The date of the 73rd Tour Of Poland has been brought forward.
The 73rd edition of the Tour de Pologne UCI World Tour race will take place from July 12th to July 18 th in 2016.
"Next year we have the Olympics in Rio in 2016," said Czeslaw Lang, General Director of the Tour de Pologne. "The Olympic trials road cycling are scheduled between 6 and 10 August, then the change of date of the Tour de Pologne, which usually takes place in the first week of August, it was a right choice and a duty to avoid clashing with the most important sporting event in the world which is held every four years. "
The moving of the date means that the race now clashes with the Tour De France which starts on July 2nd and finishes in Paris on July 24th.
"This fact has already occurred in 2012, at the Games in London, and it was absolutely no problem. The Tour de France is, and will always remain, the most important race in the world "explains Czeslaw Lang." The World Tour teams have difficulty to field competitive teams on several fronts at the same time. Also bringing the date of the Tour de Pologne becomes the last short stage race of high level before the Olympics. Poland will be a viable alternative for all those riders and the teams that will take part in the Grande Boucle, or who prefer to deal with a stage race a week to finish the preparations in view of the Rio. "
The other big news of 2016 concerns the debut of Tour de Pologne female, scheduled July 18 to 20, which will be part of the new calendar UCI World Tour women.
"The movement of cycling women, and in general the world of pink cycling, has grown a lot in recent years, around the world and here in Poland" goes on to explain Czeslaw Lang.
"The birth of a UCI World Tour dedicated to women is further evidence of this growth. From here came the desire to broaden the Tour de Pologne to women by creating a single big event that will cover a total of ten days of competition. In 2016 the 7 stages of the men will follow the first edition of the Tour de Pologne female, scheduled July 18 to 20 with an inaugural time trial and two-step online. The women's race will rely on the support of all the organizers of the men's race, which is why we hope that the Tour de Pologne women can establish itself as a key date in the international calendar rose since its debut. Even for women Poland can become a very good test ahead of the Olympics in Rio. "