5th EDITION L’ETAPE SLOVAKIA BY TDF PRESS RELEASE

For the third time in the short history of the event, the number of registered participants has exceeded one thousand. In the premiere year, 692 cyclists started, in the second year there were 928, in the third year the number increased to 1,153, and in the fourth year even 1,274, including participants in Saturday's disciplines. Today, the Slovak version of this prestigious cycling format is the largest event in Slovakia organized for amateur cyclists and the general public.

The organizers also record increasing interest from foreign cyclists, which may be related to the growing popularity of this concept, which is already held in 21 countries worldwide. In Bratislava and its surroundings, on Saturday, August 23rd, and Sunday, August 24th, from 7:00 a.m., more than 1,400 cyclists will participate in the race.

In the main discipline The Ride (60 km), 463 competitors are currently registered, while 513 participants have so far registered for the more challenging The Race (112 km). The Saturday accompanying program in the form of Family Ride and Kids Race will attract a preliminary 283 cyclists of all ages.

"We are delighted that among the registered participants are also well-known personalities from the world of sport. I am thrilled to welcome the Olympic champion and winner of the legendary Paris–Roubaix, Greg Van Avermaet, to the start, which is a truly exceptional event for our event," stated Jozef Pukalovič, race director of the event. Among Slovak sports personalities, the legendary Boston Bruins hockey defenseman, Zdeno Chára (The Race discipline), and former football star Marek Hamšík (The Ride discipline) will be at the start again. The cycling ambassadors of the event, Peter and Martin Velits, will also be present.

At the start, we will also see Ján Svorada again, the first Slovak to win a stage at the Tour de France in 1994 (7th stage). Among his greatest achievements is also the victory in the prestigious final stage of the Tour de France 2001 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, which he achieved as a Czech representative.

Both disciplines at L’Etape Slovakia by Tour de France offer a unique opportunity for cycling enthusiasts and professionals to test their strength and collectively experience the atmosphere of this exceptional event. The organizers believe that the participation of inspiring personalities will give this cycling event not only sporting significance but also a social dimension that will be appreciated not only by participants but also by numerous spectators.

On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, a press conference was held at the Isadore Community Hub (Pradiareň, Bratislava), which was attended by Michal Pres (Head of Marketing & Product Department, Škoda Auto Slovensko), Peter Pukalovič (event director of L’Etape Slovakia by Tour de France), Jozef Pukalovič (race director of L’Etape Slovakia by Tour de France), Peter and Martin Velits (event ambassadors) and Ľubomír Murárik (winner of the worldwide L´Etape Championship 2024 series).

The organizers and guests presented news, the accompanying program, the current status of registered participants, and well-known personalities on the start list. At the press conference, they also informed about the final preparations for the fifth edition of the event, which will lead through Bratislava and its beautiful surroundings.

The general partner of the event since its first edition is Škoda Auto Slovensko.

"L’Etape Slovakia will take place for the fifth time this year, and we are proud to be a partner since the very beginning. We are united by a passion for cycling, endurance, and fair sporting performance, values that perfectly resonate with the Škoda brand. This year, we actively participated in the preparatory trainings organized in cooperation with the WLRM - Isadore team and other partners, where we tasted the expected atmosphere of the event even before the start," stated Michal Pres, Head of Marketing and Product Department at Škoda Auto Slovensko, adding: "Right on the track, our fully electric new Škoda Elroq, which the organizers have available all year round, as well as the Enyaq Coupé, Enyaq, Kodiaq iV, Karoq and Octavia models – a total of six vehicles – will accompany the cyclists, supporting the smooth running of this exceptional sports day. Moreover, this year, the Škoda zone with a relaxation area for cyclists, as well as various activities for their families and fans, will not be missing during the race in front of the Eurovea center."

The event ambassadors and also its partners with the Isadore brand are the brothers Peter and Martin Velits.

"The cooperation between Isadore and L’Etape has two levels – on the one hand, Slovak cycling can meet here, and at the same time, it is also about the clothing we focus on. It's always an interesting challenge, even more so because it's already the fifth year. We wanted it to say something and look timeless. I believe we succeeded and that the participants will like the new jerseys. We tried to incorporate the symbolism of the number five, the colors of the event and the Škoda brand into the design, and at the same time build on last year. The checkered visual continues, but we believe we have moved it a bit further," said Martin Velits.

"L’Etape Slovakia by Tour de France is one of those events we always like to come and cycle at. The atmosphere is exceptional, and you meet a lot of enthusiastic cyclists here, which makes the whole event special," added Peter Velits.

For spectators, free shuttle transport will be prepared from the start at Eurovea to the finish at Kamzík. More than 250 organizers will be involved in the organization of the Sunday part of the event, and the safety of the race will be ensured by a 20-member motorcycle team.

Peter Pukalovič, event director, stated regarding the preparations for the event: "During the preparations for the event, we jointly organized 122 free cycling trainings throughout Slovakia – from Bratislava to Košice. Together, we covered a total of 8,790 km. Of these, 22 trainings were specifically dedicated to women, which certainly contributed to the fact that the current proportion of women on the start list has increased to more than 17%. Slovaks make up 77% of participants, the remaining 23% come from more than twenty countries worldwide."

The preliminary start list includes the names of many medalists from previous years of the event, including the winner of the worldwide L'Etape Championship 2024 series, Ľubomír Murárik from the WLRM - Isadore team. Last year, he took second place overall in the longer route.

"I'm starting at this event for the fourth time, and I've been on the podium twice. I always go into it with the highest ambitions, and I believe that this year I will be able to add first place to my third and second places. I'm really looking forward to Greg coming, whom I've watched on TV since childhood – it will be an honor for me to stand at the start with him and compete against him," stated Ľubomír Murárik.

