His eye problem has prevented him from racing this year, though he has continued to train with Festina, as well as acting as right hand man to Festina Directeur sportif Juan Fernandez and writing for newspapers and websites. A notable innovation in the race's route is a two-stage final day, with some climbing in both stages to decide the result. This stage will go through Kaszuby region which is full of small hills, similar to those one can see in the Amstel Gold. On both occasions the overall winner came from the members of the first day's break. The first of two very long stages, along the sea coast or close to it, and heading directly West, through undulating terrain similar to stage one.
Headwinds are likely to add to the difficulty.
The route goes west for another day parallel to the Baltic coast. This time it will be almost flat, although headwinds are again quite likely. The longest stage of the race, and probably one of the longest in the 2001 season in any stage race of significant classification. Course profile will be almost dead flat, but if it blows from the west like it usually does, we can expect cross-wind from right side. The stage that starts in Zbigniew's Spruch hometown takes the Tour de Poland TdP peloton to the first mountains of the 58th edition.