The 18th edition of the Czech Tour marked a historic milestone with its elevation to the UCI ProSeries calendar, delivering nearly 650 kilometers and almost 10000 meters of vertical ascent across four punishing days. Facing a high-caliber peloton packed with elite WorldTour squads, Team United Shipping rode with aggressive intent from the opening kilometers in Prague to the final summit in Pustevny. Through searing heat, tactical crosswinds, and brutal summit finishes, the team animated the race, overcame mechanical setbacks, and secured the ultimate climbing prize. Netcompany INEOS dominated the general classification as 20-year-old Andrew August captured the overall yellow jersey, but Team United Shipping left an indelible mark on the race by capturing the King of the Mountains classification.
Stage 1: Prague to Karlovy Vary: Red Bib and Relentless Aggression
Under warm sunshine and over fast roads, the 163-kilometer opener with 2000 meters of climbing set a relentless pace. Tactical instructions were clear: fight for the break and target early jerseys. Michal Schuran bridged across with critical pacing from Tomáš Přidal, taking 3 bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint and second on the climb before securing the Most Aggressive Rider red bib. In the bunch, heavy hydration was vital, and behind the scenes, Přidal overcame a broken wheel with 15 kilometers left via a rapid bike change, while Rastko Nikačević dropped back for 5 fresh bottles with 20 kilometers remaining just as a sudden pace injection split the field. Nikolaos Michail Drakos, Máté Endrédi, and Zsombor Palumby held strong on the climbs before Palumby sat up 10 kilometers out. American Riley Sheehan of NSN Cycling Team won the sprint in Karlovy Vary ahead of Ben Turner, while Drakos took on the fast technical finale before getting boxed in during the last 500 meters.
Schuri’s opening charge for the red bib
I tried many times, but the breakaway went away while I was coming back from a previous attack. Then Přidal pulled on the front, creating one more opportunity to attack, so I went for it and made it to the front. Unfortunately, I bridged the gap after the first KOM, so I couldn’t take any points. Still, I am second now and I’ll try again in the next stages.
I won 3 seconds in the intermediate sprint, and I wanted to go for the best Czech rider, but at the end of the race, the pace was really tough; I already had cramps and couldn’t follow… But I left everything out there, so no regrets.
I was feeling really strong, my shape is good right now, and I had a solid period of training with no sickness, so I was happy I could show my form on the first stage. I hope I can get into the breakaway in the next stages too and try to take the KOM jersey.
The team vibe is good, and I really enjoyed the time off without racing. I was on vacation with my wife and my bike, so it was a great period 😄. I am excited about the upcoming stages: it felt a bit weird at the start after such a long break, but now I can see that the form is definitely there.
Nikolaos in the technical riverfront sprint
Today was hectic all day. Our plan was to get into the breakaway, and eventually, we managed it with Schuri. So then we were just all together in the bunch trying to save energy. In the last kilometers, the pace on the climbs was really hard, but I had good legs. In the end, Tomas helped me position for the sprint, but unfortunately, I got boxed in during the last 500m. In general, I am in good shape and will help Tomas on the upcoming mountain stages.
Meanwhile, my friend Niki is currently racing with Astana, and I am 100% sure that he is gonna smash it in Norway!
Stage 2: Mladá Boleslav to Ještěd: Claiming the Polka-Dot Throne
Day two brought a mountainous 155-kilometer test featuring 2500 meters of climbing, finishing atop the iconic Ještěd transmitter. Once again, Schuran went on the offensive, infiltrating the primary four-man breakaway. He swept maximum climbing points across both Vrchovany and Výpřež to officially capture the King of the Mountains polka-dot jersey with 16 points. The high ProSeries tempo kept the break on a tight leash, neutralizing the move 15 kilometers out. In the bunch, bottle shortages caused severe dehydration on the lower slopes, yet Endrédi and Přidal gritted through until a crash 6 kilometers from the line caught Přidal, forcing him into a hard chase. Andrew August of Netcompany INEOS claimed the stage victory and the yellow jersey in a thrilling duel with Alessandro Fancellu. Máté and Tomáš crossed the line together in the final 300 meters, battered but determined.
