Vojtech Repa, Karel Tyrpekl: On the Surprisingly Early End of a Career

Czech cyclists Vojtech Repa and Karel Tyrpekl have decided to end their careers as professional cyclists at the age of 23. Vojtech had just completed his first Spanish Vuelta, while Karel was competing at the UCI continental level. Why did they hang up their bikes at such a young age?

The story of Vojtech Repa made headlines in May of 2023 across all Czech media – the hope of Czech cycling, who successfully completed the Spanish Vuelta and brought home medals from the under-23 world competitions, is ending his professional career at the age of 23. Voluntarily. Unexpectedly.

Karel Tyrpekl was also a promising Czech professional cyclist, donning the jersey of the continental team ATT Investments and completing a series of stage races. You might have seen him, for example, in Poland, Slovenia, or Greece. At the age of 23, he too decided to retire from the career of a professional athlete.

What led them to enter sports retirement so early? Was it easy to transition to normal life, or was there something surprising? What are they focusing on now? And what is it like to become a professional in the first place? What is lacking in current Czech cycling for it to establish itself at the top of the world? These are just a few of the topics we discussed with both of them at the Bohemian Coffee House in Rumburk, in front of an audience during the “Cyklo Fest”, an event we organized on the occasion of the 39th edition of the legendary “Tour de Zelenak” race.