The eighteenth edition will start again in Prague, for the first time it will head to Ještěd and will offer the most difficult routes in the history of the race with a total elevation gain of almost 10,000 metres and a length of 650 km. The race will be televised on Eurosport and CT Sport. "Once again we will see world-class cycling on Czech roads. The move to a higher category increases the quality of the race and the demands on top-class facilities for riders and fans. We will again broadcast every stage, which thanks to the cooperation with ASO, the Tour de France organiser, will be seen by viewers all over the world," said Robert Kolář, President of the Czech Tour.
Four stages, definitely in the hills The Czech Tour 2026 will start, as it did last year, in Prague on Vítězné náměstí, from where the peloton will set off across the Czech Republic in four stages. The race will once again offer the combination of attractive urban backdrops, undulating profiles and challenging climbs that have made the Czech Tour famous in recent years as an event for all-round riders.
The first stage from Prague's Dejvice to Karlovy Vary follows on from last year's, measuring 163 kilometres and will have the least number of vertical metres (2,311). A new feature will be the second leg, which will take the cyclists from Mladá Boleslav after 156 kilometres to Ještěd near Liberec and especially the final climb of 2,500 vertical metres will test the strength of the peloton. The third stage is 171 kilometres long and ends after 2,670 metres of climbing at the famous Dlouhé hillside in the Jeseníky Mountains. The final stage leads from Kroměříž to Pustevny, it is 160 kilometres long and the cyclists will climb 2,442 metres.
"Our long-term goal is for the Czech Tour to cross the whole country. That is why we have included an attractive stage to Ještěd alongside the traditional places. It is a legendary peak. And thanks to our affiliation in the ProSeries, we have improved our negotiating position with the teams, now the participation of the best is on the table. I believe that we will have a great start list," says race director Leopold König.
Elite teams, a rich programme for fans and TV coverage The Czech Republic will host the world-tour team NSN (formerly Israel-Premier Tech) and the ProTeam-licensed teams Bardiani CSF 7 Saber, Burgos Burpellet BH and Solution Tech Nippo Rali. Also a big attraction will be the new American line-up Modern Adventure, which is associated with the name of former pro star George Hincapie. Czech top riders will also be present. The presence of the race in the higher category calendar presents a greater attraction for the elite teams in the form of better points for the UCI ranking - a key parameter that decides being among the best or not. For example, for an overall win in a 2.1 category race, a rider takes 125 points, while in the 2.Pro category it's as high as 200.
Czech Tour 2026 will not only be about top sporting performances, but also about the experience for the spectators. In all starting and finishing towns there will be a rich accompanying programme offering entertainment for the whole family. "We take inspiration from the best races in the world and want to offer a comparable show," concludes Robert Kolář.
The prestigious event will be preluded by the Peace Race for riders under 23. It will also have four stages with a total length of over five hundred kilometres and an elevation gain of nearly 9,500 metres. From 28 to 31 May, the hopes of the world peloton will go to battle in the attractive scenery of the Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian regions. In addition, this year's edition of the Peace Race will be held for the first time in the UCI Europe Tour 2.2U category, and the national teams will be joined by the hopes of professional teams, which will bring even more international competition.
Czech Tour 2026 stages: Mladá Boleslav - Ještěd, length 156 km, elevation 2,500 m Stage 3: Pardubice - Dlouhé stráně, length 171 km, elevation 2,670 m Stage 4: Kroměříž - Pustevny, length 160 km, elevation 2,442 m
Annotation:
Czech Tour: 2 Stage
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