The Peace Race for U23 riders will be included in the UCI Europe Tour 2.2U calendar starting next season. Consequently, the traditional event for young global peloton talents, scheduled for May 28 – 31, 2026, will feature not only national teams but also development squads of World Tour teams. The change comes after the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) decided to discontinue the Nations’ Cup U23 series. "This opens completely new possibilities for us. The four-day format remains, but the peloton will be more diverse and the competition fiercer," says Peace Race President Robert Kolář.
The Nations’ Cup series was created in 2007 to support the development of U23 cyclists before they turned professional. The races involved teams sent by national federations, with the traditional grand finale taking place at the Tour de l’Avenir, the famous "Tour de France of the youth." Over time, however, the structure of cycling changed and the development of young riders has primarily been taken over by the development squads of professional teams.
In recent years the Nations’ Cup U23 calendar had effectively shrunk to just three events: Poland’s Orlen Nations Grand Prix, the Czech U23 Peace Race, and the aforementioned Tour de l’Avenir.
Therefore, at its congress during this year’s Road Cycling World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, the UCI confirmed the abolition of the Nations’ Cup U23 and shifted its focus to the Junior category.
The 2.2U category calendar for next year consists of eight races. The series kicks off in May, with the Peace Race also taking place from May 28 to 31. Two weeks later, the Giro d’Italia Next Gen is on the schedule, and in the third week of August, the emerging elite will gather for the Tour de l’Avenir start. In the same week, the West Bohemia Tour, the second Czech representative in the series, will be held in the foothills of the Šumava mountains.
The organizers of the Peace Race are already registering interest from both national federations and devo teams of World Tour stables. "Eleven national federations have already contacted us, and we are receiving inquiries from development teams. I believe that fans of the Peace Race can look forward to seeing riders in the jerseys of World Tour teams next year. I am confident they will leave satisfied at the end of May; we are already working on the format of the individual stages," adds Peace Race Director Leopold König.
Foto: Jan Brychta
