Stop fooling around and high-five the people, urged the amazed ambassador.
"Pedal, pedal, pedal!" Alongside this, outstretched hands from both children and adults lining the route of the Mountain L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France, eagerly waiting for a "response" from the cyclists. So, every now and then, a sweaty palm of one of the riders would meet a fan's extended hand. It's like an endless carnival. Amateur cyclists, as well as former professionals, are soaking it all in. "Incredible, really incredible," said former junior world time trial champion Tereza Vlk Huříková after crossing the finish line in Prachatice.
Nine points along the 102-kilometre course featured official fan zones, with the tenth at the start and finish location at the main square in Prachatice. "The further we went, the better the atmosphere," cyclists described after the premiere of the Mountain L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France.
It felt like everything was building up! Husinec, Dvory, Lažiště, Kratušín, Záblatí, Chvalšiny, Vyšný, Brloh, and Chroboly! The villages where the participants of the race, under the patronage of A.S.O., the organisation behind the Tour de France, received a "refreshment" in the form of an energy surge from the spectators.
"Pedal, pedal, pedal!"
"Come on, come on, you're riding great. Keep it up all the way to the finish!"
Whether it was the front of the race or a battle at the back of the peloton, fans cheered everyone on with the same intensity. "The people along the route were fantastic. At the fan points, I tried to high-five everyone. I thanked the spectators for coming out and cheering us on," said an excited Tereza Vlk Huříková.
She has experience from the now legendary arena in Nové Město na Moravě, where fans create an electrifying atmosphere during cross-country mountain biking events, helping the race repeatedly earn the title of the best event on the World Cup calendar. "The fan point under Kleť and in Chroboly were no less intense in terms of cheering. They had trumpets, horns, and were banging on bike rims. It was really awesome," evaluated Tereza Vlk Huříková.
"I encouraged the other cyclists in our group to stop 'gumming it' and high-five the fans or thank them in other ways for finding their way to the road. They'll definitely come back, and in greater numbers, when they see the feedback from us racers. It makes everyone enjoy the bike ride more—the cyclists racing and the fans," said the 37-year-old cyclist, referring to the fact that for many in the saddle, the grandiose cheering provided such an energy boost that they mindlessly pedalled as hard as they could, racing up to the top of Kleť or Rohanov, as if tomorrow was never going to come!
A few years earlier, she was enjoying similar scenes regularly during World Cup battles for points. After stepping away from professional cycling and becoming a mother of two, she is now the ambassador for L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France. "And I'm proud of it. Because it's beautiful to see how the peloton grows and expands. And when I add the atmosphere, it's a privilege to be a part of it."
Even the former champion succumbed to the fans’ energy during the climb to the final hill at Rohanov. "They really fired me up, and I squeezed out the last of my energy. It was pure hell. I crossed the finish line, shaking, covered in goosebumps," described Tereza Vlk Huříková, who finished the race as the fourth-fastest woman in 3 hours, 6 minutes, and 8 seconds.