Final team line-ups will be confirmed closer to the start, but the first standout names for this year’s Czech Tour are already known. Fans can look forward to Tour de France stage winner Anthony Turgis of TotalEnergies, Czech climber Jan Hirt, who has a Giro d’Italia stage victory to his name, and an experienced duo from the WorldTour squad Netcompany INEOS: Jack Haig and Ben Swift.
Czech Tour enters a new era this year. For the first time, it will be held as a UCI ProSeries race, the second-highest tier of the world cycling calendar. While sports directors continue to fine-tune their selections according to rider form, team programmes and the nature of the Czech stages, the first confirmed names already suggest that fans have plenty to look forward to.
One of the major attractions will be Anthony Turgis. The experienced Frenchman in TotalEnergies colours is the kind of rider who can seize opportunities in big races and is not afraid to race aggressively. The biggest result of his career came at the Tour de France, where he claimed a stage victory. He could therefore bring to Czech Tour exactly the mix of experience, resilience and racing instinct that always counts in a demanding stage race.
From a Czech perspective, Jan Hirt will attract particular attention. One of the most successful Czech road cyclists of recent years, a Giro d’Italia stage winner and a rider tested at Grand Tour level, is expected to line up in the colours of NSN Cycling Team. For fans at the roadside, his participation would create one of the strongest home storylines of this year’s race.
Netcompany INEOS should also leave a significant mark on Czech Tour. Jack Haig is a rider well suited to tough stage-race profiles, long climbs and battles for the general classification. The Australian climber has made numerous Grand Tour appearances, with third place overall at the Vuelta a España among his biggest results. His experience from the hardest stage races in the world could be highly visible on this year’s route.
Another well-known name from Netcompany INEOS is Ben Swift. The British veteran is a rider who combines experience, durability and the ability to perform across different types of races. He has twice finished on the podium at the famous monument Milan–Sanremo and has twice been crowned British national road race champion. At Czech Tour, he could be an important figure not only for team tactics, but also in fast and technical sections.
The participation of riders such as Turgis, Hirt, Haig and Swift also confirms that Czech Tour’s move into the ProSeries category is more than just a change of label. The race is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for strong teams and prominent figures in the peloton. For Czech riders, it also offers a valuable opportunity to test themselves on home roads against competition with experience from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España and the biggest classics.
This year’s Czech Tour will take place from 13 to 16 August. As last year, the opening stage will take the peloton from Prague to Karlovy Vary, where a bunch sprint is expected to decide the day. After that, however, the race will be one for fans of long climbs. Stage 2 will link Mladá Boleslav with the iconic summit of Ještěd, the third day will bring a demanding route from Pardubice to Dlouhé stráně in the Jeseníky mountains, and the finale will once again run from Kroměříž to the summit of Pustevny in the Beskydy mountains.
Photo: @TeamTotalEnergies, nsncyclingteam.com, netcompanyineos.com
