Rising Stars of World Cycling Set to Clash at the Peace Race

The future stars of world road cycling are once again preparing to head to the Czech Republic. The twelfth edition of the Peace Race for riders under 23 will take place from May 29th to June 1st this year, and the challenging routes in the Jeseníky Mountains, including the legendary climb to Dlouhé stráně, will once again host the battles of the next generation of elite riders.

"After a year, we can once again look forward to an attractive contest between the hopes of world cycling. I expect racing at the highest level again and I'm curious to see which of the talents will shine with the best form in the Jeseníky Mountains and become a future star. And I would be very happy if a rider in Czech colors once again showed up among the best," says Peace Race Director Leopold König.

The peloton will compete in familiar locations, but the stage layouts differ from last year. The riders will face a 170 km stage from Krnov to Šternberk right from the start. The second day will see a repeat of last year's route from Uničov to Rýmařov, but the course is 33 km longer and includes more elevation gain. The third stage will take the peloton back to Dlouhé stráně, but this year's start from Zábřeh means the riders will again tackle a greater distance and elevation. The final stage runs in the opposite direction from last year – this time from Jeseník to Šumperk. In total, the peloton will cover 574 km with a cumulative elevation gain of over 9,000 meters.

"This year, the peloton will race through traditional locations via newly designed stages. We appreciate the support of the locals, cities, and regions, as they all help us a lot in preparing the routes and ensuring an absolutely safe race, which is extremely important to us. We hope that as many spectators as possible will come to support the cyclists. At the same time, we pledge to minimize traffic disruptions to the necessary duration and clean up after ourselves," promised Leopold König.

The Peace Race once again features on the calendar of the elite U23 Nations Cup series, which also includes the French Tour de l'Avenir and the Orlen Nations Cup in Poland. Its popularity is clearly evidenced by the fact that in 2018, current cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar won the yellow jersey in the Jeseníky Mountains, and his rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Julian Alaphilippe also competed for honors there.

After all, last year's winner, 21-year-old Brieuc Rolland, is already earning stage victories in the WorldTour team Groupama-FDJ. And 20-year-old green jersey holder Paul Magnier, who was already part of the elite Soudal Quick-Step team last year, impressed with a second place at the recent Omloop Nieuwsblad classic.

The U23 Peace Race continues the tradition of the original Peace Race, which, during its forty-year history dating back to 1948, became one of the most popular amateur events on the planet, earning the nickname "Tour de France of the East." In its current form, riders still compete in national jerseys, and nineteen countries, including Czech representatives, will be at the start of this year's edition.

Czech cyclists who have started in the Peace Race in the past include Mathias Vacek (contract with WorldTour team Lidl-Trek) and Pavel Bittner (Team Picnic PostNL), who are already making their presence felt in elite competition.