Vladimír Kováčik, a 28-year-old team masseur who last raced in 2017, will line up for the 273.7-kilometer road race in Montreal on 27 September 2026.
Lukáš Kubiš was denied release by Unibet Rose Rockets, while Matthias Schwarzbacher and Martin Svrček withdrew due to medical issues.
Failing to field an elite rider would relegate the Slovak national championship to category B, threatening a loss of up to 100 UCI points ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Slovakia will enter its 28-year-old team masseur, Vladimír Kováčik, into the men's elite road race at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal on Sunday, 27 September. The Slovak cycling federation was left with zero available professional riders following late medical withdrawals and team release conflicts. Kováčik, who competed as a cyclist in 2014 and 2017 but has remained inactive at the UCI level for nine years, will roll off the start line alongside professional contenders such as Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas. The race covers a distance of 273.7 kilometers around the Canadian circuit.
The federation earned four starting positions for the men's road race, but could not locate an available substitute before the official entry deadline closed. Matthias Schwarzbacher of EF Education-EasyPost and Martin Svrček of Soudal Quick-Step withdrew due to medical and physical issues. National road champion Lukáš Kubiš was unable to travel after his professional outfit, Unibet Rose Rockets, refused to release him for the event. The federation also faced difficulties in the women's events, where planned elite starter Nora Jenčušová suffered an injury and was replaced by mountain bike and cyclocross competitor Tereza Kurnická.
Under Union Cycliste Internationale rules, failing to start any competitor in the elite road categories carries immediate ranking consequences for national federations. Without a rider at the start line, the UCI would relegate the Slovak national championship to category B status next season. That demotion would result in a projected deficit of up to 100 UCI world ranking points. Preserving these points is required to secure qualification spots for young Slovak riders at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, European championships, and upcoming World Championships.
“Those points are equivalent to winning a WorldTour stage race, which is out of reach for us.”
Because Kováčik is physically present in Montreal as a delegation staff member and holds an active UCI license, he satisfies the technical criteria to start. National coach Jakub Vančo confirmed that Kováčik's participation will remain a formal exercise to register the national jersey before he steps off the course.
“Our participation will be purely formal. We will be represented by a person who is here, who formally meets the requirements and holds a license.”
Similar regulatory maneuvers have occurred in elite sports, including the 2012 London Olympics when French track sprinter Mickaël Bourgain started the road race for a few kilometers to maintain his keirin eligibility, and the 2023 European Games where Belgian shot putter Jolien Boumkwo ran the 100-meter hurdles to secure team points. Slovakia's lineup dilemma comes alongside 19-year-old Viktoria Chladoňová winning the women's under-23 world title in Montreal, a decade after Peter Sagan won the second of his three consecutive world titles in Doha.
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Former rider and team masseur Vladimír Kováčik will start the 273.7-kilometer men's elite road race in Montreal on Sunday after all Slovak professionals were sidelined by injury or team conflicts.
AI text based on reports by Il Messaggero, ANSA.it, La Repubblica.it and other publishers. Published .