Václav Ježek, the top Czech rider in this year’s Czech Tour, has taken another important step in his career. Starting in the 2027 season, he will be a member of UAE Team Emirates Gen Z, the development team of the elite UAE Team Emirates-XRG, for which Slovenian star Tadej Pogačar also races. He is transferring to his new team from Kasper Crypto4me.
This season marked a major breakthrough for Ježek on the road following his transition from cyclocross. At the Czech Tour, he finished seventh overall, making him the best-placed Czech rider and earning him the red jersey awarded to the best Czech rider. He also won the Tour of Hellas stage race, finished third in the final stage of the U23 Peace Race and claimed victory at the West Bohemia Tour.
Ježek attributes his progress in part to his collaboration with the Czech Cycling Academy (CCA) and its coach, Pieter Timmermans. “I think I’m 30, maybe even 40 percent better as a road cyclist than I was last year. I’ve been working with CCA for about a year and a half. Through the programme, I started working with Pieter, who puts a lot of energy into my training. Even when I’m in the middle of a training session and feel I could push harder, or when I’m not feeling quite right, I can let Pieter know and he’ll adjust my training plan straight away. Working with the academy was definitely one of the key steps that helped me get to where I am today,” says Václav Ježek.
Ježek’s move to UAE Team Emirates Gen Z is further recognition of his potential and a promising development for Czech cycling. At the 2026 Czech Tour, he showed that he can compete with international rivals, and from next season he will have the opportunity to continue developing his abilities within one of the most successful team structures in modern cycling.
Photo: Barbora Reichová
