Czech Tour 2026 stage 4 preview, stages, favourites & predictions - August may take INEOS' first GC win of the year
Cycling
The 2026 Czech Tour will be taking place from the 13th to the 16th of August this year. During the very busy month of August, the Czech Republic's top event provides a stage for plenty riders to showcase their sprinting and climbing skills at a key period of the year. We take a look at its profiles.
The race was first held in 2010, at the time as a lower-rank event, won by one of the country's best to ever do it: Leopold König. Four Czech winners began the race's history before Martin Mortensen broke the streak in 2014. The race's level raised over the past decade and became a frequent path for World Tour teams to follow.
The likes of Daryl Impey, Filippo Zana, Florian Lipowitz and Marc Hirschi were all past winners here, all of them riders who have achieved a lot throughout their career. In 2025, it was William Lecerf Junior who won the overall classification in a battle against Cian Uijtdebroeks.
| Stage | Date | Start Town | Finish Town | Distance (km) | Stage Type |
| 1 | 13 Aug 2026 | Prague | Karlovy Vary | 163 | Flat |
| 2 | 14 Aug 2026 | Mladá Boleslav | Liberec (Ještěd) | 155 | Mountainous |
| 3 | 15 Aug 2026 | Pardubice | Dlouhé stráně | 171 | Mountainous |
| 4 | 16 Aug 2026 | Kroměříž | Pustevny | 160 | Mountainous |
Preview Czech Tour 2026 Stage 4
The final stage of the race follows an almost exact same profile as those that come before it and so a different scenario is unlikely. AJ August has won both mountain stages thus far in this race and will be the main favourite to do so again. Today he put himself to the wind without much of a reason and still won, so even without conservative tactics he should be able to bring the victory.
Alssandro Fancellu has been the only rider able to rival him thus far, but he has no team to pressure INEOS; whilst Solution Tech may have for Domenico Pozzovivo but the climb is simply too explosive for the Italian with this field.
Prediction Czech Tour 2026 Stage 4:
*** Andrew August, Alessandro Fancellu
** Domenico Pozzovivo
* Nicolas Breuillard, Embret Svestad-Bardseng, Kamiel Bonneu
Pick: Andrew August
Profile stage 4: Kromeriz - Pustevny
Kromeriz - Pustevny, 160 kilometers
The final day of racing is 160 kilometers long and takes the riders from Kromeriz to Pustevny. The format is the same as the previous stages, with very little climbing before the final ascent.
This time around, slightly shorter and slightly steeper. The race ends atop the Pustevny climb, which is 7.9 kilometers long at 6.6%.
Previous previews
Preview Czech Tour 2026 overall classification
The fight for the overall classification will be decided throughout the three hilly/mountainous days of the race. It is quite open too, with a modest field providing the opportunity for plenty riders to succeed - whilst the form on several is far from stable.
Mikel Landa is the biggest name at the start, but not the rider in his best form. Quick-Step will have Mauri Vansevenant as a co-leader; INEOS will have Andrew August and Embret Svestad-Bardseng; NSN will have Jan Hirt and Marco Frigo...
But the win may not come from the World Tour contingent, but otherwise from other teams. TotalEnergies will have both Jordan Jegat and Nicolas Breuillard at the start and both are contenders for victory; adding to the likes of Jan Castellon, Alsseandro Fancellu, Kamiel Bonneu, Domenico Pozzovivo and Luca Covili.
Prediction Czech Tour 2026 overall classification:
*** Jordan Jegat, Andrew August
** Nicolas Breuillard, Jan Hirt, Embret Svestad-Bardsenf
* Mikel Landa, Mauri Vansevenant, Marco Frigo, Jan Castellon, Alessandro Fancellu, Domenico Pozzovivo, Kamiel Bonneu
Pick: Jordan Jegat
Preview Czech Tour 2026 Stage 1
The sole sprint stage of the race, it will favour those with a fast finish. Ben Turner is the ultimate favourite to take the stage win and the first leader's jersey of the race, having an overwhelming advantage over his rivals.
Prediction Czech Tour 2026 stage 1:
*** Ben Turner
** Thomas Pesenti, Scott McGill
* Dominik Neuman, Sergi Darder, Romet Pajurm, Riley Sheehan
Pick: Ben Turner
Preview Czech Tour 2026 Stage 2
The first real GC test of the Czech Tour arrives at Jested, with the race moving straight from its only sprint-friendly stage into the first of three consecutive summit finishes.
The final climb is 15 kilometres at around 4%, but that average disguises where the stage can be won. The harder gradients come later, with steeper sections in the second half and the final two kilometres around 7%, giving the stronger climbers a proper opportunity to make the difference.
Jordan Jegat looks the most convincing option after finishing 10th at the Tour de France and should be well suited to a long, controlled climb followed by a harder finale. Andrew August is another major threat despite conceding 13 seconds on Stage 1, while Jan Hirt, Mikel Landa and Mauri Vansevenant all have the pedigree to come into play as the race finally reaches the mountains.
Prediction Czech Tour 2026 Stage 2:
*** Jordan Jegat
** Andrew August, Jan Hirt
* Mikel Landa, Mauri Vansevenant, Nicolas Breuillard, Alessandro Fancellu, Marco Frigo
Pick: Jordan Jegat
Preview Czech Tour 2026 Stage 3
The Czech Tour returns to the mountains on Stage 3, with Dlouhe strane providing a longer and more sustained climbing test than Jested.
The final ascent is just over 13 kilometres at 5.4%, with the gradients increasing towards a technical finale. Andrew August starts in yellow after winning Stage 2, while Alessandro Fancellu and Domenico Pozzovivo proved closest to him there. Jordan Jegat remains a major threat despite a quieter Jested, with the more consistent climb potentially suiting him better.
Prediction Czech Tour 2026 Stage 3:
*** Andrew August, Alessandro Fancellu
** Jordan Jegat, Domenico Pozzovivo, Mauri Vansevenant
* Jan Hirt, Nicolas Breuillard, Mikel Landa, Luca Covili, Embret Svestad-Bardseng
Pick: Alessandro Fancellu
List of winners Czech Tour 2026
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 2025 | Junior Lecerf | Cian Uijtdebroeks | Alessandro Fancellu |
| 2024 | Marc Hirschi | Diego Ulissi | Lorenzo Fortunato |
| 2023 | Damien Howson | Lukas Nerurkar | Jakub Otruba |
| 2022 | Luke Plapp | Jan Hirt | Lorenzo Rota |
| 2021 | Filippo Zana | Ethan Hayter | Markus Hoelgaard |
| 2020 | Damien Howson | Jay Vine | Michael Storer |
| 2019 | Daryl Impey | Rohan Dennis | James Knox |
| 2018 | Riccardo Zoidl | Pavel Sivakov | Nikolay Cherkasov |
| 2017 | Josef Černý | Daniel Turek | Michal Schlegel |
| 2016 | Diego Ulissi | Fabio Felline | Mauro Finetto |
| 2015 | Petr Vakoč | Leopold König | Jan Bárta |
| 2014 | Martin Mortensen | Jesper Hansen | André Looij |
| 2013 | Leopold König | Jan Bárta | Roman Kreuziger |
| 2012 | František Paďour | Jan Bárta | Leopold König |
| 2011 | Stanislav Kozubek | Dariusz Baranowski | Jiří Hudeček |
| 2010 | Leopold König | Tomáš Bucháček | Michal Kadlec |
| 2009 | Martin Hebík | Petr Benčík | Jiří Nesveda |
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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