The 71st edition of the Tour de Pologne gets under way on Sunday August 3 with the race marking the anniversary of 25 years of free elections since the fall of Communism. 2013 winner champion Pieter Weening (Orica-GreenEdge) is set to defend his title but will face stiff competition from the Tinkoff-Saxo duo of Roman Kreuziger and Rafał Majka, Fabio Aru (Astana), Warren Barguil (Giant-Shimano) and Trek's Robert Kiserlovski.
The 2014 edition of the race marks the 25th anniversary of free elections in Poland which will be marked by the race starting at the number 2 gate of the Gsdansk shipyard, the site of where the Solidarnosc Solidarity Movement got started on its long march towards bringing freedom and democracy to Poland. Former President and leader of Solidarnosc, Lech Walesa, will signal the start of the race from the shipyard.
The 18 WorldTour and three wildcard teams will cover 1200km over seven stages, with the first half of the race to suit the sprinters.
