Soudal Quick-Step continues to reign supreme at the Czech Tour 2025, the country’s biggest stage race. Following Luke Lamperti’s opening-day triumph, his teammate Junior Lecerf took victory in Stage 2, which started in Pardubice and finished atop the iconic Dlouhé stráně climb in the Jeseníky mountains. The 22-year-old Belgian’s win at the famous upper reservoir of the pumped-storage power plant propelled him into the yellow leader’s jersey.
"I timed my finish perfectly. I trusted my strong sprint, and my instincts didn’t let me down," said a delighted Lecerf of the squad nicknamed the “Wolfpack.”
The 172.8 km stage, featuring 2,447 m of climbing, began in Pardubice. Soon after race director Leopold König waved the flag for the official start, an eight-man breakaway formed, including two Czech riders — Matěj Zahálka (Elkov-Kasper), who won a second-category KOM, and Jan Kašpar (TUFO Pardus Prostějov), who took the intermediate sprint.
World Tour teams Soudal Quick-Step and Visma | Lease a Bike allowed the breakaway to gain a maximum lead of five minutes. But as the peloton approached the decisive climb to Dlouhé stráně, the pace increased sharply, cutting into the gap.
With 26 km to go, Zahálka, Konrad Waliniak, and Kyrylo Tsarenko attacked from the front group, with Tsarenko the last to resist the peloton’s charge. He was caught at the foot of the final climb, where the battle for stage victory began in earnest.
Five and a half kilometers from the finish, Junior Lecerf (Soudal Quick-Step), Nahom Zeray and Alessandro Fancellu (both Team Ukyo), Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike), and Santiago Umba (XDS Astana Development) broke clear. Uijtdebroeks, a pre-stage favorite, set a fierce pace and tried several times to drop his rivals.
Only Uijtdebroeks, Lecerf, and Fancellu remained in contention for the final 500 meters. Lecerf struck first with 200 meters to go, his powerful surge proving decisive.
"I’m absolutely satisfied and completely happy. We executed the team plan perfectly, and I just put the finishing touch on all the work my teammates did throughout the day," said Lecerf, claiming the second professional victory of his career.
Foto: Jan Brychta, Markéta Navrátilová
