Kristýna Zemanová: At L'Etape, I saw how cycling brings people together!
The queen of the peloton at the Hilly L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France was Kristýna Zemanová. The twenty-one-year-old cyclist from the VIF Cycling team dominated the overall standings at the fifth edition of the biggest domestic road cycling race, also winning the mountains classification. “I really enjoyed the whole day in the saddle,” smiled the Czech rider, who boasts national cyclocross titles, a silver medal from the world mountain bike championships, and is planning to challenge for the Czech road champion crown at the end of June.
“My first experience with L'Etape was in Prachatice last summer during the debut of the Mountain Stage. Back then, I wanted to spice up the end of my training camp with a race pace effort. I finished second, which reflected the amount of kilometres I had ridden during the camp. But I was thrilled by the atmosphere and the organisation,” recalled the VIF team cyclist looking back to August last year.
“That’s why I was happy to return to the L'Etape peloton. This was my first time at the Hilly Stage. And I enjoyed everything even more than at the Mountain Stage. The whole day was hugely enjoyable. I arrived at the finish full of excitement,” said Kristýna Zemanová.
At Strahov in Prague, she enjoyed the applause on the podium twice. First, she donned the polka-dot jersey for the winner of the mountains competition, then she stepped onto the top step as the champion of the main category, receiving the yellow jersey from a representative of A.S.O., the organisation behind the Tour de France and all L'Etape races.
“I approached the race seriously. I wanted to test my form ahead of the upcoming national championships. I pushed myself as hard as I could at the time. The deciding factor wasn’t the position but my performance. And I was really pleased with that,” she reflected on the 139 kilometres with nearly two thousand metres of elevation gain, which she completed in 3:48:59 hours at an average speed of 36.5 kilometres per hour.
“The start list was somewhat unknown to me, as was the race route. So I didn’t want to underestimate anything. And I think that paid off. I can feel calm going into the national championships,” pondered Kristýna Zemanová, who thus avenged her defeat to Denisa Slámová at the 2024 Mountain Stage in Prachatice.
She didn’t even need fifteen minutes to conquer the three mountain prime points in total. She completed the first classic climb at Poteplí in 5 minutes 22 seconds, the second ascent — Sýkořičák — in 7 minutes 52 seconds, and Spiritka in 1 minute 41 seconds. Already on the climb of Sýkořičák, she was heading for victory, which she secured with a margin of three minutes and seven seconds. “I didn’t hold back,” she said happily at the finish.
“After two experiences with L'Etape, I have to say I’m thrilled. Just like in Prachatice, the atmosphere was fantastic. I love the L’Etape setup, which is absolutely incomparable to any other races. Fans were cheering along the roads even in the smallest villages, which is amazing,” Kristýna Zemanová expressed her gratitude for the support. “I think at L'Etape I really saw how cycling can bring people together.”