Tomáš Bábek: On Life Determination and Specifics of Track Cycling

How did Tomáš Bábek experience his career as a track cyclist? What advice would he give to today's fellow cyclists? And what are the specifics and trends of track cycling in recent years? We talked about this and more with the former track cyclist, current manager, and one of the prominent figures in Czech cycling of the recent history.

According to his own words, the native of Brno stumbled into track cycling by chance. Thanks to his enjoyment of the speed and adrenaline of the velodrome, he stuck with it. Over his 22-year career as a track cyclist, Tomáš Bábek collected numerous medals and titles, including two European champion titles and a silver medal at the World Championships. This is despite the fact that in 2011, he nearly lost his life in a collision with a car. After difficult months, he returned to the bike and a year later celebrated successes on the domestic scene.

From 2017 to 2018, he competed as a professional keirin rider (a special discipline of track cycling) in Japan. He ended his career shortly after his dream participation in the postponed 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he missed the podium in keirin by just tenths of a second.

What are the conditions for track cycling in the Czech Republic? Besides the rider's performance, what role do technologies such as high-performance bikes or aerodynamic suits play in this discipline today? And how did Tomáš approach finding the right cycling position, which generally isn't very comfortable for track cyclists? You'll find out not only this during the interview on the Life in the Saddle podcast.

After retiring from his career, Tomáš Bábek focuses on managerial work and is also the sports director of the Track Cycling Academy, through which he introduces this discipline to the wider public and helps develop the young generation of talented riders.