Štěpán Hartl - Czech bike talent in the SNOWBOARD ZEZULA team colors

Last year, we agreed on a collaboration with Štěpán Hartl, who is aiming towards successful career in enduro cycling races.

He has already confirmed his talent by winning the Czech Enduro Junior Series under the age of nineteen, as only a fifteen-year-old racer.

A 16-year old biker from Brno, Štěpán Hartl, has been riding bike since little. Now he is aiming towards a successful career in enduro bike racing. First starting as an XC rider, he observed a more of technical skills in himself, so he transfered to Enduro, where it is also necessary to climb the hill first. "This way, you don't completely lose the training, as happens in solely downhill disciplines", says Štěpán. He started racing only about two years ago, when he got his first Enduro bike for Christmas, then he got a Santa Cruz Nomad from us and since then he has been breaking records and winning races.

Enduro v. XC

It's not widely known, how these two disciplines differ. Štěpán puts it simply, though: "At the XC races, everyone is nervous two days in advance and only thinks about the race. As the race is approaching, they are completely stressed out, which has a great impact on their performance. In contrast, Enduro is the exact opposite. The guy will give you high five at the start and you go. Completely at ease and with your head clear, no stress. You basically don't rush up the hill, so we basically chat with other riders while riding upwards. Only when you are at the top, you start the measured lap."

Everything's easier with Santa Cruz

"Well, many people say that and they are absolutely right", laughs Štěpán. "It happened to me several times that I went to the podium finishing as the first one, and I heard someone from the crowd shout: Sure, he's got Santa, it wins itself...But on the other hand, the geometry of the bike doesn't fit everyone, so then it's only about me and how I handle it. Last year, I had a great time with Nomad, and this year Megatower was also absolutely excellent."

The future plans are clear

There's still a long way to go, however, Štěpán has his mind set on the world series. "My role model is Fabio Wibmer. He perfectly works with social media and I like it how he does it, how he can connect everything together. Apparently, at first he didn't know anything that other riders didn't know, too, but then a turning point came. He learned his stuff and is completely different than everyone else. I would like to go that way, too. My highest aim is probably Redbull. So far, I'm not really thinking about the Santa Cruz team. Redbull is more interesting to me. I've been watching their helmets from the beginning and I really like everything they do. But it's a long way, though."

Take a look at what Štěpán's regular training looks like and don't miss his SNOWBOARD ZEZULA riding profile, either: