Interview with downhiller Stefan Garlicki: The last season of the stand-up man

FREERIDE: Stefan, you broke both hips within a short space of time. How do you feel when you get up in the morning?

Stefan Garlicki: Stiff. But things are now going quite well, thanks to a lot of work in the gym. The odyssey began in 2018 during a race in Ilmenau. One of my hips broke. I had to use crutches for almost six months. Just eleven months after Ilmenau, I crashed at the World Cup in Leogang - that's when the other hip broke. This was followed by several operations. I've had an artificial joint on one side since last September. I think I'm the only downhill Worldcupper with a hip prosthesis.

You want to compete in the World Cup again in 2023. Are you pushing your luck?

I knew straight away that I wanted to race downhill again. No matter how frustrating the doctors' assessments were. Racing was my entire motivation during rehab. You have to know that I was on a good way up in 2017. I qualified regularly and finished in the top 25. Then came the flood of crashes. I started competing in downhill races again in 2021/22, but I was always in pain. That's why I decided in favour of the artificial joint. In 2023, I want to reconcile myself with racing and find peace. I finally want to race again without pain. But I'm not naive. I know my body is a construction site. From 2024, I will concentrate on other MTB projects for the time being.

You can also fall when doing this.

Sure, but experience shows that most crashes happen during races.

Why is that?

In a race run, you put all your eggs in one basket. And in conditions where you would never normally ride at the limit. Remember the rain race in Les Gets in 2021, that's crazy. No wonder so many riders got injured: even Greg Minnaar, Loic Bruni, Loris Vergier and Amaury Pierron.

Back to your bad luck with injuries. How hard is the mental work involved in such setbacks?

Phew, tough! I think the head can only tolerate a certain amount of trauma, after that it goes on strike. That's how it was for me. I struggled with insomnia, painkiller addiction, panic attacks and dark thoughts.

How did you cope with it in everyday life?

Bad. I was constantly overtired, irritable and lacked optimism. I'm basically a positive person - I've never had anything to do with depression. But this series of setbacks was drilling into my head.

How did your environment react?

I was quite preoccupied with myself, but naturally felt that I was a burden to my fellow human beings. When I got the artificial hip joint, I also had an operation on my shoulder. I became a care case.

Is there a moment that stands out in your memory?

It actually exists. I had finally had my operations and developed the will to fight my way back. Shortly afterwards, my doctor diagnosed skin cancer during a routine check-up. Not a big deal; it was cut away over a large area. But for me it was more than that: it was as if my body was working against me. From then on, I increasingly felt my thoughts triggering physical symptoms.

In what way?

For example, when I was at the cinema with my girlfriend and a few friends. All of a sudden, my throat constricted and my heart was pounding so hard that I thought I was having a heart attack. They told me later at the clinic that it must have been a panic attack. It was a completely normal situation, with no stress to speak of, and my body was on strike. I thought to myself: What the hell is this now?

Are you free of it by now?

No, but it got a lot better. I started meditating - that helped. I tell you, it's not that easy. It requires perseverance. I still haven't completely regained confidence in my body.

You are a so-called privateer racer, without a team behind you. How do you follow the UCI's changes in the World Cup?

I think it's a win for the spectators. Not for the drivers at first. Because you double the risk with the two race runs. In addition to qualifying, you have to bet everything on one card twice. As a racer without a mechanic, you're in a bad position anyway, because the two races are close together. The youngsters will also have a hard time. That could damage the quality of the World Cup in the long term.

Does that annoy you?

I don't want to make a final judgement until the season is over. Warner Brothers has what it takes to make the sport bigger. I'm curious to see whether the riders will benefit from it. A win at a Downhill World Cup is rewarded with € 3750. Privateers have to pay hundreds of euros to be allowed to compete. A parking space in the pit alone costs many hundreds of euros. I wonder where the money generated by the UCI ends up. Certainly not with the riders.

Privateers in particular are dependent on sponsors. You recently started riding for the Only Fans platform. Only Fans is known for pornographic content. Did you have any moral concerns?

No, otherwise I wouldn't have written to her. Because I was the one who got in touch. I discovered the logo on a helmet at a motocross race. Up to that point, I only knew roughly what the platform stood for. I did some research and realised that the basic idea behind the website was completely different. Namely to show exclusive content for its fans. For example, chefs reveal recipes, athletes give an insight into their everyday lives and doctors share their experiences.

However, Only Fans generates the most revenue with pornographic content.

Basically, Only Fans is a social platform like Insta or YouTube - but with rules that aren't too strict. Before the collaboration, I nevertheless checked whether my other sponsors were in agreement. My sponsor Leatt was not and distanced itself.

No matter who you ask, everyone associates Only Fans with nude content.

But it's not like that. It's just part of it. In contrast to most porn websites, Only Fans has a high level of protection for minors. You have to verify your age in a complicated way when you register. In short: Only Fans is much more than most people realise. What's more, Only Fans allows me to afford to race and hire a mechanic.

Hypothetically: Would you want to date and get to know a woman who sells foot pictures on Only Fans?

Why not? That would be okay.

And nude content?

Rather not. Especially if you could see her face. That would feel weird. But that doesn't mean I condemn women who do that.

You also have an account, what kind of content do you show?

Everything about mountain biking. How I build my frame, riding technique, or I share my experiences as a racer who has struggled with injuries. Things that others upload to YouTube. I don't yet have the capacity to realise all my ideas. You have to realise that as a privateer racer you are a racer, travel planner, agent and social media manager at the same time. That takes up a lot of time. I will focus on that in 2024. For now, I want to get back to racing.

Which celebrity would you follow on Only Fans if the person had an account?

Ken Roczen. I love motocross.

Facts about downhill pro Stefan Garlicki (32), Team Scott

The South African started competing in motocross races as a child. It wasn't until the age of 20 that Stefan got on a downhiller and promptly finished fifth in the national championship. He later finished in the top 25 in the World Cup and won IXS Cups. A series of injuries began in 2018. Stefan has since returned to DH racing. He lives in Munich with his German girlfriend. Over 180,000 fans follow him on Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube.