Welcome to a new era of the Czech Tour! The biggest pro stage race in the Czech Republic stretched across the country from Karlovy Vary to Ostrava in its 17th edition—and for the first time ever rolled through the capital, Prague. Here are ten moments that defined this year’s race.
Team presentation at Prague Castle
Following the sport’s biggest races, Czech Tour staged an eve-of-race team presentation for the first time last year. In 2025 the show levelled up: a spectacular ceremony on Hradčanské náměstí with the Prague Castle backdrop—another proof the Czech Tour keeps raising the bar.
In the spirit of the legendary classic
Prague didn’t just host the presentation of riders from all 22 teams; it also joined the list of start towns. On Thursday, 14 August, the peloton rolled out from Vítězné náměstí—the famed “Kulaťák”—to Karlovy Vary, where the finish line was set right on the colonnade. Stage 1 also paid homage to the now-defunct Prague–Karlovy Vary–Prague 260 km classic, first run in 1921 and revived in 2005–2010.
Opening day belonged to Lamperti—again
Just like 2024, Stage 1 came down to a bunch sprint in Karlovy Vary. Luke Lamperti (Soudal Quick-Step) had the fastest kick and pulled on the first yellow jersey—mirroring his win last year in Ostrava.
High drama on Dlouhé Stráně
Soudal Quick-Step had more to celebrate on Stage 2 from Pardubice to the iconic summit above the Dlouhé Stráně pumped-storage plant. The brutal climb shredded the field, with favourite Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike) lighting it up. But two rivals clung on, and in the final hairpin Junior Lecerf—another Belgian talent from the Wolfpack—kicked for his second pro win and claimed yellow.
Underdogs on top
Hunting a third straight stage, Soudal Quick-Step looked set to score again on Stage 3 from Prostějov to Ostrava. Lamperti blasted onto the Masaryk Square cobbles in perfect position, but his light rear wheel skipped on the uneven surface and he lost crucial speed. Liam Walsh (Ccache x Bodywrap) kept his cool—and the classic cobbles rule of big gear, weight back—to take a sensational victory. WorldTour stars were denied again in the Stage 4 mountain finish on Pustevny, where Jannis Peter (Team Vorarlberg) surged past in the final metres.
Uijtdebroeks showed the form—left with “only” white
Tipped as a pre-race favourite, Belgian prodigy Cian Uijtdebroeks arrived with fresh momentum after his first WorldTour-level win, following a turbulent exit from Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and a year of health setbacks. He missed out on the win at Dlouhé Stráně, then launched the big move on Pustevny, dropping the leaders—including yellow Junior Lecerf—and moving into virtual GC lead. But he faded right at the line and finished second, just ahead of his main rival, who kept the overall. Consolation: the white jersey for the best U25 rider.
Polka dots go once again to a smaller team
The Czech Tour serves up serious climbing, but with no HC mountain points on offer, pure GC hunters don’t always dominate the KOM tally. That opens the door for breakaway riders on the move. Last year Michal Schuran (CZE) grabbed the polka-dot jersey; this time Italian Nicoló Garibbo (Team UKYO) spoiled his party.
Přidal makes amends after the Peace Race
At U23 Course de la Paix (Peace Race) in May, Tomáš Přidal aimed for the top ten but settled for 14th. On the Czech Tour, the Elkov-Kasper rider placed 16th overall, took the red jersey for best Czech rider, and saved his best for last—4th on the dramatic Pustevny finale.
A director’s Enyaq—à la Tour de France
For the first time, Škoda Auto partnered the race, and the convoy looked straight out of the Tour de France—complete with a fully electric Škoda Enyaq as the red director’s car. From its open roof, Leopold König waved the kilometre zero starts, then ran race control from inside the car.
TV coverage with the legendary Carlton Kirby
Last year brought live coverage of the final 90 minutes on Czech TV. In 2025 the audience exploded with Eurosport broadcasting as well—Carlton Kirby himself called the action for the English feed from the TV truck in Czechia. The signal reached 190 countries; according to A.S.O., the distribution partner, the cumulative reach topped one billion. Seventy-four broadcasters took the feed and 20 aired the race live.
Foto: Markéta Navrátilová, Jan Brychta, Lukáš Wagneter
