So, not counting a race in Himalaya, there are ~~4~~, no 5! overlapping races this week in Europe, dividing the start lists.
Tour of Poland 🇵🇱: WT, Aug 4 to 8
For the second year in a row, this tour as changed from a flat race into a hilly / medium-altitude mountain race to address criticism and safety concerns. However teams are still considering and turning it into a sprinters' race (punchers' race at best).
Official website: https://www.tourdepologne.pl/en/
PCS page: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-pologne/2025
Vuelta a Burgos 🇪🇸: class .Pro, Aug 5 to 9
A balanced tour (meant as a preparation for the Tour of Spain) whose winner is however determined by one or two mountain stages.
Official website (in Spanish): https://www.vueltaburgos.com/es/
PCS page: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/vuelta-a-burgos/2025
Watchable on the website of the local Spanish TV: https://www.cyltv.es/live/La8Burgos (try after 3 PM)
Tour de l'Ain 🇫🇷: class .1, Aug 6 to 8
A 3 days mountain race.
Official website (in French): https://tourdelain.com/la-course/
PCS page: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-l-ain/2025
Arctic race of Norway 🇳🇴: class .Pro, Aug 7 to 10
Depending on the year, this race tales in different areas in Norway, not necessarily above the Arctic circle. This year it is between the Lofoten islands and Tromsø. The winner is usually determined by one or two punchy final climbs.
Official website: https://www.arctic-race-of-norway.com/en/
PCS page: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/arctic-race-of-norway/2025
The first part of the Tour of Portugal 🇵🇹, class .1, Aug 6 to 17
A race for mopeds.
Official website: https://volta-portugal.com/
PCS page: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/volta-a-portugal/2025
It looks like Steff Cras (🇧🇪 Total) shan't start the 3^rd^ and last stage, after finishing 12 minutes behind the winners yesterday. This was his return to racing after withdrawing from the Tour of France in the Pyrénées.
Strangely, Prodhomme went into an early breakaway.
Situation went back to normal (a breakaway without the leader) after Visma's chase, perhaps a bit before the intermediate sprint.
Then climbs started and the distribution of riders went as on previous days.
Bouchard (🇫🇷 Décathlon) was dropped in the descent after the penultimate climb. Visma's Nordhagen pulled the tiny front group on the flat section so that he couldn't come and left Prodhomme alone. Tulett pulled the first part of that steep 15 km pass, then Cian U. accelerated and after a fair while managed to drop Prodhomme more surely than with attacks.
The gaps gradually grew between the Belgian and the Frenchman, and between the Frenchman and the small group behind (Moniquet for Cofidis and Rouland for Arkéa having caught up with Tulett). In the descent Jegat (Total) came back from nowhere and joined this group.
The long descent (where Cian U. and Prodhomme exhibited the exact same level) and then the final part on small hilly roads in the countryside seemed to never end, as the situation was set with about 2 minutes (and growing) between riders.
Despite Prodhomme losing the tour, it was pleasant to see Cian U. finally regaining a truly good level, as his previous comebacks were not so successful (and his pains still present).
FDJ is once again today the only World Team with nobody in the first or second group. Their first rider only crossed the line 13 minutes behind the winner! All Pro Teams and most Conti teams did better. Their leader Gaudu came after 23 minutes, same as the day before; this was supposed to be a preparation for the Vuelta...
Disappointment for the famous Mehmet Şampiyonbisiklet 🤪 who couldn't finish this stage.