L’Etape Czech Republic: A Cycling Experience with Speed Skater Sáblíková and Cyclist Vacek

At the last moment, Sáblíková decided to start the longest route, which measured over 142 kilometers. She won the previous two years, this time she acted as support in a packed peloton and had a short autograph session in Sýkořice.

“There are so many experiences. It was nice to help someone, to pull out the competitors. And above all, the atmosphere was the absolute best this year,” she explained. “I fulfilled the dream of one gentleman, that I rode with him to the finish line and didn’t leave him on the last hill,” the speed skater said.

Even Karel Vacek, who recently shined with second place in a stage at the Italian Giro, did not go to the performance. He almost didn’t even make it to the start. He raced in Switzerland on Friday. “And they unexpectedly rescheduled my flight. But by coincidence, a friend found a guy on the Internet who went to the Czech Republic. So I arrived in Prague at three in the morning,” Vacek described.

His girlfriend saved him the very trip to the Giro, where he was nominated at the last minute. “I don’t know what I would do without her,” he smiled. He enjoyed L’Etape itself. “I was tired, but it was worth it,” he said, describing the greatest experience. “A friend lay down at the tenth kilometer and broke the frame. And yet he managed to drive the remaining 130 kilometers,” admired Vacek.

When the middle route with a length of 102 kilometres, the most numerous, started, on which over 1,500 enthusiasts started, the peloton left Strahov in over five minutes. Track cyclist Tomáš Bábek, who ended his career in February, also tried L’Etape for the first time. “I felt cramping in the hills and thought the road wasn’t quite for me. But otherwise I really enjoyed it. It’s my first experience and I’ll probably participate every year,” he revealed.

He had already announced in advance that he would drive at a leisurely pace, but he wanted to sprint for the premium. “Jirka Ježek started it for me, he was pulling it a kilometer before the premium. He didn’t even know how much it hurt behind him in the hook. But I spurted on, pretty good,” Bábek smiled.

As a railwayman, he also heard a few digs from his teammates. “Jánči Svorada told me right at the start that I would start a sprint, but that I probably wouldn’t even be able to stay behind him,” Bábek grinned. At the finish, however, Svorada, a former star sprinter and winner of three stages on the Tour de France, praised his partner. “I appreciate him just for the courage to stand at the start of such a pack and manage this stage,” highlighted Svorada.

Only the shortest route was chosen by the still active professional cyclist Zdeněk Štybar. “I took it as a family. I will go with my father, who really wanted to go with me. In addition, I’m still after surgery, so I have to take it easy,” explained the 37-year-old competitor from the Jayco-AlUla team. Unfortunately for them, Zdenek Štybar Sr. encountered a flat tire on the track, but after the repair, they reached the finish line together.

Just like thousands of others who enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere like at the Tour de France in pleasant partly cloudy weather. By drumming into the plastic banners, the spectators created a stormy gate to the finish line, where each of the cycling amateurs felt like a winner.