Czech Tour, the largest stage cycling race in the Czech Republic, is entering a new era. From August 13 to 16, 2026, it will welcome top professional teams from Europe and overseas. Liberec is the finish city for Stage 2 (August 14), with the finish line on Ještěd.
The eighteenth edition will once again start in Prague, head to Ještěd for the first time, and offer the toughest routes in the race's history with a total elevation gain of nearly 10,000 meters and a length of 650 km. Television broadcasts will be on Eurosport and ČT Sport. “We will see world-class cycling on Czech roads again. Moving to a higher category increases the quality of the race as well as the demands for top-tier facilities for riders and fans. We are planning a broadcast of every stage again, which, thanks to our cooperation with ASO, the organizer of the Tour de France, will be seen by viewers all over the world,” said Czech Tour president Robert Kolář.
Four stages, decided in the hills
Czech Tour 2026 will start, just like last year, in Prague at Vítězné náměstí, from where the peloton will head across the Czech Republic over four stages. The race will again offer a combination of attractive city backdrops, undulating terrain, and challenging climbs that have, in recent years, made Czech Tour famous as an event for all-rounders.
The first stage from Prague's Dejvice to Karlovy Vary follows last year's, is 163 kilometers long, and will have the lowest elevation gain (2,311 meters). A novelty will be the second act, which will take cyclists from Mladá Boleslav after 156 kilometers to Ještěd near Liberec, and the final climb, out of a total of 2,500 meters of elevation, will test the strength of the peloton in particular. The third stage measures 171 kilometers and, after 2,670 meters of elevation, ends at the famous Dlouhé stráně in the Jeseníky Mountains. The final stage leads from Kroměříž to Pustevny, measures 160 kilometers, and the cyclists will climb 2,442 meters.
“Our long-term goal is for the Czech Tour to traverse the entire republic. That is also why, alongside traditional locations, we have included an attractive stage to Ještěd. It is a legendary peak. And thanks to our membership in the ProSeries, our position in negotiations with teams has improved; now the participation of the very best is on the table. I believe a great start list awaits us,” specifies race director Leopold König.
Elite teams, rich fan program, and television broadcasts
The WorldTour team NSN (formerly Israel-Premier Tech) and ProTeam-licensed squads – Bardiani CSF 7 Saber, Burgos Burpellet BH, and Solution Tech Nippo Rali – are preparing to come to the Czech Republic. A big attraction will also be the new American squad Modern Adventure, which is associated with the name of former star professional George Hincapie. The Czech top tier will also be represented. The presence of the race in the higher category calendar represents a greater draw for elite teams in the form of better point awards for the UCI ranking – a key parameter that decides existence or non-existence among the best. For example, for an overall victory in a category 2.1 race, a cyclist gets 125 points; in the 2.Pro category, it is a clean 200.
Czech Tour 2026 will not only be about top sporting performances, but also about the experience for spectators. In all start and finish cities, a rich accompanying program will be prepared for visitors, offering entertainment for the whole family. “We are inspired by the best races in the world and we want to offer a comparable show,” concludes Robert Kolář.
The prelude to the prestigious competition will be the Peace Race for riders under 23. It will also have four stages with a total length of over five hundred kilometers and an elevation gain of nearly 9,500 meters. The hopes of the world peloton will head out to fight from May 28 to 31 in the attractive settings of the Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian regions. This year's edition of the Peace Race will also be held for the first time in the UCI Europe Tour 2.2U category, and alongside national teams, hopes from professional squads will also stand at the start, which will bring even more significant international competition.
Czech Tour 2026 Stages:
Stage 1: Prague – Karlovy Vary, length 163 km, elevation gain 2,311 m
Stage 2: Mladá Boleslav – Ještěd, length 156 km, elevation gain 2,500 m
Stage 3: Pardubice – Dlouhé stráně, length 171 km, elevation gain 2,670 m
Stage 4: Kroměříž – Pustevny, length 160 km, elevation gain 2,442 m
