The Czech Republic’s biggest stage race is entering a new era. From 13 to 16 August, the 18th edition of the Czech Tour will be held as part of the UCI ProSeries for the very first time, placing it in the second tier of the international calendar. Across four stages, the peloton will race from Prague through Karlovy Vary, Mladá Boleslav, Ještěd, Pardubice and Dlouhé stráně before the final summit finish at Pustevny. With almost 650 kilometres of racing and close to 10,000 metres of climbing, it is also the toughest course in the history of the event.
A total of 18 teams and more than 120 riders are set to line up, including three WorldTour squads: Soudal Quick-Step, Netcompany INEOS and NSN Cycling Team. They will be joined by ten ProTeams, among them TotalEnergies, Caja Rural–Seguros RGA, Equipo Kern Pharma, Team Polti VisitMalta and Team Novo Nordisk, as well as five Continental teams. Czech cycling will be represented by Kasper crypto4me, ATT Investments and TUFO–Pardus Prostějov.
“Moving up to ProSeries level is the biggest sporting step forward in the history of the Czech Tour. It is not just about a new category logo – it means a higher level of racing, greater international interest, more demanding organisation and more opportunities to showcase the race to the world. We want the Czech Tour to be an event Czech fans can be proud of and one that has a permanent place on the calendars of top teams. This year, we have taken another major step towards that goal,” says Czech Tour president Robert Kolář. The final 90 minutes of all four stages will be broadcast live on Eurosport and ČT Sport.
The quality of the field reflects that ambition. One of the headline names will be Spanish climber Mikel Landa of Soudal Quick-Step, the team defending Junior Lecerf’s overall victory from last year and fresh from three stage wins by Tim Merlier at this year’s Tour de France. Netcompany INEOS will bring, among others, 2021 Vuelta a España podium finisher Jack Haig and Bob Jungels, a stage winner at both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia as well as a former Liège–Bastogne–Liège champion. Czech fans will also be watching Jan Hirt closely. The Giro d’Italia stage winner lines up for a strong NSN Cycling Team alongside George Bennett, Joseph Blackmore and Nick Schultz.
Another major draw will be TotalEnergies rider Jordan Jegat, who has finished 10th overall at the Tour de France in each of the past two seasons. The provisional start list also features a strong home contingent, including recent Tour de France finisher Jakub Otruba, last year’s Czech Tour polka-dot jersey winner Michal Schuran, this year’s national road race silver medallist Tomáš Přidal, plus Josef Černý, Michael Kukrle, Dominik Neuman and Martin Voltr.
“When you look at the combination of the start list and the route, we are in for an exceptional race from a sporting point of view. Landa, Haig and Hirt are riders who have proved themselves in the hardest stages of the Grand Tours, while plenty of others will come here determined to test themselves against the big names and make their own mark. From day two onwards, there will be virtually nowhere to hide – Ještěd, Dlouhé stráně and Pustevny will reward only the strongest. I would love to see the race go right down to the final kilometres of the final stage, just as it did last year,” says race director Leopold König.
The opening stage on Thursday 13 August will run for 163.21 kilometres from Prague’s Vítězné náměstí to Karlovy Vary. On Friday, the peloton will race from Mladá Boleslav to Ještěd for the first time in Czech Tour history over 155 kilometres. Saturday brings the longest stage of the race, from Pardubice to Dlouhé stráně, covering 170.88 kilometres with 2,670 metres of climbing. The overall winner will then be decided on Sunday in a 160.23-kilometre finale from Kroměříž to Pustevny. Three summit finishes on the final three days will leave the yellow jersey contenders very little room to recover.
The Czech Tour will be about much more than the racing itself. Fans can look forward to entertainment at the start and finish venues, team presentations, podium ceremonies and the Czech Tour Live studio with special guests. The finale at Pustevny will also feature a performance by the Olomouc Military Band, while visitors to the MND activation zones during the weekend stages will have the chance to enter a competition to win e-bikes. Those unable to make it roadside can follow the race on television, via live timing and text commentary online, or through the Czech Tour’s social media channels.
The 18th edition takes the Czech Tour to the highest level in its history. The combination of ProSeries status, a brutally demanding route and a stacked start list promises a race of a calibre rarely seen on Czech roads. From Thursday to Sunday, world-class cycling will have everything it needs in the heart of Europe to deliver four days of full-gas racing – whether you are watching from the roadside or from home.
Photo: Lukáš Wagneter
