Jonas Koch came very close to the stage victory in the opening stage of the Sazka Tour (2.1, 5-8/8). Three riders of the early breakaway were out of reach for the peloton at the end of the 150.8 kilometer in Uničov. Five riders were given an advantage of 4 minutes on the peloton after the start. The line up of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, composed of seven different nationalities, took its responsibility in the peloton together with Team BikeExchange. Three early escapees resisted well during the hilly final. Their advantage melted during the final 20 downhill and flat kilometers, but in the end they were able to finish 15 seconds ahead of the peloton. Joshua Huppertz took the win and the race lead. German rider Jonas Koch won the bunch sprint and had to settle with 4th place.
It is a disappointment to miss a victory in this way. The plans of our team direction were executed perfectly and I'm happy that the team worked for me all day. They controlled the gap to the breakaway together with Team BikeExchange. The rain and multiple breakaway attempts in the hilly final made it difficult to control, but we always had somebody in the front. My teammates gave all they had during the final 15 flat kilometers, but in the end the breakaway was a little too strong. I was the fastest from the bunch, so this is sour. The next two days it is my turn to serve our climbers. I'm feeling good, so I'm already looking forward to the final stage.
The second and longest stage of this Czech Tour will take the riders twice above 1000 meter altitude. The finish of the mountain stage is situated at the end of a 6.5 kilometer climb averaging 7,3% in Pustevny.
