Tour of Slovakia – or Okolo Slovenska – is a UCI 2.1-category race over 5 stages. The total distance is 889,4km, and the finish of stage 5 is the hardest ever in the 60-year history of the race.

Three World Tour teams will take the start together with a lot of strong ProTour and Continental teams from all over Europe.

Paul Magnier (Soudal-Quick Step), a total dominant of four stages last year in Okolo Slovensko, is coming back. He will face hard opponents in the likes of veteran Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) and the strong climber Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intemarche). But the race is quite open for the GC battle.

Other strong names to look out for are Maxim Decomble, Liam Slock, Jenthe Biermans, Benjamin Thomas, Henrique Bravo and Jamie Meehan.

Paul Magnier won four – Double took GC

French sprinter Paul Magnier (Soudal-Quick Step) totally dominated the beginning of the Tour of Slovakia last year by winning the first four stages. He is coming back to defend this.

But the GC was all decided on the last day’s final climb. British rider Paul Double (Jayco-AlUla) was the strongest and won both the stage and the overall. He was half a minute ahead of Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a bike) and 34 seconds ahead of Lemmen’s teammate Thomas Gloag.

Magnier won, of course, also the points jersey. He scored 86 points, with Slovakian rider Lukáš Kubis being second with 67 points.

Czech rider Martin Voltr (ATT Investments) was the King of the Mountain winner. With 30 points, he got 6 points clear of Paul Double.

Best U23 rider was the big talent Cian Uijtdebroeks. The Belgian at this time was riding for Team Visma-Lease a Bike. He has now moved to the Spanish squad Movistar.

Also Read – SC Play adds road cycling to its global lineup: full coverage of the Tour of Slovakia

WATCH TOUR OF SLOVAKIA ON SC PLAY!

The stages

Stage 1 – Wednesday, September 16, Košice – Košice, 162,6km

Start and finish at the same place. One sprint in Rokycany after 62,2km. No less than five mountains: Jahodná, Klenov, Pavelov vrch (2x), Folkmár. Three of Cat.2 and two of Cat.3. The highest point is Pavelov vrch – to be climbed twice – at 652 meters.

A tough start with an undulating course probably made for many attacks. But there are a little more than 20km from the last climb to the finish, so it could also come down to a bunch sprint.

Stage 2 – Thursday, September 17, Levoča – Liptovský Mikuláš, 186,8km

Another tough stage with 3 intermediate sprints and 3 mountains. The highest being the ski resort of Štrbské Pleso, an earlier host of the skiing World Cup. The height is 1262 meters, and the top comes some 55km from the finish.

Štrbské Pleso is the first Cat. 1 mountain in the race. There are two Cat. 2 climbs early on. The three sprints come after km 45,7, 88,6 and 163,1.

Again a day for the attackers. Or are the World Tour teams interested in holding the peloton together? The climbs are not very steep, so it could come down to a sprint, at least from a smaller group.

Stage 3 – Friday, September 18, Tvrdošín – Dohňany, 195,1km

Similar route with another five categorized mountains. The riders will enter Czechia for a short visit. The toughest climb is the last, Kohutka at 171km. The gradient is 6,8 % over 6,2km and could split the field, with some 20 km downhill to the finish from the top.

Four of the climbs are Cat. 2, the last one being Cat. 3. Two intermediate sprints quite close to each other’s: 80,2 and 94,2km.

A long day with a hard climb at the back end is probably going to be fireworks.

Stage 4 – Saturday, September 19, Beluša – Galanta, 197,5km

By far the easiest stage when it comes to climbing. No categorized mountains and fairly flat all day.

Two intermediate sprints at 111,4 and 137,2km. Totally flat; the last 35km is like an invitation to a mass sprint.

But look out for wind. It can be dangerous when the riders are going southwest, passing the cities of Trenčín and Trnava before reaching the final city of Galanta. The finish is east of the capital Bratislava.

Stage 5 – Sunday, September 20, Sliač – Kráľová hoľa, 147,4km

And what a finish! The shortest stage finishing with the hardest climb ever in the race. Starting just south of Banska Bystrica, the riders will go north-east. After a short Cat. 3-climb, they reach the top of the Cat. 1-climb Lom nad Rimavicou after 70km. This is a 14km drag of 3,6%.

Then they go down to the town of Bresno, a former venue for the World Cup biathlon, before slowly starting to climb towards Kráľová hoľa.

