– Everyone was surprised at how beautiful the Czechia is, and what routes we raced on. Good asphalt, interesting roads, all the time through Czech hills. The finish on the climb was also impressive, hence the fast pace of the peloton and breakaway attempts. There was a bold attack of three riders, and we didn’t fully believe it would succeed, but we see that racing without controlling the peloton via radio makes it more interesting, less predictable – said Czesław Lang, General Director of the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix after the first stage of the competition.
The young cyclists competing in the ORLEN Nations Grand Prix were greeted by beautiful, sunny weather. The colorful peloton set off from the historic center of Prostějov, from where they headed towards demanding climbs.
After a long and fierce battle for the breakaway, the duo of Dane Kristian Egholm and Luxembourgian Noe Ury found themselves in it. In an impressive style, Italian Pietro Mattio also joined the leaders.
Traveling through the breathtaking Czech roads, the riders gained a few minutes advantage over the peloton. It was difficult for the group to catch up with the breakaway, which had a 1.5-minute lead on the lap around the historic Bouzov.
In the picturesque area, the escapees fought for victory. Kristian Egholm from the Danish team preserved the most strength for the finale, becoming the first leader of the race and putting on the leader’s jersey sponsored by ORLEN on the podium.
– I really tried to join the breakaway in the first 30 kilometers. We were on the limit until suddenly I broke away with a rider from Luxembourg, then the Italian joined us. We rode evenly and gained speed on the laps. On one of the climbs, I felt good and broke away solo – said Kristian Egholm, Kristian Egholm, who crossed the finish line 36 seconds ahead of Pietro Mattio, said.
Third place was taken by Matthew Brennan from Great Britain, who lost 41 seconds to the winner.
Denmark became the best team of the race, while Pietro Mattio took the lead in the mountain classification. There are 4 stages left until the end of the race.
