25.05.2024, Zakopane, Poland

Race Through Poland is a one-stage, self-supported, and long-distance bicycle race where the main objective for riders is to make their way from start to finish through the four control points located in the heart of Central and Eastern Europe mountain ranges.

The race’s sixth edition will swing around Western Carpathians lying on the southern borders of eastern Poland, and for the first time, in the race’s history, the route will reach the very south borders of Slovakia. The challenge and unknown land is about to come!

START 00
Zakopane, Poland

Race Through Poland No.6 will start at sunrise, in the beating heart of the Polish Carpathians, the city of Zakopane. Located on the foot of the High Tatras, this place will tune our riders with highlanders folklore, before they hit a pretty mountainous 1500km adventure.

Riders will gather in one of the most famous places in the city called Rówień Krupowa. It is a unique element of Zakopane's urban layout, an area of historical and cultural value, symbolically connecting the city with the Tatra Mountains. The name comes from the surname of the former owners of the land, a flat, 24-hectare meadow crossed by a small series of footpaths. A vast, once agricultural, flat area covered with meadows (pasture) and tree belts, is now the biggest in the Zakopane Park area, with an amazing view towards the Tatra Mountains.

5 AM start will be neutralized under the Police escort and will commence from the super famous viewpoint with large wooden lettering - Zakopane. The sharp start will happen at km 2.3, after a proper signal from the Police officer. DETAILS CONTROL POINT 01
Wołosate, Poland

Bieszczady, a unique mountain range that runs from the extreme southeast of Poland, is the region where everything starts and finishes when we are talking about Polish Carpathians. With its lush nature, dark sky, and fauna rich in bison and predators like lynx or brown bear, it creates an outstanding National Park, beloved by many travelers and adventure seekers.

Our first CP will be located in the heart of it, in the small town called Wołosate. This village located on the foot of Tarmica (1346m), the highest peak of the Bieszczady Mountains, has a rich history dating back to the 16th century. It was once a thriving center of trade and commerce due to its strategic location at the crossroads of several major trade routes. Throughout the years, the village has endured many hardships, including invasions, wars, and natural disasters, and from over 1000 citizens before the IIWW, it now has only about 45 people living there. Despite these challenges, the people of Wołosate have always maintained a strong sense of community and resilience. Today, this southernmost inhabited town in Poland, located on the PL/UE border, is known for its warm hospitality and traditional way of life, which has been preserved for centuries.

Wołosate is also the place, where the Main Beskid Trail starts, the longest 496 km trail in the Polish mountains, and we are extremely happy to be able to take our riders there in 2024. DETAILS CONTROL POINT 02

Kékestető, Hungary

Kékes is the highest mountain of Hungary, and this is where we are going to take our riders in 2024.

But before they reach the CP2, they will explore Mátra, a stunning mountain range in the northern country that belongs by origin to the largest young volcanic zone of Europe. It is an incredible land covered with massive and breathtaking oak woodlands, where riders will easily forget about the rest of the world. It's wild, blushing green, and quiet, packed with forgotten and nearly always empty tarmac roads. We would not be reaching so far from Poland if this region wouldn't be worth the visit.

The actual CP2 will be located in Kékestető, a settlement near the top of the mountain, and the parcours will include reaching the very top of the Mátra range, at 1014 meters above sea level. DETAILS CONTROL POINT 03

Krížava, Slovakia

Krížava is not a typical mountain peak, as we would want to understand. It is an incredible damming of the lower part of Malá Fatra, a Slovakian mountain range, that stands high above the Turiec and Vah river valleys and two pretty important for Slovak economy and culture cities, Martin and Žilina.

There is a tall and impressive telecommunications transmitter tower on the top, at 1457 m above sea level, and this is where our riders will have to climb, using an epic 12-kilometer narrow and winding tarmac road.

This demanding and rather sophisticated Slovakian climb is on the bucket list for many road climb enthusiasts from the region and beyond.

CP3 will be located just under the Krizava top, on a large shepherd's pasture, which today is a famous ski resort called Martinské hole. It will be interesting to see the routing choices from here, as there are not many small and local roads around, and the main and national roads that lay underneath the mountain will be all banned from the race. DETAILS DETAILS CONTROL POINT 04

Cyrla, Poland

Final control will be located in one of the most beautiful river valleys in Poland, dividing the mountain range that we have visited before. We are talking about the Poprad River valley and the Sądecki Beskid mountain range, a well-known and famous place for hiking and mountain biking. The valley itself is the largest spa complex in Poland which constitutes about 60 percent of the country's resources in springs of healing mineral water. The mountains, raging way over 1000 meters above the sea level, rise steeply above the valley, and the same for the roads we choose to follow the river.

The exact location for the CP4 will be a mountain hotel Cyrla, placed high above the river, 844 meters a.s.l. Getting there through a pretty dramatic final climb, 4,5 kilometers long with an 11% average grade, and a max reaching way above 20% in places will be a true test of perseverance for our riders. This road is the only way for people living in the settlement near the hotel to get to the civilization near the river, and we are curious about the way, riders will choose to continue from here. FINISH 05
Radocyna, Poland

Radocyna, is an uninhabited village in the Low Beskids, one of the wildest mountain ranges in Poland and with the most incredible history and culture, that changed this region so much throughout the recent decades. By only following Wikipedia we hear: Up until 1947, the majority of the population here was Lemko (Rusin). The Lemkos are sometimes considered the westernmost of the Ukrainians. They were forcibly removed in a Polonization plan agreed between the Soviet Union and the Polish communist government. Many were killed or forcibly sent to Soviet Ukraine. Those not sent to Ukraine were dispersed among towns and villages in the new western Polish territory taken from Germany.

Now, we can only see the small remains of Lemko’s villages, and the iconic wooden doors, that were placed in the region to honor every little village that disappeared from the Polish map. The land is unique, wild, beautiful, and demanding, with amazing flora and fauna, from deer and badgers to wolves and brown bears. The undiscovered land that excites.

The exact finish line will be located in The Training and Recreation Center of the State Forests "Radocyna", which is located in the heart of the Low Beskids, a former Lemko village, directly adjacent to the Magura National Park.

The finishers' party will happen here on 31.05.2024 from 8:00 PM and will last until noon the next day, 01.06.2024. DETAILS

Race history:
#rtpl5
#rtpl4
#rtpl3
#rtpl2019
#rtp2018

mail: race@racethroughpoland.pl/rtpl6

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