"The event is organizationally prepared at a very high level every year. Closed roads, where competitors can fully enjoy descents without cars, are not a matter of course at similar events. I believe that this year will also be great," added Murárik.

The event will offer a rich accompanying program, and participants can look forward to various partner activities. In L'Etape Village in Eurovea, they will have the opportunity to take photos at the official photo wall of the event, workshops and partner activities will also be prepared, and the Tour de France Museum will offer interesting exhibits. For ladies, a special "FOR HER" zone will be available, created in cooperation with event partner Dr. Max, where they will be able to take thematic photos and try various skin care products. Competitiveness will be supported by the "Womens nations challenge", where female competitors from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland will compete.

Everything you need to know about the race can be found in the roadbooks:

• In Slovak: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fjinrlFEpB6fdUwPbkBQDUi0a1MW3kYy/view
• In English: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b_uDYgHhyPKGkLiZ9uX1ERNrt_E_x-RY/view
• Information leaflet on traffic restrictions and photos for the press release:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P1XUT2vXdhf7AhKhFulWN6s4sBRCKv4K
• Videos from Press Conference: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1DLdyEIaWPXQ8QBdGo72aqZ5iUNpzuMbJ

FACTS FROM L’ETAPE SLOVAKIA BY TOUR DE FRANCE (2021 - 2024)

2024

RACE (112 km)

MEN: 1. Petr Fiala (CR, Integray L27 Cycling Team) 2:58:41.2, 2. Ľubomír Murárik (SR/ WLRM x ISADORE team) 2:58:42.0, 3. Ján Andrej Cully (SR/Procycling AONE) 2:58:42.3

WOMEN: 1. Denisa Slámová (CR, Cyklotrenink) 3:09:33.8, 2. Nora Jenčušová (SR, BePink-Bongioanni), 3:13:18.0, 3. Dominika Pokryvačová (SR/ WLRM x ISADORE team), 3:23:34.5

RIDE (60 km)

MEN: 1. Sebastian Pavlas (CR, COFFEDENT Cycling Team) 1:42:26.7, 2. Roman Bachratý (SR, SanaClis SLAVKO) 1:42:52.6, 3. Jakub Slavkovský (SR, SanaClis SLAVKO) 1:43:44.8

WOMEN: 1. Natália Letková (SR, CK Epic Dohňany) 1:51:14.5, 2. Bianka Babačová (SR/ Isadore WLRM team) 1:51:48.0, 3. Alena Pavlatová (CR, Kolovna) 1:53:04.5

2023

RACE (112 km)

MEN: 1. Tomáš Kalojíros (CR, RRK Group Pierre Baguette Benzinol) 2:59:33.4, 2. Petr Fiala (CR/XeeloCycling Team) 2:59:33.8, 3. Ľubomír Murárik (SR/ Isadore WLRM team) 2:59:35.8.

WOMEN: 1. Denisa Slámová (Cyklotrenink) 3:13:11.5, 2. Jana Milec Jiřincová 3:14:44.1, 3. Zuzana Boháčová (Kalas sporswear) 3:22:46.6 (all CR)

RIDE (60 km)

MEN: 1. Tomáš Greschner (SR/VelocationCycling Team) 1:43:24.5, 2. Sebastian Pavlas (CR, COFFEDENT Cycling Team) 1:43:27.8, 3. Július Rados (SR) 1:43:37.3

WOMEN: 1. Katarína Sivoková (SR, Bratislavské bohyne) 1:50:44.9, 2. Bianka Babačová (SR/ Isadore WLRM team) 1:51:11.1, 3. Anna Stehrer Polášková (CR, Mountain Sisters) 1:51:25.5

2022

RACE (117 km)

MEN: 1. Michal Kollert (CR/XeeloCycling Team) 3:14:36, 2. Richard Varga (SR) 3:14:45, 3. Ján Andrej Cully (SR/Procycling AONE) 3:15:32.

WOMEN: 1. Zuzana Boháčová (CR/We Love Cycling) 3:38:31, 2. Karolina Makovská (CR) 4:07:27, 3. JuliaSpringlová (Aut.) 4:09:26.

RIDE (65 km)

MEN: 1. Ľubomír Súlovský (SR) 1:56:54, 2. Patrik Hahn (SR/CyclingAcademy Bratislava) 1:57:03, 3. Tomáš Greschner (SR/Velocation Cycling Team) 1:57:17.

WOMEN: 1. Alena Pavlatová (CR/Active Tour) 2:09:03, Barbora Lukačovská 2:09:15, 3. Katarína Sivoková (both SR/Bratislavské bohyne) 2:11:01.

2021

RACE (117 km)

MEN: 1. Ronald Kuba (SR/OKR Cycles) 3:18:48.8, 2. Ján Andrej Cully 3:18:48.9, 3. Martin Kostelničák (both SR/BSA) 3:18:53.

WOMEN: 1. Mariana Findrová (SR/Team Seven) 3:45:03, 2. Martina Hudáková (SR/ŠK Cyklo-Tour Sereď) 3:59:14, 3. Barbora Šuchová (SR) 4:07:07.

RIDE (65 km)

MEN: 1. Tomáš Greschner 1:55:22, 2. Matej Krištín 1:58:29, 3. Marek Kapusta (all SR/GU Slovensko) 1:58:31.

WOMEN: 1. Lívia Štofilová (SR/Isadore) 2:12:50, Andrea Dobišová (SR/Sandberg) 2:13:52, 3. Jana Škanderová (SR/Bratislavské bohyne) 2:14:01.