Round 2 of the 2026 4X ProTour took place in Jablonec in Czech Republic on Saturday night. It will be remembered as one of the biggest 4X races, if not Mountain Bike races ever to take place.
This incredible venue is home to Tomas Slavik and this was the 13th anniversary of JBC 4X Revelations. For the previous 12 editions, Tomas Slavik has won this race. But. There would not be 13 in a row for the Czech star. An injury from earlier in the season has kept him out of the last few races, and unfortunately would keep him out of this race. SO there was going to be a new winner!
If you want to see the Mountain Bike race that will attract tv viewers who are not mountain bikers then this event is the one. It is absolutely brilliant. A true show of 4X. This is the TV Mountain Bike package.
After an incredible first round at Dobrany a couple of weeks ago, this event continued to show the World just how amazing 4X is with round two of the 2026 4X ProTour.
Thursday – Practice:
The weekend started on Thursday with the first practice session. A session of 2 hours gave the riders plenty of time to master the toughest 4X track in the World. The track was in perfect condition. However, the weather was already causing a few problems. Gale force cross winds made the big jumps tricky. A few riders were sending them, but over half the field chose to wait until Friday to hit them. The riders were enjoying the new lower sections: bigger berms, fresh stall wall and a new rhythm straight really added to the track.
On Thursday night, the event was launched by Red Bull DJ’s at the lake in town with a BBQ and a fun night. The weekend had started and it was great to be here again. With big crowds and fireworks; this is a town that really embraces their 4X racing. Tomas Slavik is a hero in this town and tens of thousands of people here follow the 4X ProTour all year to see how their rider is doing throughout the year.
Friday – Qualifying:
Friday and it was qualifying day. Again perfect weather conditions and much lower wind speeds allowed the riders to start jumping all the big doubles and linking up full laps.
Onto the qualifying. The riders were making this track look easy, the reality is anything but. The most technical track on the circuit was being tamed by the World’s best 4X riders. Going in reverse order, riders would have one lap to set a time for qualifying. It is an intense time for the riders where mistakes are punished. The talking point would be what is the fastest bike. We had a couple of hardtails, plenty of full sus 4X bikes, trail bikes, enduro bikes and DH bikes. Each had pros and cons on this huge track.
In the women’s, the top 8 riders would qualify. Czech rider Nela Viktorova took the fastest time ahead of Pavla Balikova and Michaela Hajkova. The track was perfect and all the women completed their runs.
Onto the men’s and they went in reverse order from 4X ProTour standings. Local rippers were lighting up the track and showing the world how to ride it. But in the end it was Johannes Fischbach from Germany taking the fastest ahead of Czech riders Jakub Pivnicka, Pavel Reinl, Jan Cepelak and Milan Mysik.
Saturday – Race Day:
Saturday and again the weather was perfect.
Riders had a two hour practice session to get their lines dialled and then the cameras were rolling for the live online broadcast and this year the event was live on Czech TV.
The crowds were big. Reportedly 14,000 fans lined the track from start to finish. The party atmosphere was in full effect and the scene was certainly set for a huge night of 4X racing.
Riders were introduced to the crowd in the opening ceremony. 4X riders really are stars here. Then the Red Bull air race plane display kicked off. Martin Sonka flew the wings off his plane to the delight of the crowds.
The early rounds threw up a few surprises with the main one being Tomas Brozik. Currently sat 2nd in the 4X ProTour overall, Brozik went out in the first round. Czech ripper Filip Vorkurva also crashing out in round 1 along with Greg Radev from Bulgaria. The new track changes Tomas and his team had made were clearly working as there were more passes in the first round of racing than in all previous years. There were options for the riders and they were using them, much to the delight of the thousands of spectators.
In the quarter finals, there were a few more big name casualties. Jan Cepelak, 4th in qualifying went out with one of the biggest crashes ever seen. Luckily he walked away. Gustaw Dadela and Jan Baloun – sat 3rd and 4th overall in the 4X ProTour overall both went out.
In the women Semi Final, it was Nela Viktorova and Katherine Oldfield transferring from semi 1 and Michaela Hajkova and Pavla Balikova going through in the 2nd semi.
In the men’s semi finals, Johannes Fischbach took full advantage of his inside gate pick, leading to the first turn but only after a strong battle with Milan Mysik. The two 4X veterans made it to the finish line to book their place in the final.
In the second semi final it was Jachym Vanek and Pavel Reinl who were going all the way to the final.
Finals:
First up it was Women’s Small Final. Natalia Bartosiewicz made a great start to grab the holeshot and was able to lead the race from start to finish, claiming the final step of the podium with 5th for the day.
In the Men’s small final it was a battle between Czech rider Jakub Pivnicka and 4X godfather Scott Beaumont. Beaumont, from gate 4 made a brilliant start and led into turn 1. He held the lead all the way to the final corner, where he hit a huge rock with his rear wheel and it kicked him – almost over the bars. Pivnicka reacted quickly and snatched the win across the finish to give him 5th place for the day
The women’s main final lined up next. The gate dropped and Michaela Hajkova took the holeshot with Katherine Oldfield in second. Through the woods Nela Viktorova went wide and carried speed, moving into second. A mistake from Oldfield left her in fourth. Viktorova had speed and moved around Hajkova on the lower section to take the win, from Hajkova, Balikova and then Oldfield.
So, it was the race everyone had been waiting for. The battle for the 2026 King of JBC title. Johannes Fischbach took gate 1, Pavel Reinl on 2, Milan Mysik in 3 and Jachym Vanek in 4. The gate dropped and Vanek flew out from the outside. In turn 1 Reinl hit Fischbach and he was out. In the woods Mysik took the lead, on the exit of the woods Vanek was fighting and in the 180 turn he re took the lead. Battling all the way to the final straight, it was super close but Vanek took the win from Mysik, Reinl and Fischbach.
Results 4X ProTour 2026 Round 2: JBC 4X Revelations
Women
1st – Nela Viktorova
2nd – Michaela Hajkova
3rd – Pavla Balikova
4th – Katherine Oldfield
5th – Natalia Bartosiewicz
Men
1st – Jachym Vanek
2nd – Milan Mysik
3rd – Pavel Reinl
4th – Johannes Fischbach
5th – Jakub Pivnicka
After an incredible podium ceremony, it was time to party. Czech Republics best DJ’s lined up to be a part of this amazing after party.
We would just like to say a huge thank you to Tomas Slavik and his team at JBC bikepark. This guy simply went above and beyond to produce one of the greatest days of mountain bike racing ever. The entertainment, atmosphere, track, riding, fans and party were incredible.
Thank you to the 4X riders and teams; you guys are showing the world what is possible on our mountain bikes.
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