Sun 2 Aug 2020
Mitchelton-SCOTT will have ‘all bases covered’ when they line up with a talent-packed squad for the Tour de Pologne this week.
Returning after winning two stages at last year’s edition, Slovenian Luka Mezgec leads the charge on the flatter stages with former South African champion Daryl Impey to also be given opportunities.
On the climbing front, Colombian Esteban Chaves lines up following a fourth place overall at Vuelta a Burgos last week along with teammates Simon Yates and Mikel Nieve. 2020 recruit Andrey Zeits adds to the climbing trio in his first race back after the extended break.
Mitchelton-SCOTT line-up for Tour de Pologne (5 – 9 August):
Sam Bewley (NZL, 33)
Esteban Chaves (COL, 30)
Daryl Impey (RSA, 35)
Luka Mezgec (SLO, 32)
Mikel Nieve (SPA, 36)
Simon Yates (GBR, 27)
Andrey Zeits (KAZ, 33)
The Course:
Traditionally a week-long race, the Tour of Poland is shortened to five stages in the revamped 2020 WorldTour calendar, containing sprint opportunities on stages one, two and five.
Stages three and four are more difficult, with the former featuring seven climbs before an uphill drag to the line. The major general classification shake up likely to come on stage four, with a climb to finish in Bukowina Tatrzanska.
The Past:
The Tour of Poland has been a happy hunting ground for Mitchelton-SCOTT, with the team taking five stage victories in the past three years.
Mezgec took two stage wins last year, whilst Yates won a stage on his way to second overall in 2018. The team’s second best general classification result was by Pieter Weening who won the title in 2013.
Luka Mezgec:
“After last year’s success in Poland I’m looking forward to go there again.
“I have a good month of altitude training behind me so now I’m just really excited to go back racing and I really hope that majority of the races on the current calendar will happen.
“I’m curious about how I will respond back to racing after such a long break, but I did everything possible to be ready for the next two months.”
Esteban Chaves:
“I had a good time in Burgos, it was a good start in this performace in my first race back and that gave me lot of confidence for the work done and for the rest of the season, we need to keeping working without rushing.
“It gave me confidence for the races that are coming, you now know how is your performance is in comparison to the other guys and also you know what is good and what you are missing, and we have plenty time for work in that.
“Stages three and four will be the improtant for us. Se can play really well with the climers but they are more hilly and punchy rather than pure mountains. More day of racing in the legs is good for me, especially for the goals after Poland.”
Mathew Hayman – Sport Director:
“I think we’ve got all bases covered.
“We’re coming in with Luka Mezgec who won two stages in Poland last year, and we’re using a couple of the same finishes, so obviously he’ll be keen to get back to racing and on the flatter days we will be looking after Luka whilst Daryl Impey will also get opportunities as well.
“We’ve got a pretty hit squad of climbers with Chaves, Yates and Nieve coming out of Burgos and showing good form there, as well as Zeits coming in for his first race back. It was pretty encouraging what we saw in Burgos, the guys were riding really well and riding well as a team and just excited to get back to racing.
“We’re racing in the same areas we’ve done in the past; a different course but the same types of stages. There’s two hilly stages, I wouldn’t call them mountain stages, so we’ll be looking for opportunities on those two days, stages three and four, to see if we can go for a good GC result too.”
2020 Tour of Poland – Race Details:
Wednesday, 5 August: Stage 1, Silesian Stadium to Katowice, 195.8km
Thursday, 6 August: Stage 2, Opole to Zabrze, 151.5km
Friday, 7 August: Stage 3, Wadowice to Bielsko-Biala, 203.1km
Saturday, 8 August: Stage 4, Bukovina Resort to Bukowina Tatrzanska, 173km
Sunday, 9 August: Stage 5, Zakopane to Krakow, 188km
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