A sensational third place in the overall standings, competing against three World Tour teams and many excellent UCI ProTeams formations, was claimed by Jakub Otruba at Czech Tour 2023. The last time Czech cycling had representation on the overall podium was in 2019, when Michael Kukrle likewise took the bronze position. “It’s perfect,” beamed the twenty-five-year-old native of Olomouc, a member of the ATT Investments roster.
“The last month has been truly magnificent. I hope this will push me forward,” Jakub Otruba rejoiced after finishing ninth in the final fourth stage.
Yet shortly before the finish, he experienced first-hand the roughness of the cobblestones on the square in Šternberk. “I was racing for fourth place. In the last laps, I was pedalling flat out, trying to reach the finish among the leaders. I wasn’t paying attention to who was in what position. But through my own mistake, my bike slipped on the cobblestones in the last corner. So I dropped back to the end of the top ten. In the end, that was still enough for the podium,” Otruba recounted.
Link to full article: https://www.czechtour.com/cs/perfektni-vysledek-ve-skvele-atmosfere-rozplyval-se-bronzovy-jakub-otruba
