{"id":174695,"date":"2019-07-19T07:37:08","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T07:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=174695"},"modified":"2019-07-19T08:18:37","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T08:18:37","slug":"cycling-is-a-beautiful-sport-letape-2019-interview-with-vladimir-vidim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/07\/19\/cycling-is-a-beautiful-sport-letape-2019-interview-with-vladimir-vidim\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cCycling Is a Beautiful Sport\u201d: L\u2019\u00c8tape 2019 Interview with Vladim\u00edr Vidim"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re reading this article, there\u2019s a fat chance you\u2019re already familiar with the l\u2019\u00c8tape du Tour but a little refresher never hurt anyone. Since 1993, the race provides a chance for amateur cyclists worldwide to experience the real Le Tour atmosphere, complete with closed-off roads, medical attention, supporting vehicles and more, and the vast majority of contestants boost their chances by using state-of-the-art gear and bicycles. But there are some, like Vladim\u00edr Vidim, who have a different motivation to enter \u2013 such as the pure joy of resurrecting and riding a piece of solid and genuine craftsmanship, namely a legendary bicycle model first released over 120 years ago. Follow his progress on our Instagram account<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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How big of a gap do you think there will be between a racing bike designed at the end of the 19th century and the latest tarmac killers?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A life-long avid cyclist, construction designer, and trained locksmith, Vladim\u00edr Vidim (54) can\u2019t imagine his life without bicycles \u2013 so much that he learned how to build them, from a sketch to a functioning product, with focus mainly on period bikes and their spitting replicas, including \u201cboneshaker\u201d bikes and the well-known curious penny-farthings. Besides tending to his passion for constructing bicycles in a small workshop in Roztoky near Prague, the Czech capital, Vladim\u00edr used to be an active racer in the local UAC (the Amateur Cyclist Federation) events and nowadays also teaches kids under 17 how to cycle properly at the Prague Dukla club and fixes their bikes. Last but not least, he has a few peculiar records under his belt, like the one time he rode a penny-farthing for 23 hours straight without getting off and covered 470 km \u2013 an accomplishment he achieved with the help of his friends who rode ahead and warned him about closed-off roads, active railway crossings and similar things.<\/p>\n

His latest feat is a near-perfect replica of the original Laurin & Klement Slavia bicycle he created literally from scratch. But there\u2019s more to this unique piece as it isn\u2019t just destined for display in a museum or a private collection \u2013 it\u2019s meant to race (and finish) nothing smaller than the l\u2019\u00c8tape du Tour. The Laurin & Klement bicycle workshop was founded in 1895 by two namesake businessmen, V\u00e1clav Laurin and V\u00e1clav Klement, in the then Kingdom of Bohemia. Their first bicycle model was the aforementioned Slavia and, over the years, the small workshop expanded and eventually transformed into the world-famous car manufacturer we know today \u2013 \u0160koda AUTO \u2013 that stayed true to its cycling roots till this day and supports and sponsors many cycling events.<\/p>\n

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Vladim\u00edr (on the right) riding his Slavia bicycle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n