The final stage of Peace Race delivered a spectacular 131 km showdown from Krnov to Šternberk, contested under beautiful sunshine and warm summer weather. Packing 1948 vertical meters of climbing, the ultimate test unfolded on the closing 5 laps around Šternberk, the hometown of our own Tomáš Přidal. Each local circuit featured a brutal 1 km steep cobbled climb, a winding descent, and a highly technical urban section. Our sports director noted that the tactical plan was to only cover breakaways containing more than six riders to prevent the squad from burning energy needlessly. An early two-man move escaped and built a gap of 4 minutes, but the peloton effortlessly reeled them in before entering the local circuits. An early front puncture for Márkó Tóth in the opening 10 km was swiftly handled on a wide, gently rising road, allowing him to quickly chase back through the team cars without drama. As the race hit the local laps at a frantic speed of 40 km/h, the field shattered instantly under the pressure. Kamiel Eeman of Belgium safely navigated the chaos to seal the final general classification victory of the race. For Team United Shipping, Barnabás Vas showed immense grit, staying in the elite front selection through the carnage until finally losing contact on the very last ascent to finish a commendable 31st on the stage. Máté Endrédi, Rastko Nikačević, and Márkó Tóth crossed the line shortly after in the second main chase group. In the final general classification, Máté concluded the race as our top performer in 37th overall, while Barni climbed 12 spots to secure 40th. The squad now looks ahead to rebuilding form for their next appointment at Oberösterreich Rundfahrt.
Máté’s reality check
The rumors were true, and today’s stage was harder than yesterday’s. At the end of the day, we completed 5 laps in Šternberk, the city of our teammate Tomáš Přidal, which included a one-kilometer, steep, cobbled climb, a winding descent, and a technical urban part.
I felt good, but I knew that this short, steep wall does not suit me that much, so I tried to stay in front and finish in the best possible place. In the end, this didn’t really succeed, and we finished in the second group with Rastko and Márkó, but Barni was able to stay in front until the last lap.
Obviously it was harder this way at the end with only four riders compared to the other teams, but we didn’t take any responsibility either and didn’t really work in front, so the difference was not significant.
Fortunately, my progress is visible, but at this race I wanted to show a bit more and perform better. Since the Tour de Hongrie crash, I am probably only at 99% still, and a little extra was missing, but the direction is good.
Many young riders get an opportunity here, similar to us, so the stages are very hectic, and great chaos reigns throughout. You could say it is a matter of life and death, everyone would do anything for a good result.
My next race is the Oberösterreich Rundfahrt, where we are starting with a strong lineup again.
Barni’s empty tank
Well, it’s not the result I wanted. Today my legs were already quite tired, but at the beginning I felt pretty good, however this was not enough for a good result in the finale. I enjoyed the race all the way through, these four stages suited me very well.
At the end, the circuit racing was quite hard: the peloton completely split apart already in the first lap, but I was able to stay there in the first group, and I only dropped on the climb in the last lap. Then finally I arrived around thirtieth place, with a disadvantage of a bit less than one minute.
My next race will also be the Oberösterreich Rundfahrt.
Photo: Marcell Lippai
