BIKE: With your long career as a professional cyclist, your medical records must be pretty impressive.
TOMAS SLAVIK: No, very thin. Some people find it hard to believe me, but I've hardly had any injuries despite my rather long career. Call it luck, call it coincidence, call it my merit - the fact is that I got off very lightly.
What is in the medical file?
The worst I can come up with are two collarbone fractures. Both happened on the same side and each time the fall was almost identical. The first one happened in Willingen in 2006, when the World Cup track was fresh and soft after all the rain. During the take-off of a jump, my front wheel got stuck and I catapulted over the handlebars. Annoying, because I was in the lead. The classic collarbone breaker. I hit it with my shoulder: snap. A year later, the same thing happened again. This time at a race in the Czech Republic. The front wheel got stuck again and the momentum threw me over the handlebars. I landed on my shoulder - crack, crack, collarbone off.
That's it?
Broken bones, yes. But I've had a few concussions. But only one of them was really nasty. It happened on the City Downhill in Valparaíso, Chile 2019. I shot through this opening in the wall on the Red Bull Cerreo Abajo City Downhill. Right after that, a drop. The bike got stuck and I spun through the air like a doll. The impact was so hard that I lay unconscious on the road for five minutes.
Right on the head!
Nothing broken, just a concussion?
Only is good! The concussion was severe. And I also tore the ligaments in my ankle when I fell. Bitter: I fell in exactly the same place, just 100 metres further down, at the Red Bull Cerro Abajo Race 2023 and tore the ligaments in my ankle again.
Race run?
No! Torn ligaments in the foot are not that dramatic. Sure, it hurts and is annoying, but you can even race on the same day - if you're crazy enough. That's what I did and won the race in Valparaíso 2023. The next day, however, I couldn't do anything and my ankle swelled up like an elephant's foot.
It must have been a pleasant night.
The night and the next day were a disaster. But I started moving again straight away. In the past, the foot would have been put in plaster, but now they know that movement is the best thing. The doctors said I shouldn't even use crutches, but should walk on my own. Of course, I was supported by physiotherapists and doctors. The support from Red Bull is exemplary. The doctors' credo: movement accelerates healing, because when you move, blood flows and then the body can replace the damaged tissue more quickly and remove the inflammation better. Less than two weeks later, I was able to race again.
Hard training: nothing comes from nothing
You train pretty hard. A web clip shows you stacking iron like a bodybuilder. That must be hard on the knees.
I wouldn't say that I have knee problems. But I know how delicate knees are. I used to do deep squats with 200 kilos. The deeper the better. I can't do that any more and I don't do it any more. You have to adapt your training programme to your age. Today I no longer train hardcore, but smart as I call it. Because I want to extend my racing career for as long as possible. So I have to be gentler with my body. Now I only go down to 90 degrees when I squat, so there's less pressure on my knee. I now do the deep bend in a different way, not with heavy weights. Because I know that heavy weights ruin you.
Was it stupid back then to go so low in the squat? What advice would you give your younger self?
I don't even know. I can even imagine that little would change in the condition of my knees. The fact is that my body was able to cope with it all back then. And as I get older, it can no longer cope. But when I was young, I could party all night - no problem. If I do that today, I turn into a zombie. In short: as you get older, your joints work differently, your bones behave differently, the healing and recovery processes are different - you have to take that into account. My training in a nutshell: previously hardcore, now smart.
Is that the reason why your medical records are too thin?
I think so. I try to avoid injuries by riding smart and training smart. Of course, I give it my all in the race and go crazy. But I know riders who constantly go full throttle and ride at the limit, even in training runs. With the result that they crash. Anyone who bikes with me knows that I rarely crash.
What was going on? Miscalculated!
That's why I was so surprised by your crash in Valpariso this spring. You had the overall victory as good as secured, but you took the full risk. How does that fit in with your strategy?
Well observed. You can look at it two ways. I could have eased off the gas, played it safe, finished fifth or sixth and taken the overall win. If there were 10 Cerro Abajo races, that's exactly what I would have done. 100 per cent. But we only have three races. And that's why I want to win every single one. I don't care about the overall victory. I want to win and show that I can dominate these races. That's why I've put all my eggs in one basket this year and gone full throttle.
