For the first time since its inception in 2017, Team Bahrain Victorious will participate in the Czech Tour, a 4-day stage race taking place this year between the 25 & 28 of July. The race, formerly the SAZKA Tour, began in 2009 and has grown into the most prestigious international road cycling event in the Czech Republic. Part of the UCI Europe Tour’s 1st Category since 2015, it showcases the beauty and above all, the challenge, of Czech landscapes. This year’s course covers nearly 600 kilometres with a cumulative elevation gain of 9,000 metres, including the renowned climbs to Beskydy’s Pustevny and Jeseníky’s Dlouhé stráně.

With its demanding parcours and a world-class field, the event consistently attracts top riders, as demonstrated by the 8 WorldTour teams in this 2024 edition. Sports Director Enrico Poitschke outlines the team’s plan and goals:

“With an excellent start list, this Czech Tour will be demanding. Nevertheless, we will ride with the aim of winning a stage, and regarding the General Classification, we have the young Finley Pickering, who is our GC leader. After good performances at the Tour de Suisse and the National Championships, he’s motivated to be back racing in this important role. In general, with two stages that should end with a sprint and two mountain finishes, we have the possibility to fight for the win on every stage.”

Finley will first focus on Stage 2 (Zlín-Pustevny, 172.7 km), a hard GC day which twice ascends the gruelling 7.7 km to an uphill finish. He will also target Stage 3 (139.4 km from Moravská Třebová), the ‘Queen Stage’, which features another iconic climb to the line, the 12.3 km Dlouhé stráně, with its average gradient of 6.7%. On top of the team’s GC ambitions, we also have strong contenders for the two flatter days: S1 (Prostějov-Ostrava, 151.3 km) and S4 (Šumperk-Šternberk, 129.2 km). Dušan Rajovic, Nicolò Buratti, and Alberto Bruttomesso are all capable of fighting for victory. 

“From that side, we really can achieve a good result in the sprint stages,” explains Poitschke. “As well as the fast guys, we have Lukas Wisniowski and Cameron Scott for the lead-out, both of whom are very good guys for that. Ahmed Madan is back in the races, and he will support his teammates. After a long break without racing, it’s never easy, but hopefully, the guys will be in shape and motivated to start the second part of the season with some good results.”