Tag: Czech Republic

One of the fantastic things about Europe as a cycling destination is that you can find (and participate in) bike rides across the continent. There are sportives (gran fondos) every month in every country you can think of during the spring, summer, and fall. They are either straight-out races or races mixed with non-competitive events.

One of the places where you might not think cycling is an important activity is the Czech Republic (formerly Moravia, Bohemia, and Silesia until 1993). However, you would be wrong because the country hosts a long-standing event called the Sudety Tour, a UCI Gran Fondo World Series sanctioned race.

History of The Sudety Tour

The Sudety Tour gets its name from the Sudetes, a mountain range that encompasses the central Europe countries of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany. While the gran fondo primarily occurs in the Czech Republic, its routes do brush up against the Polish border.

The Sudety Tour was started in 2004 and originally ran until 2013. The tour was revived in 2023 and takes place over two days in early May in Broumov, Czech Republic. 2026 marks the first year this event will be part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series.

The race happens in two parts over two days. The first part is a 10.6 kilometer (7 miles) Time Trial event that occurs in the Polish town of Radkow, which borders the Czech Republic. The second part is a road race with two distances. The Granfondo is 152 kilometers (94 miles) and the Mediofondo is 96 kilometers (60 miles).

The organizers state “The mediofondo distance is the official qualifier distance for all men over 60 and women over 50 while the granfondo distance qualifies all younger age categories.” Both distances cover the same course and are subject to the same climbs, the hardest one being the Vysoka Srbska, “a 1km cobblestone climb at 10% average and 15% maximum at km 52.”

Registration, Cost, and Inclusions for The Sudety Tour

Registration for The Sudety Tour is a little odd as it is broken into three parts: one for the time trial, one for the Mediofondo, and one for the Granfondo. The time trial is limited to 51 participants, the Mediofondo 67 particpants, and the Granfondo 104 participants. Your final fee is calculated based on your birth year and gender.

While the event doesn’t cover your travel to the Czech Republic, it does assist with transfers from the airport. But your trip back to the airport is not covered. The event also has deals going with hotels in the area surrounding or in close proximity to the event in the form of 15% discounts on your stay. Lastly, The Sudety Tour does list sightseeing attractions for particpants if you want to take in some area history before or after the event.

Last Thoughts

While it doesn’t specifically say, The Sudety Tour appears to be open to men, women, and younger athletes. This event looks challenging and fun and, I’m sure, competitive and hard at the same time. Then again, how often do you get the chance to cycle the roads of the Czech Republic.

Unfortunately, though, The Sudety Tour is considered a race and not a mixed event with a non-competitive ride. It is a way to earn points, however, toward the UCI Gran Fondo World Series and also to earn the right to say you rode this event. So, if The Sudety Tour fires up your desire to race your bike in the Czech Republic, I’d say get yourself signed up and get ready for an amazing ride.