Michal on stepping into the polka dots
This is the first time this season that I get to wear the KOM jersey. In the first part of 2026, I was still looking for my form, but now I am feeling better and better week by week.
So, I am happy that I was able to take the points here and get the polka-dot jersey. I will try my best in the next stages to collect more points and keep it until the end. But I can already say that I am really happy with how this Czech Tour is going for me.
Yesterday I felt much better… Today my legs were complaining a bit, and the riders in the break were pulling really hard, making it quite tough for me. But I will try to eat as many carbs as possible and do everything for optimal recovery. Let’s hope that I can get into the breakaway again and again! 🤞🏻😄
Máté battles the heat and late-race chaos
Just like yesterday, there was a relatively high pace all day: you can really feel that this .Pro race is another league. Even though today’s stage could be considered mountainous, these weren’t classic steep climbs: it was just steep enough for the peloton to stay together.
The primary plan was for Michal to get into the breakaway again, since he already had KOM points from yesterday. He managed to do it and kept collecting points, so the mountain jersey is now his, which is a huge deal in this peloton!
On the last climb, I didn’t feel very good: I ran out of bottles, and I had no opportunity to get fresh ones, so I was quite dehydrated. Despite that, I was still able to stay in the first group with Pridal, although I suffered immensely.
Then, 6 kilometers before the finish, a crash occurred, and unfortunately, Pridal was involved. It looked like he hurt himself, but he got back on his bike and pushed on, though he still lost a lot of time. I managed to avoid the crash, so I stayed in the lead group, but towards the end, I got dropped: there just wasn’t enough left in my legs. In the last 300 meters, Pridal caught up with me, so we eventually rolled across the line together.
Unfortunately, he lost a lot of time, so I don’t know what our tactics will be for the next two days, but I think nothing is lost, as long climbs are still ahead of us. I hope Pridal and I will feel good, and I’ll be able to help him as long as possible.
Overall, I consider my return after a long break to be positive. I’ve had great training weeks, I feel in excellent shape, and I trust that I can show this in the coming days!
Stage 3: Pardubice to Dlouhé stráně: Defending the Jersey on Brutal Slopes
A solemn start in Pardubice saw the peloton honor the tragic passing of 19-year-old Finlay Tarling before embarking on 162 kilometers toward the brutal 13-kilometer summit finish at Dlouhé stráně with its 5% average gradient. Crosswinds sparked nervous positioning battles throughout the bunch, with WorldTour teams keeping any breakaway under a 2-minute leash. Schuran, feeling the fatigue of back-to-back days in the break, missed the initial split after 50 to 60 kilometers of attacks, but the team rallied around him. Palumby and Přidal stayed near the front on the lower slopes; when Palumby dropped 7 kilometers out, he linked up with the bruised Přidal, following instructions from the team car to ride the remainder together. Up ahead, Andrew August of Netcompany INEOS repeated his winning sprint against Alessandro Fancellu to solidify the yellow jersey, while Schuran successfully safeguarded the polka-dot jersey for the final showdown.
Zsombi’s honest reflection from the high-speed peloton
It wasn’t our most successful day today, but perhaps the hardest so far. At the start, we wanted to send Schuri into the breakaway, and everyone worked really hard for that, but it just didn’t work out. The breakaway was very difficult to establish; we had already covered 50-60 km before anyone managed to get away. Schuri was naturally tired too: being in the breakaway on two consecutive days at a .Pro race is not easy, as I also experienced at Szlovén Kör.
