As a professional mountain bike rider, Tomáš Slavík has ridden across some difficult terrain, His most recent accomplishment, however, might just be the most entertaining. Over the course of the last few weeks, the 27-year-old adrenaline junkie expertly raced around some of Europe’s most well-known shopping centers – all in the name of good fun.
This year, the mountain biking season kicked off with a huge bang thanks to Eastern Gravity, an agency known for hosting exciting bicycle races inside shopping malls. With the initial success of these single-day events, Eastern Gravity has now put together a tour, The Downmall Tour 2015, which gathered some of the world’s best riders for a three-round series in Poland, Germany, and Czech Republic.
Slavík was regarded as a favorite early on – no surprise there, considering his extensive list of brag-worthy accomplishments. He began racing professionally in 2009, after performing well at the Czech national level, and has since claimed the title of World Champion, World cup winner and National Champion. He currently races for the RSP mountain bike team.
On or off terrain, Slavík certainly excels at his sport. In fact, he has already earned his first and second win at The Downmall Tour, beginning with his initial success in Szczecin, Poland.
“In Poland the track was really tide, short and intense. Once you make a mistake you are done with no chance for reaching the podium. I was riding more calm then aggressive and it was definitely the key on this track.”
Berlin, however, proved to be a little bit more challenging – even for a rider as experienced as Slavík.
“The 2nd round in Berlin was probably most difficult track I have been riding in shopping mall. Lot of stairs, 180 degrees turns, lot of stop and go sections….Every centimeter counts here! I got quite good rhythm and had a good run in final.”
At this rate, if Slavík continues to ride well, he will have no problem sailing through the final installment of the tour, which will take place in Prague, Czech Republic.
In the meantime, he’s eagerly looking forward to the event, “Really looking to racing on home soil and all the fans; it’s gonna be great weekend.”
Here’s a video of what you can expect: The Downmall Tour 2015
