The focus of the best cycling teams on the Czech Tour is growing and the number of confirmed squads from WorldTour category has already reached five. The last representative of the elite so far is the UAE Team Emirates squad, which also has the current jewel of cycling, Tadej Pogacar, in its midst.
The organisers of the Czech cycling event of the year know that upcoming edition will be a busy one in terms of elite team participation. Last year, fans had the opportunity to register riders of three WorldTour teams in the peloton. "For us as organisers, this is a dream come true and a reward for our huge commitment, both on the organisational and diplomatic front," says race director Leopold König.
This year, the Slovenian star of the UAE Team Emirates has claimed an attack on the double triumph of the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, last managed by Mark Pantani in 1998. In addition, Pogacar wants to try to succes at the Olympic Games in Paris in August and then at the World Championships. Is there a chance that he will appear on Czech roads again since his triumph in the 2018 U23 Peace Race? "We have to be realistic. But I'm very curious about the UAE Emirates team's nomination, they definitely have a lot to live up to," tells König.
A look at the wider UAE Team Emirates roster is awe-inspiring even without the two-time Tour de France winner. Adam Yates, Joao Almeida, Marc Soler, Rafal Majka, Marc Hirschi, Pavel Sivakov, Tim Wellens to name a few. What a name, what a rider. And even though last year's Grand Tours trio of Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta was completely dominated by the Jumbo-Visma team (Visma-Lease a Bike since this year), the Emirate's squad still boasts the moniker "best team of the year". In fact, it overtook its rival in the UCI team rankings thanks to 57 triumphs and 138 podium finishes.
And the Czech Tour will also see a thrilling battle between the UAE Emirates and Visma riders. The Dutch team, which includes two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, Wout Van Aert and Sepp Kuus, confirmed its participation in February together with Intermarché-Wanty. Already at the beginning of the year, the participation of the teams Bora-hansgrohe, which last year celebrated overall victory in the Jeseníky and Beskydy mountains thanks to Florian Lipowitz, and DSM-Firmenich PostNL was confirmed.
In addition to the elite, teams from the lower UCI categories - but with stable appearences in the peloton of the Grand Tour's races - are also preparing for the start. For all just Uno-X or the Lidl-Trek development team with the Czech champion Mathias Vacek likely to show his skills on home soil. Czech pro teams Elkov-Kasper and ATT Investments are also planning to send their riders. The latest addition is TDT - Unibet Cycling Team, which has Czechs Adam Ťoupalik and Tomáš Kopecký on its roster.
The Czech Tour is also preparing new routes that will be unveiled during the spring.
Confirmed teams for CZECH TOUR 2024
WorldTour category
- UAE Team Emirates
- Visma-Lease and Bike
- Intermarché-Wanty
- Bora-hansgrohe
- DSM-Firmenich PostNL
Pro category
- Uno-X Mobility
- TDT - Unibet Cycling Team
- Polti-Kometa
- Flanders-Baloise
- Tudor Pro Cycling
- Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- Bingoal WB
- Corratec Selle Italia
Continental category
- Lidl-Trek Future Cycling
- ATT Investments
- Elkov-Kasper
Foto: UAE Team Emirates / Fizza
