The Course de la Paix Juniors enters its second half-century

Terezín/Litoměřice - The International Course de la Paix Juniors opens its second half-century. The traditional May stages will write their 51st chapter this year. The north of Bohemia and the adjacent Saxony will once again be conquered by the best junior cyclists from all over the world. One of the most prestigious junior stage race in the world Republic will get its wheels turning this Thursday.

Throughout its long history, the Course de la Paix Juniors has opened the doors to hundreds of cyclists to the world of professional cycling. For more than a quarter of a century it has been part of the World Cup and still ranks among the most prestigious events of its kind worldwide, and this year will be exceptional in many ways. There have been changes to some of the stages, but this year's peloton will definitely be strong. Twenty-four six-member teams from twenty-one countries are expected to take to the start. After twenty-seven long years, the Canadian national team, which last competed here in 1996, is due to arrive, followed by the Swiss after 15 years and the United States of America after 5 years. After a one-year break, the Ukraine team will also be part of the May legs. "The Course de la Paix Juniors has been carrying its message for over fifty years and year after year we work hard to not only maintain the history of the race, but at the same time prepare the whole event at an even better level. I am happy that we are succeeding in this and for this I am very grateful to all partners and colleagues," noted Svatopluk Henke, who would have been at the helm of the Course de la Paix Juniors for exactly 30 years this year. However, he decided to "celebrate" his anniversary by handing over the director's scepter. But there will be no change on the name tags. The imaginary baton will be taken over by his son, Svatopluk Henke Jr. "Svatya already led the race last year and we agreed that this year he will take over as the race director," said the former successful cycling representative, who has been the head of ZMJ since 1993, when he took over the scepter from Václav Lončák.

            Since 1995, the four-day race has been included in the most prestigious world series and this year it is also part of the so-called Nations´Cup Junior. The peloton, which is expected to be made up of more than one hundred and forty riders, has almost four hundred demanding kilometres to cover. The best junior cyclists from all over the world will descend on Litoměřice on Wednesday, so that on Thursday they can open the May stages with the traditional hundred-kilometre stage with start and finish in Litoměřice. The young cyclists will have to tackle two climbing premiums in Lovečkovice and Mukařov. Moreover, the peloton will once again pass directly through the historical centre of Úštěk, where a speed premium is prepared. The second one will be waiting for them in Vědlice. The stage starts at 14:40 and the spectators can expect to finish back at Litoměřice square after 17:00.

The second day of racing will traditionally be divided into two checking sessions. First on the agenda is the morning time trial for individuals. It will take place on a brand new track in Třebívlice. "After an agreement with one of our leading partners, AŽD, the owner of the so-called Plum Railway, we decided to move the time trial to this popular railway line and station and thus promote its importance. It is a matter of the heart, just as in the case of the Course de la Paix Juniors itself," explained the reason for the change Svatopluk Henke, adding that after a nine-kilometre chronometer duel in the morning, a sixty-kilometre road stage with a start at 4 pm in Roudnice and a finish in Štětí will be on the programme in the afternoon. 

Traditionally on Saturday, the "royal" stage will be next. It will start at 2 pm in Teplice and will take the young competitors to Germany. Before the cyclists reach the final mountain town of Olbernhau after almost one hundred and twenty kilometres, they will have to tackle the climb to the trio of climbing premiums in Cínovec, Mníšek and Seiffen in Germany.

The final stage is historically linked to Terezín, where the peloton will start at 9am on Sunday and the final yellow jersey holder will be confirmed after 11am. However, the cards could still be shuffled in the final act. The final hundred kilometres or so will not be a walk in the park with five climbing stages in Chudoslavice. The track will now be run on a quartet of circuits in the vicinity of Třebušín. "It will not be an easy year. But the fans will have a great time. The race will have a live broadcast that can be watched online. Moreover, this time the Terezín bred Štěpán Zahálka, brother of the reigning elite Czech champion Matěj, will be at the start, so there will certainly be another reason for the home fans to come and cheer. Moreover, I am sure that also this time there will be future names of the great world of cycling in the peloton, where young riders often get a ticket thanks to the Course de la Paix Juniors. We don't even have to look back that far - after all, Tadej Pogačar, a two-time Tour de France winner, competed here seven and eight years ago. Then last year's Vuelta winner Remco Evenepoel won here five years ago. But there are many well-known names who have made their name in the professional peloton and I am convinced that they will be part of this year's edition," Patrik Pátek, spokesman for the Course de la Paix Juniors, invites the spectators.

 

51. ročník – Závod míru juniorů 2023 - fakta a čísla:
Pořadatel: CK Slavoj Terezín
Termín: 4. 5. - 7. 5. 2023
Ředitel závodu: Ing. Svatopluk Henke, Ph.D.
Velitel trati: Jan Sedlák
Hlavní rozhodčí: Coccioni Sandro (ITA)
Celková délka: 388,7 km

Pod záštitou hejtmana Ústeckého kraje Ing. Jana Schillera.
Čestný ředitel závodu – Mgr. Jaromír Kníže, ředitel policie Ústeckého kraje
Patron závodu – Gustav-Adolf Schur, čestný člen CK Slavoj Terezín.

Hlavní partner: Sazka, Národní sportovní agentura

Partneři: AŽD, Starmon, Monzas, Škoda, Český svaz cyklistiky, K+P Stavební výroba, Vars,
Cross, Pojišťovna Slavia, SBS Cargo, Cyklostar, Mondi, Tiskárna Cyklos Š+Š, Iveco bus,
Potraviny Krátký, Praktická elektronika, RVS Chodov, Sanilit, Ústecký kraj.
Mediální partneři: ČT, ČT Sport, Deník, Český rozhlas, TV Litoměřicka, PatRESS.cz,
Litoměřicko24, Techniserv IT, Roadcycling.cz,

Etapa Dat. Start - Cíl Místo Typ Km
1. | 4. 5. | 14.40 - 17.15 Litoměřice silniční závod 102,8 km
2.a | 5. 5. | 9.00 - 12.00 Třebívlice časovka jedn. 8,8 km
2.b | 5. 5. | 16.00 - 17.20 Roudnice - Štětí silniční závod 61,4 km
3.  | 6. 5. | 14.00 - 17.15 Teplice – Olbernhau silniční závod 117,4 km
4. | 7. 5. | 9.00 - 11.20 Terezín silniční závod 98,3 km
Celkem 388,7 km