The attitude honours you. Cool attitude! How can I imagine your training routine today?
I used to stretch for 10 minutes before training. Now I stretch for 30 minutes before training. It takes much longer to prepare my body. Otherwise I hurt myself. You know how it is: one wrong move and you pull your shoulder, one wrong move and your back is blocked or your neck. I usually pack two training sessions into the day. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. Then I have enough time to recover. And I stick very strictly to warm-up exercises and cool-down exercises. That's good for my body. It's important that you develop a sense of your body. Nobody knows your body like you do. My tip: feel into your body and listen to it. This applies to professional athletes as well as amateur athletes.
When you talk about training sessions, do you mean on the bike or fitness training?
Mornings in the gym, with weights or on the roller. In the afternoon: on the bike. But I don't just whizz along trails. Sprints, intervals, uphill sprints - everything is included.
What are your favourite exercises?
I like all the variations of cleans & jerks and snatches. There are exercises specifically for mountain biking. Performing these exercises correctly to get the weight up is always a challenge. You can really push yourself to the limit. But I can tell you that if you've trained with weights as much in your life as I have, you don't like training at all. You don't have any favourite exercises. The exercises and squats I mentioned are the least of my worries. Let's put it this way. (laughs)
Off to Prague: Stair training
Your buddy Johannes Fischbach said that you even do a special stair training programme for which you travel to Prague.
That's right. Prague is an hour away from home. Stairs and city training is important. If you want to be at the front of the Cerro Abajo series, you can't do without this training. I know that some downhillers think they can do without it. That's rubbish. You need to know how your tyres feel on tarmac. You need to know how your suspension behaves on the stairs. You have to learn how to do that just like downhilling in the forest. On roots. In the mud. Off-camber. Because the bike works differently on tarmac, your suspension works differently, everything is different. That's why I'm so fast. Because I know where the limit is. The limit is reached much later than you would expect.
Do you have a vice when it comes to your diet?
I like beer. But I'm from the Czech Republic, so you can't call that a vice (laughs). I have a ritual: when I've completed my training programme for the day, I treat myself to a beer. It's a reward and it relaxes me. A beer is not a crime.
No special diet?
In the past, yes. In 2008 and 2009, when I was racing in the Fourcross World Cup, I strictly adhered to the guidelines, counted every gram, how much protein, etc. It was a huge effort. That was a huge effort. I'm no longer that crazy today. But I still have a few rules. I don't eat junk food. I only eat quality meat. Lots of vegetables. But of course there are days when none of that applies. I call such days cheat days. I'm not complicated when it comes to food. Ask my wife and she says: "There's no one as uncomplicated as me. You can put anything in front of me as long as the quantity is right.
Growing old - a problem?
At 37, you're no longer the youngest. Just as old as Rampage star Cam Zink. I met Cam at his home on Maui and we talked about ageing. Do you think about ageing?
Hey, I'm now winning races that I couldn't win before. I'm very happy about that. But of course I wonder how long that will last. Especially when I think about the new generation of racers. There are almost two camps: old school and new school. As an old-schooler, I can use my experience and make smart decisions. But when the newschoolers get their crazy runs right, they can't be beaten.
Do you mean Junafer Velez?
Ha ha, he's a special case. I'd almost say there's Junafer Velez and the rest of us at the Cerro Abajo races. The guy is a phenomenon. He's only 21 and so damn fast. I can still beat him, I've proven that several times. But how much longer is questionable. Let's see.
So no "Oh God, I'm getting old" thoughts?
The strength is still there. But there is another aspect to the ageing process: the mind. It's not just your physical strength that diminishes at some point, but also your willpower. Especially when you've achieved as much as Cam Zink or I have. I find it harder and harder to motivate myself again and again. I have to convince myself again and again. My motivational trick: I want to prove to myself that I can still beat the boys. That gives me enormous strength.
You mentioned that there are only three Cerro Abajos this year. However, you have been to India and Jordan to scout. What can we expect? Do you want to tell us anything?
Nothing is official yet, so I'm not allowed to say anything - sorry! But there will be more races, that much is certain.
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Dimitri Lehner
Editor
