Mads Landbo won the opening stage of the 13th edition of the Peace Race U23. The Danish national team rider claimed the first stage from Jeseník to Šumperk and, after triumphing in the sprint, pulled on the yellow jersey as race leader.
“The fans at the finish created an amazing atmosphere, and I’m happy I managed to carry out the plan we had set in the morning in front of such a crowd. It wasn’t an easy day, but there was a sweet reward at the end,” Landbo said after his triumphant ride through the finish arch.
This year’s Peace Race is part of the UCI Europe Tour calendar for the first time, in the 2.2U category. That means the start list features not only national teams, but also development squads from elite professional teams. The opening stage of the four-day race for the future stars of the world peloton covered 112 kilometres from the spa town of Jeseník to Šumperk. Although the profile included two classified climbs and one intermediate sprint, the stage as a whole had a largely sprinter-friendly character.
Slovak rider Samuel Novák dominated the classified climbs, winning both at Rejvíz and Heřmanovice to move into the lead of the mountains classification with 12 points. At the finish, he received the best climber’s jersey, featuring its unusual green polka dots.
For a long time, the peloton allowed no significant breakaway to get clear. It was only after around 30 kilometres that a four-rider group formed at the front, but their effort came to an end already at the intermediate sprint in Karlova Studánka. That sprint was won by Landbo himself, offering a hint of what was to come in the finale.
Another notable breakaway attempt came around 25 kilometres from the finish, when Norway’s Håkon Eiksund Øksnes and American Jack Diemar attacked. The pair built a lead of up to 65 seconds, but the peloton gradually began to close the gap. Øksnes then attacked his breakaway companion as well, but his solo move was brought to an end 5.5 kilometres from the finish. Thanks to his effort, the Norwegian earned the prize for the most combative rider of the stage.
In the closing kilometres, Drali-Repsol and Fany Gastro did much of the work at the front of the peloton, with the Czech and Danish national teams later joining in. In the end, it was the Danish squad that celebrated the stage win, as Landbo outsprinted Germany’s Kessler and Spain’s Urkaregi. The best Czech rider on the stage was Adam Bittman of the continental team Kasper crypto4me in fourth place, while Adam Bradáč, racing for the Czech national team, finished fifth.
“It was a bit harder than it looked on paper — you could definitely feel the wind. The pace was solid all day, but it was hard in a good way. Hopefully I’ll get another chance tomorrow, and I’m really looking forward to it. The atmosphere around the race is fantastic,” Bittman said at the finish.
The second, considerably tougher stage will take the peloton from Uničov to Rýmařov on Friday. The riders will face 155 kilometres and 2,403 metres of elevation gain.
