The second stage of the Czech Tour (UCI 2.1) took the riders over 166.9 km from Olomouc to Pustevny. With the crossing of the Pustevny climb after 100km and a mountain finish, it was a day for the climbers. A breakaway of four riders went up the road early, with their lead going up to more than six minutes. BORA – hansgrohe controlled the race, did a lot of work in the peloton and ultimately caught the breakaway at 6km from the finish. With an attack 4km out from the finish, Florian Lipowitz and P. Hagenes went clear from the bunch and battled it out for the stage win. In the uphill sprint in Pustevny, Florian Lipowitz took not only his first ever professional victory but also the GC lead of the race.
Result
01 F. Lipowitz 4:06:39
02 P. Hagenes +0:02
03 A. Johannessen +0:23
05 B. Zwiehoff +0:25
From the Finish Line
“What a stage! I’m super happy with this win – honestly, it was a bit unexpected for me. The guys rode strongly all day and we worked perfectly as a team. In the final climb I already felt that I had really good legs. Hagenes and I were able to pull away, with a better ending for me. I would like to thank my teammates and look forward to tomorrow’s stage in the overall leader’s jersey.” Florian Lipowitz
“It was a very hectic and chaotic race from the start. When the breakaway had a gap of almost seven minutes, we started chasing and were quickly able to control the race. Florian Lipowitz was simply the strongest rider on the last climb, he more than deserved his first win as a pro today. Our goal was to win the stage, and the guys mastered that brilliantly. Tomorrow will be a very difficult stage and it’ll definitely be the GC day here.“ Bernhard Eisel, Sports Director
