A quick preview look at Tour de Pologne Women 2025

Mathew Mitchell

Published on August 11, 2025
in Women's Cycling

The Tour de Pologne Women returns for its second edition since being reintroduced last year and the third overall in its Lubelskie Voivodeship setting. First held in 1998, the race enjoyed an intermittent presence on the UCI calendar, producing early winners such as Hanka Kupfernagel (1998), Judith Arndt (1999), and double champion Lada Kozlikova (2000, 2002). The 2000s saw home riders at the forefront, with Bogumila Matusiak taking back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006, while names like Kirsten Wild (2007) and Tatiana Guderzo (2004) brought international prestige. The last pre-hiatus edition in 2016, won by Jolanda Neff, was a reminder of its variety before the race disappeared from the calendar.

Its revival in 2024 brought a three-day UCI 2.2 event that delivered aggressive racing in the rolling terrain of Lubelskie. Laura Molenaar claimed the ORLEN General Classification ahead of Scarlett Souren and Katarzyna Wilkos, and the event’s strong reception has been rewarded with a step up to 1.1 status for 2025. The upgrade has drawn seven Women’s WorldTour teams, bolstering the field alongside Poland’s leading continental squads and the national team.

Scarlett Souren 2024 Tour de Pologne Women — Scarlett Souren wins Stage 3 in 2024

The Polish contingent is led by Olympic silver medallist Daria Pikulik, Tour de France Femmes fourth-place finisher Dominika Wlodarczyk, and Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka of Canyon SRAM zondacrypto. National team riders Marta Jaskulska and Kaja Rysz add further home interest. International contenders include Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner Alison Jackson, multiple world champion Ellen van Dijk, sprinter Chiara Consonni, and last year’s runner-up Scarlett Souren, setting up one of the most competitive line-ups the race has seen.

This year’s route once again stays entirely within the Lubelskie and Roztocze regions, where gradients can reach 10% and recovery opportunities are limited. Stage 1 begins and ends in the UNESCO-listed city of Zamość, taking in Adamów, Krasnobród, Józefów, and Zwierzyniec before finishing in Szczebrzeszyn. Stage 2 in Chełm offers another hilly challenge, while the final stage from Nałęczów to Kraśnik should decide the overall on a rolling course that suits riders willing to race aggressively rather than rely on control.