Twenty-year-old American Andrew August of Netcompany INEOS won the second stage of the Czech Tour, which led the peloton to the summit of Ještěd for the first time in history. In the final meters of the grueling climb, he edged out Italy's Alessandro Fancellu. Thanks to his performance, August moved to the top of the general classification and put on the yellow jersey.
The second stage of this year's Czech Tour featured a 155-kilometer route from Mladá Boleslav with an elevation gain of 2,500 meters. The anticipated climax was the debut finish beneath the iconic transmitter atop Ještěd.
The start of the race following the ceremonial rollout in Mladá Boleslav was restless. Martin Voltr of the Czech team ATT Investments repeatedly pushed into breakaways, eventually settling into the lead group alongside Belgium's Gil Gelders (Soudal Quick-Step), Italy's Mattia Bais (Team Polti VisitMalta), and Czech rider Michal Schuran (Team United Shipping).
It was Schuran who repeated his aggressive performance from day one. He won both categorised climbs (Vrchovany and Výpřež) and, after claiming sixteen points, put on the coveted polka-dot jersey. Voltr, meanwhile, took the victory at the intermediate sprint.
However, the peloton kept things under control. Just like on Thursday, Netcompany INEOS set the pace, neutralizing the breakaway roughly 15 kilometers from the finish. The winner was ultimately decided on the 15-kilometer climb up Ještěd, which averages a 4% gradient but reaches sections up to 7% in the final two kilometers.
In a dramatic finish, Italy's Alessandro Fancellu (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort) pulled ahead of the young American August. However, the INEOS rider managed to dig deep into his final reserves, crossing the finish line first with a two-second lead. Experienced Italian Domenico Pozzovivo (Solution Tech Nippo Rali) took third place.
"The final climb was long, but the gradient wasn't too steep until the last kilometer. We knew we had to keep a steady pace and give it everything at the end," Andrew August said after the race. "I really appreciate the great atmosphere and all the fans along the road! It made the pain in the legs a little more bearable, but it still hurt a lot," he added. Regarding the team strategy for the coming days, he clarified: "I am definitely one of the leaders for the next few days, but Embret Svestad-Bårdseng is also close in the general classification, so we have two cards to play."
The top domestic rider on Ještěd was Václav Ježek of Kasper crypto4me in 13th place, finishing one spot ahead of star rider Jan Hirt (NSN Cycling Team). Ježek is currently the highest-ranked Czech rider overall, holding 10th place.
On Saturday, cyclists face a challenging stage from Pardubice to the feared Dlouhé stráně climb.
Jersey Holders After Stage 2
- Yellow Jersey: Andrew August (Netcompany INEOS)
- Polka-Dot Jersey: Michal Schuran (Team United Shipping)
- White Jersey: Andrew August (Netcompany INEOS)
- Red Jersey (Best Czech Rider): Václav Ježek (Kasper crypto4me)
- Most Active Rider: Gil Gelders (Soudal Quick-Step)
This year's Czech Tour is photographed by Jan Brychta, Markéta Navrátilová, and Barbora Reichová.
