Under warm, sunny skies and over smooth asphalt, the 18th edition of the Czech Tour launched with high drama as the peloton covered 163 kilometers and over 2000 meters of elevation gain from Prague to Karlovy Vary. High temperatures demanded constant hydration, with bottle hand-offs playing a crucial background role throughout the day. With WorldTour heavyweights setting a lethal tempo, the tactical plan for Team United Shipping was crystal clear: launch an early attack to hunt for jerseys and take the fight directly to the peloton.
After a relentless series of moves, Michal Schuran executed that plan to perfection with a crucial pacing effort from Tomáš Přidal. Schuran snatched 3 valuable bonus seconds at an intermediate sprint and finished second on the categorized climb. Though late cramps and the brutal peloton pace prevented him from staying in the front group at the line, which would have put him in the top 5 on GC and in the jersey as Best Czech rider, his non-stop attacking earned a well-deserved podium appearance as the Most Aggressive Rider.
Behind the break, team resilience was tested. Přidal overcame a broken wheel with 15 kilometers remaining, making a swift bike change and drafting back into the primary group. Rastko Nikačević dropped back to fetch 5 fresh bottles for his teammates with 20 kilometers to go, only to be caught out when the main field split under high speed. Meanwhile, Zsombor Palumby, Máté Endrédi, Nikolaos Michail Drakos, and Přidal fought over the late ramps, with Palumby finally easing off 10 kilometers from the line. In Karlovy Vary, along the fast and technical banks of the Teplá River, American Riley Sheehan of NSN Cycling Team claimed the bunch sprint victory ahead of Ben Turner. Drakos navigated the hectic final kilometers before getting boxed in during the last 500 meters. With zero crashes and strong form on display, the team turns its focus to the brutal mountain stages ahead.
Schuri’s all-out attack 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 survives the Karlovy Vary chaos
“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 (Nikiforos Arvanitou) is currently racing with Astana, and I am 100% sure that he is gonna smash it in Norway!”
Photo: Czech Tour