The Czech Tour start list has gained another big name. Spanish UCI ProTeam Equipo Kern Pharma has confirmed its participation in the biggest stage race in the Czech Republic, bringing one of the most exciting squads from cycling’s second tier to the race. The Navarra-based outfit will arrive with its trademark attacking style, serious climbing depth and a reputation for taking the fight to bigger-name rivals.
Equipo Kern Pharma really hit the radar of many cycling fans with a standout performance at the 2024 Vuelta a España. The Spanish team sensationally claimed three stage wins, with Pablo Castrillo taking two victories and Urko Berrade adding a third. For a team built around developing talented riders, it was a breakthrough moment — and proof that a non-WorldTour squad can still shake up the biggest races.
“Equipo Kern Pharma fits exactly the profile of team we want to see at Czech Tour. They are an ambitious ProTeam with an attacking mindset, strong climbers and a real appetite to race hard every day. For the fans, this is great news, because teams like that bring energy to a race and are often behind the moves that decide stages,” says Czech Tour director Leopold König.
For Czech Tour, the confirmation of Equipo Kern Pharma is another sign of the race’s growing prestige. In 2026, the Czech race will be held as part of the UCI ProSeries for the first time and, from 13 to 16 August, will offer the toughest route in its history. WorldTour teams, strong ProTeams and Continental squads — including the best Czech teams — will all line up, giving the domestic riders a major opportunity to test themselves against elite international opposition.
Fans can look forward to another team that will not be coming just to make up the numbers. Equipo Kern Pharma have already delivered results that earned the respect of the peloton, and at Czech Tour they can once again show why they are among the most dangerous ProTeams in the sport right now. The August race has gained another promise of open, aggressive and highly entertaining racing.
This year’s route should deliver plenty of action, too. As last year, stage one takes the peloton from Prague to Karlovy Vary, where a bunch sprint is expected to decide the day. After that, the climbers take centre stage. Stage two is a brand-new addition, linking Mladá Boleslav with the iconic summit finish on Ještěd. The third day brings a hard shift between Pardubice and Dlouhé stráně in the Jeseníky Mountains, before the race wraps up, as it did last year, with the route from Kroměříž to the summit of Pustevny in the Beskydy Mountains.
Photo: equipokernpharma.com
