Uijtdebroeks looked set to win the stage and the classification, but lost momentum in the final meters, conceding victory to Lecerf

The Tour of the Czech Republic seemed an excellent opportunity for Cian Uijtdebroeks to extend his winning streak. Still, in the second stage, a difficult uphill finish, he was beaten by his compatriot Junior Lecerf (Soudal Quick-Step). After a flat stage (won by Liam Walsh), the stage race ended with another difficult mountain stage, again with an uphill finish.

Before reaching the mountain, the riders had a flat run-up from the start in Kromeriz. Twelve riders managed to break away from the pack, including stage winner Walsh, but also Dutchman Michiel van Vliet (both Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel). That group gained about 4 minutes and survived the first climb of the Pustevny, a 6-kilometer climb at 7.4%. That would also be the final climb, about 60 kilometers later.

Walsh had good legs after his stage win. He left after the descent and went off on his own. Before the final climb, he was joined by Van Vliet and Loïc Bettendorf (Hrinkow Advarics). Meanwhile, Visma | Lease a Bike had taken control, and so the trio had less and less chance of staying ahead. Van Vliet hung on the longest, but shortly after the start of the climb, it was over: Visma had increased the pace enormously, thanks to the work of Thomas Gloag.

The young Will Smith then took over. The Brit even rode ahead for a while, but when he was caught, Tijmen Graat upped the pace. The Killer Bees had a clear plan, and it unfolded about 3.5 kilometers from the finish, when Uijtdebroeks accelerated. And the same two men went with him: Lecerf tucked in behind, together with Alessandro Fancellu (JCL Team Ukyo). However, the Italian soon had to let the two Belgians go.

Not much later, Lecerf also lost momentum. The leader couldn't keep up with his compatriot. The white jersey wearer flew up the climb. The gap was about 20 seconds with the chasers, and he seemed safe, but in the final kilometer, the Belgian fell silent. The rest of the favorites came back: Jannis Peter won the stage by passing Uijtdebroeks 50 meters from the finish line. Lecerf finished third and somehow added the win to his list of achievements.