Later, the wind picked up, the peloton became much more nervous, and serious positioning battles began. Despite this, we managed to move well as a team, always being at the front when needed. On the final climb, we also tried to stay up front with Tomáš for as long as possible. I got dropped 7 kilometers before the finish; the pace was quite high. From then on, I rode up at my own tempo, and later caught up with Tomáš. At that point, the team car asked us to stay with him, so we ended up just rolling into the finish.
Unfortunately, he is still feeling yesterday’s crash, which prevented him from riding well today. I tried to encourage him, since there is still another day tomorrow that could suit him.
Fortunately, Schuran kept the polka-dot jersey ahead of the final stage, because no one in the breakaway posed a threat to him, but tomorrow he will have to go again, because Andrew August, the winner of the past two days, is very close to him.
Personally, I feel better day by day: today I managed to stay at the front longer at the end, and it wasn’t a case of completely blowing up either. So hopefully, after not pushing all the way to the wall today, tomorrow can be even better. After a long break and only two weeks of training, racing at this level is quite tough, but I’m really glad to be here and that we can ride at such quality. This will pay off in the upcoming races!
I expected the first day to be absolute chaos on the rolling terrain, and the other days to be a bit calmer, but that hasn’hasn’t materialized so far… Yesterday we rode almost the entire time in single and double pacelines, and today too: the pace is huge. The breakaways are also quite strong, and the big teams don’t want to let them go further than a minute and a half to two minutes. It feels a bit strange to me, similar to what happened at Tour de Hongrie and Szlovén Kör. The breakaway consists mostly of Continental riders plus a few Pro and WorldTour riders, and I think the big teams would have the power to catch them easily. Instead, they keep everyone on a short leash, which leads to a massive pace. This is quite unpleasant, especially towards the back of the bunch, where we are often forced due to hierarchy. If we want to be at the front, we have to fight constantly, which isn’t always worth the risk.
So it’s full gas all day, and on the climb, they turn up the heat even more. I expected something different, but this is what it is, and we have to adapt.
Stage 4: Kroměříž to Pustevny: Polka-Dot Glory Sealed on the Beskydy Ridge
The final 160-kilometer stage featured 2442 meters of climbing, finishing on the steep 5-kilometer ramps of Pustevny with an 8% gradient. An explosive start saw speeds top 47 km/h as echelons formed in the wind. Schuran attacked from kilometer zero, forging ahead in the breakaway and holding a 2-minute gap over the summit of Hlaváčky to collect the decisive mountain points and permanently seal the King of the Mountains classification. A brief railway crossing stoppage 15 kilometers out grouped the race before Netcompany INEOS drove the pace up Pustevny. Alessandro Fancellu of MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort took the stage win in the final sprint ahead of August, who locked up the overall GC title. For Team United Shipping, Schuran climbed the podium to claim the final polka-dot jersey.
Tomáš on team sacrifice and grit
I didn’t have my best day today, but fortunately Schuri got into the breakaway, kept the jersey, and saved our race: huge congratulations and thanks to him!
Of course, I expected much more from myself, and the guys did everything they could to help me, but I just couldn’t make it happen in these days. Big thanks to the whole team for all their hard work.
Now it’s time to build better legs, and hopefully I can bring them to the next races: the South Bohemia Tour U23 and Tour of Britain!
Schuri’s ultimate relief and mountain victory
Winning today’s KOM was a relief: a big relief 😄 I was quite nervous before, but I really wanted to secure the jersey, so I’m really happy with it now.
Today, the breakaway went away instantly on the first attack, but we had to go full gas for the first 50km because the peloton was so close due to echelons in the bunch. 10km before the GPM, I saw a 2-minute gap, so I was already quite sure that I would reach the top and win the points.
Compared to a good GC result, I am definitely happier with the KOM jersey. In the overall, I could maybe finish top 30, but since I am not a pure climber, a top 30 is nothing compared to the KOM jersey: especially with all the media exposure.
Next, I’ll race at the Tour of Britain. I’m really curious about this race and looking forward to it!