The final hill is 12,6km with an 8,7% gradient. The top is at 1934 meters, and this is surely where the race is going to be decided. It’s also an HC climb.

The teams (preliminary start list)

• Soudal-Quick Step (WT): Paul Magnier, Yves Lampaert, Martin Svrcek, Dries Van Gestel, Warre Vangheluwe, Jose Said Cisneros, Henrique Bravo.
• Lotto-Intermarché (WT): Duarte Marivoet, Felix Ørn-Kristoff, Maxence Place, Liam Slock, Lennet Van Eetvelt, Milan Donie, Lucas Van Gils.
• Groupama–FDJ United (WT): Cyril Barthe, Maxime Decomble, Josh Kench, Matteo Milan, Blake Agnoletto, Rémi Dumas, Yann Duois.
• Cofidis (PRT): Jenthe Biermans, Simon Carr, Ion Izagirre, Yael Joalland, Luis Alberto Lajarín, Jaime Meehan, Benjamin Thomas.
• Team Novo Nordisk (PRT): Lucas Dauge, Juan José López, David Lozano, Andrea Peron, Antonio Polga, Filippo Ridolfo, Lucaas Terrier.
• Dukla Banská Bystrica (CT): David Kasko, Martin Haluska, Jakub Javor, Samuel Fedor, Sebastian Michalev, Lukas Pancek, Matej Ulik.
• Bahrain Victorious Development Team (CT): Rainer Kepplinger, Ahmed Madan, Ahmed Nasar, Giacomo Rosato, Mihajlo Stolic, Thomas Capra, Max Van Der Meulsen.
• Lucky Sport Cycling Team (CT): Axel Källberg, Simen Evertsen-Hegreberg, Carl Kagevi, Morthen Wang Baksaas, Hugo Lennartsson, Joel Mellby, Vilgot Reinhold.
• Team Drali-Repsol (CT): Toralf Rydningen Martinsen, Sander Granberg, Georg Rydningen Martinsen, Ulrik Bjune, Håkon Eiksund Øksnes, Jørgen Sekse, Sebastian Veslum.
• ATT Investments (CT): Piotr Pekala, Dominik Neuman, Mateusz Gajdulewicz, Filip Reha, Jakub Riman, Simon Vanicek, Martin Voltr.
• Kasper crypto4me (CT): Josef Černý, Adam Bittman, Adam Pešek, Patrik Toman, Milan Kadlec, Matěj Žahálek, Michael Kukrle.
• Tirol KTM Cycling Team (CT): Samuel Novak, Nicolas Ginter, Jonas Holzknecht, Tommaso Marchi, Viggo Moore, Benjamin Eckerstorfer, Monty Rigby.
• Hrinkow Advarics (CT): Juaka Primozic, Josef Dirnbauer, Filippo Fortin, David Paumann, Loic Bettendorf, Richard Riskaa, Riccardo Zoidl.
• Kolesarski Klub Nove Mesto (CT): Martin Jurik, Leon Lukic, Tim Mervar, Vid Murn, Nejc Peterlin, Anze Skok, Marcel Skok.
• Biesse-Carrera-Premac (CT): Filippo Agostinacchio, Michele Bicelli, Alessandro Milesi, Davide Quadrigilia, Nicholas Travella, Giacomo Villa, Nicola Zumsteg.
• Voster Team (CT): Tomas Sivok, Konrad Czabok, Szymon Ilski, Jakub Kaczmarek, Dawid Latkowski, Pawel Bernas, Patryk Stosz.
• Team Storck-MRW Bau (CT): Matthew Walls, Paul Keller, Robin Ull, Alvaro Sagrado, Noé Ury, Lennart Voege, Henri Johannes Appelbaum.
• Team United Shipping (CT): Michal Schuran, Erik Fetter, Zsombor Palumby, Niolaos Michail Drakos, Veljko Stojnic, Zétény Szijarto, Barnabas Vas.
• Universe Cycling Team (CT): Lars Quaedvlieg, Cas Hermans, Rick Nobel, Brt Buijk, Jarri Stravers, Stefan Verhoeff, Tom Wijfje.
• Mazowsze Serce Polski (CT): Ksawier Garnek, Ksawery Gancarz, Patryk Dabski, Filip Helta, Franciszek Kaczorowski, Franciszek Matuszewski, Antoni Muryj.

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