With exactly four weeks to go until the start of this year's Czech Tour cycling stage race, interesting names are starting to appear on the start list, which features eight teams from the top WorldTour category. This year's race, scheduled for 25-28 July, will bring several new features - new venues, a great supporting programme, live TV broadcasts, and original trophies by designer Oldřich Sládek.
The peloton will feature a record number of teams in the highest UCI category, up from three last year to eight. Fans can look forward to riders from Bahrain Victorious, Bora - hansgrohe, Visma | Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates, Intermarché-Wanty, Ineos Grenadiers, Soudal Quick-Step and the aforementioned Team dsm-firmenich PostNL.
In addition to the elite, teams from the lower categories are also set to start, but they are not traditionally absent from the Grand Tour peloton. Uno-X Mobility, who drew attention with their predatory breakaways at last year's Tour de France. Czech pro riders Elkov-Kasper and ATT Investments are also preparing to send their charges. TDT - Unibet Cycling Team, which has Czechs Adam Ťoupalík, winner of last year's final stage of the Czech Tour, and Tomáš Kopecký on its roster, is also heading to the Czech Republic. Mathias Vacek should also make an appearance with Lidl-Trek Future Racing.
Almost 600 kilometres and a cumulative elevation gain of 9,000 metres await the competitors in four stages, including the famous climbs to the Beskydy Pustevny and Dlouhé stráně in the Jeseníky Mountains. "The difficulty of the courses is extraordinary, and this is also a factor that attracts elite teams," reminds Leopold König.
The ceremonial start in Olomouc. Stages televised!
A significant novelty of this year's edition that will delight those cycling fans unable to cheer directly along the course. The action on the roads in the Beskydy and Jeseníky Mountains will be broadcast live on TV screens. The last 90 minutes of each stage will be shown live on television channel ČT2. The fans have been calling for this for a long time and we are fulfilling their wishes. It will be a great advertisement for cycling and the Czech Republic, we will offer the broadcast to the whole world," says Leopold König.
For the fans, the organisers are planning an extensive accompanying programme in the start and finish cities. Before the start of each stage, there will be a ceremonial presentation of the teams and the spectators will have the opportunity to see the heroes of the race up close. At the finish line, people can watch a live broadcast of the race on a large screen alongside activities for the whole family. In addition, the day before the opening stage, there will be an opening ceremony in Olomouc with the participation of all participating teams and riders.
"We want to make the Czech Tour one of the best cycling races in Europe and one of the biggest sporting events in the Czech Republic. Our goal is for the Czech Republic to become a solid part of world cycling, and for the Czech Tour to attract the world's best riders and teams every year," says Dominika Němcová, sponsorship and CSR manager at Sazka, the general partner of the Czech Tour, adding: "This year, we are also putting more emphasis on sustainability, whether in the form of podiums or our unique modular furniture, which is made from upcycled Sazka lottery tickets and which spectators can try out in the rest area. "
On Thursday 25 July, the race will start from Prostějov. After more than 150 kilometres and nearly 1,500 vertical metres, the peloton will be welcomed at the finish gate in Ostrava.
The second stage will be a test of form and teamwork of all participants: the peloton will set off from Zlín for the first time ever, and when it crosses the tape at the Pustevny saddle in the Beskydy mountains after 170 km, the riders will have almost 3,500 vertical metres in their legs. In the third act, the riders will then set off on a 140 km long pilgrimage from Moravská Třebová towards the famous brutal climb to the reservoir of the Dlouhé stráně pumping station. And the grand finale promises to be the fourth stage from Šumperk to Šternberk, where the competitors will be tested by classic cobbles.
The trophies will carry a lasting memory
And another of the new features will be used to reward the winners of the individual stages and the new Czech Tour champion. For this year's edition, new original trophies have been prepared by Oldřich Sládek, whose portfolio includes medals for the 2015 World Cup of Hockey in the Czech Republic.
The main trophy, made of lead-free glass in the shade of double-coloured citrine, weighs 8 kg, measures 36 cm and from above its shape clearly mirrors the borders of the Czech Republic. The stage trophies are slimmer and each is shaped like a quarter of the main trophy. Each trophy hides a miniature cavity beneath the top plume, into which the organisers insert an original artefact from the relevant stage, giving the trophies an even more personal and lasting value for the winner.
CZECH TOUR 2024 programme
- Stage 1 - 25 July: Prostějov - Ostrava (151.3 km/1,418 m)
- Stage 2 - 26 July: Zlín - Pustevny (172.7 /3,389)
- Stage 3 - 27 July: Moravská Třebová - Dlouhé Stráně (139.4 /2,458)
- Stage 4 - 28 July: Šumperk - Šternberk (129.2 /1,945)
Confirmed teams for CZECH TOUR 2024
WorldTour category
- Bahrain Victorious
- Bora-hansgrohe
- Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
- Ineos Grenadiers
- Intermarché-Wanty
- UAE Team Emirates
- Visma | Lease a Bike
- Soudal Quick-Step
Pro category
- Bingoal WB
- Corratec Selle Italia
- Team Flanders - Baloise
- Team Polti Kometa
- Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- TDT - Unibet Cycling Team
- Tudor Pro Cycling
- Uno-X Mobility
Continental category
- ATT Investments
- Elkov-Kasper
- Lidl-Trek Future Racing
- Pierre Baguette Cycling
- Israel Premier Tech Academy
- CCACHE x Par Küp
Foto: Barbora Reichová, Markéta Navrátilová
