Only two days remain until the start of this year’s edition of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix. Among over 20 national teams, the Poles — the hosts of the race — will also be at the start. The national team coach — Tomasz Brożyna — announces a fight for stage wins and a desire to improve on Filip Gruszczyński’s 12th place from last year.
One of the most important events for under-23 cyclists is fast approaching. On Wednesday, May 14, talented riders will begin racing in the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix, one of the three rounds of the prestigious UCI Nations’ Cup for young riders. At the start in Łańcut will also stand the hungry-for-success Polish riders, led by coach Tomasz Brożyna.
A strong lineup of the Polish national team gives hope that they will be visible in key moments of the competition. Representing Poland in the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix will be, among others, last year’s 12th-place finisher Filip Gruszczyński, Patryk Goszczurny, who races for the Visma | Lease a Bike development team and Mateusz Gajdulewicz from Mazowsze Serce Polski, who impressed with active and courageous performances in previous editions.
“As for Filip Gruszczyński, he was 12th in the general classification last year, so we hope he will fight for an even higher place. Last year he was a first-year U23 rider, now he’s a year older and should be stronger. Patryk Goszczurny is a rider with big achievements, talented, and I’m counting on him in mountain riding” says coach of the Polish national team, Tomasz Brożyna, former cyclist and Olympian.
“Then there is Mateusz Gajdulewicz, who has already started in such races several times. I hope his experience will be useful for the entire team. His recent results also show that he is in very good shape and will be useful for the team. There is also young Dawid Lewandowski, who can finish well, which will be especially important in the context of the first stage, but he also does well in the mountains and will be good support. Maciej Banaszak is a rider who is constantly progressing. He started racing relatively late, but you can see progress and his mountain riding looks really good, so he will also be a strong point. The lineup is completed by Szymon Bęben, a young, promising rider who has shown good form this year and will contribute to the team” added Tomasz Brożyna.
Ticket to the World Tour
For years, the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix has been a chance for Poles to showcase themselves to a wider audience. The prestigious race is followed by agents and sporting directors of the biggest teams in the world, which are annually joined by the best riders of individual stages or general classifications of ORLEN, the title sponsor of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix. Tomasz Brożyna also draws attention to this.
“Nations Cup races are characterized by the fact that the best young riders from all over the world come here, and a good result in such a race, winning a stage or finishing in the top ten of the general classification, is noticed and valued by managers of professional and World Tour teams. You can earn a ticket to the World Tour this way” he says.
The riders also know this, and as usual, they will stand at the start motivated and ready to fight for the highest places. Coach Tomasz Brożyna counts on a good performance from his riders and a place in the top ten of the general classification of ORLEN. He also hopes for a fight by the White-and-Reds for stage victories.
“We want to create a national team and each rider will have individual tasks to perform. It is important that they help each other. I tried to compose the lineup so that all aspects of cycling are covered and I won’t hide that we would like to fight for the top ten of the general classification and for stage victories. We will try to stand on the podium – that is our goal” explains Tomasz Brożyna.
“Riders from the national team compete against each other on a daily basis, but they also race in clubs or professional groups, where the situation looks similar. When going to a race, teams have their leader or leaders, but also support riders, and this translates to the national team. There and here they have their tasks, they understand it and it is nothing new for them” he adds.
Demanding, mountainous route
This year’s edition of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix will be one of the most difficult in the history of this event. Four stages will be held in the Podkarpacie region – the race will begin on Wednesday in Łańcut and end on Saturday at the Hotel Arłamów, where the riders will finish three times.
“The route is hard and mountainous, except perhaps for the first stage, where the finale is a bit flatter. There we can expect a sprint from a slightly larger group. The last two stages will depend on how the race unfolds because after the first two stages, the general classification will be partially shaped. The next two stages may determine that there will be breakaways, escapes, and in such actions, we can look for chances for stage wins. After two stages, we will know more about what can happen next” announces Tomasz Brożyna.
Lineup of the Polish national team for the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix 2025:
Filip Gruszczyński, Patryk Goszczurny, Mateusz Gajdulewicz, Dawid Lewandowski, Maciej Banaszak, Szymon Bęben
