Kudra | Ryszard Szurkowski | Stanisław Szozda |
| 1967 | Jan Kudra | Stanisław Gazda | Ryszard Szurkowski |
| 1966 | Stanisław Gazda | Ryszard Szurkowski | Jan Kudra |
| 1965 | Marian Więckowski | Stanisław Gazda | Jan Kudra |
| 1964 | Marian Więckowski | Stanisław Gazda | Jan Kudra |
| 1963 | Marian Więckowski | Stanisław Gazda | Jan Kudra |
| 1962 | Henryk Kowalski | Marian Więckowski | Stanisław Gazda |
| 1961 | Henryk Kowalski | Marian Więckowski | Stanisław Gazda |
| 1960 | Stanisław Królak | Henryk Kowalski | Marian Więckowski |
| 1959 | Stanisław Królak | Henryk Kowalski | Marian Więckowski |
| 1958 | Stanisław Królak | Henryk Kowalski | Marian Więckowski |
| 1957 | Wacław Wójcik | Stanisław Królak | Henryk Kowalski |
| 1956 | Marian Więckowski | Wacław Wójcik | Stanisław Królak |
| 1955 | Marian Więckowski | Wacław Wójcik | Stanisław Królak |
| 1954 | Marian Więckowski | Wacław Wójcik | Stanisław Królak |
| 1953 | Wacław Wójcik | Marian Więckowski | Stanisław Królak |
| 1952 | Wacław Wójcik | Marian Więckowski | Stanisław Królak |
| 1951 | Wacław Wójcik | Marian Więckowski | Stanisław Królak |
| 1950 | Henryk Hadasik | Wacław Wójcik | Marian Więckowski |
| 1949 | Francesco Locatelli | Wacław Wójcik | Marian Więckowski |
| 1948 | Wacław Wójcik | Marian Więckowski | Henryk Hadasik |
| 1947 | Józef Wrzesiński | Wacław Wójcik | Marian Więckowski |
| 1939 | Bolesław Napierała | Józef Stefański | Wacław Starzyński |
| 1938 | Bolesław Napierała | Józef Stefański | Wacław Starzyński |
| 1937 | Bolesław Napierała | Józef Stefański | Wacław Starzyński |
| 1936 | Feliks Więcek | Józef Stefański | Wacław Starzyński |
| 1935 | Józef Stefański | Feliks Więcek | Wacław Starzyński |
| 1934 | Józef Stefański | Feliks Więcek | Wacław Starzyński |
| 1933 | Jerzy Lipiński | Feliks Więcek | Józef Stefański |
| 1932 | Jan Kapusta | Jerzy Lipiński | Feliks Więcek |
| 1931 | Józef Stefański | Feliks Więcek | Jerzy Lipiński |
| 1930 | Henryk Szostak | Józef Stefański | Feliks Więcek |
| 1929 | Józef Stefański | Feliks Więcek | Henryk Szostak |
| 1928 | Feliks Więcek | Józef Stefański | Henryk Szostak |
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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Senna196002-08-2026 - Guy could easily have been a top-end pro!
leedorney02-08-2026 - Yeah, his climbing performances are around the same level as Florian Lipowitz in an MTT... of course endurance is a different matter
Rafionain-Glas02-08-2026 - Andrew Feather is far from someone for anyone to hang with on rilly good hard climbs. Put his name and GCN on YouTube in a search "GCN Andrew Feather" and look at what this guy is capable of. It is insane.md197502-08-2026
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- Imagine riding past 1 million people over 3 weeks totally spent and explaining yourself 21 days in a row for press and then Wham...your alone in a room with no one.Psychological whiplash.Only a supremely balanced grounded human being can stay clear and true in that world.Lucky for us that human being is Tadej Pogacar Greatest of All Time.
Brucegel02-08-2026 - All together now:... 1 2 3: Pogi... The GOAT !!!PogiSloFans02-08-2026
- I'd like this doping topic to be dropped until someone is busted. These articles slyly infer Pog is doping but just hasn't been caught yet. Btw, I think he's clean.Santiago02-08-2026
- I'd like this doping topic to be dropped until someone is busted. These articles slyly infer Pog is doping but just hasn't been caught yet. Btw, I think he's clean.Santiago02-08-2026
- Thats just amateurish, you go back for water and food, you send your teammate for thatabstractengineer02-08-2026
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