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The 70th edition of the Tour de Pologne commences in the autonomous region of Trentino, Italy, for two stages traversing the infamous Dolomites of the Alps.
Beginning within the city of Rovereto, the peloton will traverse a difficult 184.5km parcours to the Ski Resort of Madonna di Campiglio.
With three categorised climbs, and at least one significant uncategorised climb, Stage 1 shall favour the climbers and ‘stage racers’ within the peloton.
The stage begins relatively easily for the peloton, as they cycle along the valleys towards the foot of the Category 1 Fai Della Paganella.
After which the successive climbing will begin to take its toll, with the descents in to the next climb the only areas offering some rest.
Considering each and every cyclist shall begin equal on time, it will be interesting to see who is allowed to contest the ‘Best Climber’ and ‘Most Active Rider’ points on offer.
With the ‘Attractivity Contest’ at stake, the General Classification contenders could very well be anxious about who is within breakaway.
So at the conclusion of Stage 1, the two classifications could be led by some lesser known riders.
There will be several points up for grabs in the ‘Best Climber’, ‘Most Active’, and ‘Attractivity Contest’ classifications.
With a total of 25 points on offer in the ‘Best Climber’ competition, and 9 points on offer in the ‘Most Active’ competition.
Whilst it will have to been seen how the ‘Attractivity Contest’ will be decided, it has been said that the points earned at the various different sprint points on the road determine the competition standings.
In comparison to the climbs witnessed during the recent Tour de France. the climbs used by the Tour de Pologne have a tendency to be rough and inconsistent.
The average gradient sometimes fails to truly convey the true difficulty of the climb as the gradient can suddenly spike beyond 18 percent within a moment’s notice for short periods.
Arguably, the favourites for the stage victory will wait for the final climb before launching their attack.
However, the ascents of the Fai Della Paganella, Passo del Ballino, and the Passo del Durone will certainly fatigue the legs of the peloton which ever plan each team pursues.
At just over 10km in length, the Fai Della Paganella has an average gradient gradually grows from 6.5 percent up to 8.4 percent, before one kilometre from the summit at 1.2 percent.
Whilst the Passo del Durone, five kilometres in length, plays havoc with average gradients with its rough ascent, with sections above 17 percent.
The ascent up the Madonna di Campiglio to the Ski Resort is 11km long, with an average gradient of between 6-7 percent for the initial nine kilometres.
The final two kilometres of the stage flattens out as the peloton enter the Ski Resort, with the average gradient around 2.6 percent.
Whilst not entirely flat, the approach in to the finish should suit those with a decent sprint finish from a select group.
Choosing a favourite could be difficult, with various cyclists returning from a lengthy rest after the Giro d’Italia.
Whilst others are just coming off a tough three weeks in the Tour de France, and could be in great form and shape if they maintained their peak from the third week.
On paper however, it is difficult to not choose 2013 Giro d’Italia champion Vincenzo Nibali, of Astana.
As proven by various sports however, the stage and race overall will not be won on paper.
There could be several challengers for Nibali, with several other riders also preparing for la Vuelta a Espana and the 2013 UCI Road World Championships in Tuscany.
Team Sky Procycling come to the Tour de Pologne with a strong team for Henao, who is said to be Team Sky’s leader for la Vuelta.
Whilst Lampre-Merida have the talents of Michele Scarponi and Przemysław Niemiec.
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