Eight Wheels, Two Legs, High Speed

By Markéta Forró

I started to be interested in Michael Hrazdíra thanks to my friend, a racer from his team. She told me about him several times and I thought: Wow, he must be cool...
Wind in back and asphalt under wheels, pain in the muscles and sometimes injuries. But also the feeling of satisfaction when he goes through of the home straight. The intoxicating feeling of victory, pride in improving his abilities... This is what drives Michal Hrazdíra, a coach and a racer of the in-line team Black Ice in Brno, ex-cyclist and Olympionist. He used to be a man who would do everything for winning. Today, in his 31 years, he just smiles: „It is mainly fun for me nowadays. Now the biggest victory for me is my family.“
Hrazdíra irradiates calmness and carefreedom. Only when he speaks about his family or work, he becames serious. When people talk to him, they figure out what he overcame and he is still nice human. ̏He is completely not big-headed. This is very important,“ says Nikola Stračárová, a racer of the Black Ice. ̏I think that big-headed coach can't be successful because his team would hate him. Michal doesn't think that he is more than us and this drives us to be better and rejoice not only ourselves, but him, too.“

There has never been any in-line club in Brno. Hrazdíra has decided to change the situation because he felt that future is in in-line skating. ̏In-line is sport for everybody, and that is what I really like,“ says Hrazdíra. ̏At cycle track you can see grandparents together with their little grandchildren, everybody on in-lines and they all enjoy it. In every age you can improve yourself.“
He notified that he can give people the possibility to improve themselves. With his friend Radomír Dojiva they put heads together and the issue is a team which today has been regulary capturing the forefronts in most races in the Czech Republic and not only there.
But also ordinary in-line skaters in Brno are on Hrazdíra's focus. He aspires to improve conditions for skating in Brno and this year he organised four rides through the city, collective joyrides for everybody.
But in-line skating wasn't Michal Hrazdíra's original sport. He was successful cyclist, Czech representative and Olympionist. His life was drill and many hours spent on bike. His father Miloš, also a very successful cyclist and multiple Czech representative, brought him to this sport.

When he remember his childhood, Hrazdíra laughs: ̏In fact, first I didn't want to be a biker. I wanted to be a hockey player, but father didn't let me go to the enrollment. I was upset at that time, but today I am grateful to him.“
Hrazdíra started to ride when he was twelve. His coach from this period, Jaroslav Bláha, says about his starts: „I think that at that time he didn't suppose he will get to the Olympic Games one day. But everybody wants to be good at something and I wanted to help to all my boys to be the best.“
When Hrazdíra was older, he started to win first junior, later adult races. He won the Czech Republic championship several times. Finally, in the World championship in Canada thanks to his effort two people from Czech Republic could start in the Olympic Games.

„It was funny,“ he laughs. ̏It was my first world championship so I asked, what place I have to get to go up the starting block. Everybody laughed because we typically finished about the twentieth place.“ But Hrazdíra arrived eighth and silenced the kidding.
Neverthelles, Hrazdíra was arguing with Czech cycling federation. As he says now, the leader of Czech cyclist is an ex-judeman who doesn't understand cycling never a whit. Finally, they even did not want him to start at the Olympic games in Athens, although he went up the starting blocks. After he evidenced he's the best when he won the Czech championship, he started, but he finished 14th.

̏I was really hung up,“ says Hrazdíra today. ̏I didn't drill so much because I didn't know if anywise I will start at the Olympic Games. I could be much better...“ After next argument he left his career himself. ̏Czech Republic is a small country and even a top racer has little opportunity to make onto the international stage. With the Federation access this opportunity disappeares. I just lost my mind to race.“

So he has found his mind in another sport. ̏I have been always keen on the fast skating on ice. In-line skating is very close and here are better conditions for it, that's the reason why I have chosen this sport,“ he smiles, when he talks about his biggest hobby nowadays. „I just can't imagine doing nothing. When I ended the cycling, I needed something else. I like to be in good form and I really love the feeling of speed. But today it is just my hobby, I don't want to chafe as when I cycled profesionally.“
Today, Hrazdíra has a full-time job in his small company which he owns with his brother.
Nikola Stračárová bears to his words. „He doesn't take it serious like us others. He doesn't train so much as other members of our team, and when he wins, he is just at rest.“ Nikola thinks Hrazdíra is a good coach. „He can bring people really high.“
As a confirmation of this words there are many successes of Black Ice team. The biggest one was women's second place on the Le Mans championship in France. But individually, Hrazdíra has not any racing ambitions already. As he says, he enjoys much more worrying about the club and common skaters in the city. „It's more important than my own victories.“
In Brno, there are not good conditions for common skaters – there is only one skate track in Brno and all times of day it is overfull. There isn't any place for small children for whom the skate track is too dangerous because of number of crossing motorway.
To call attention to a number of in-line skaters Hrazdíra organised four rides throught the city in this summer. People of every age and every abilities took their skates and they rod together through the part of city. How Hrazdira says, rides in Brno had great success although it was the first time here.
„I have really good feeling about it, people liked it,“ Hrazdíra smiles. „Of course there were worries – it was my first big action like this, but it was worth the effort.“ In future, he wants to organise rides more frequently. „People appreciate this. I feel well about it. And maybe this way we will obtain some new members for our team,“ he says with a smile.