Petr Vakoč on the archive picture in the jersey of the Alpecin-Fenix team.
Alpecin-Fenix Cycling Team
“Wednesday’s one hundred and sixty-nine kilometers at the Giro del Veneto will be the highlight of my career in the road peloton. After much and careful thinking, I decided to meet the new challenges, “he told the media.
“My road career has been an absolutely amazing journey, it has brought me many unique experiences and exceptional friendships that are sure to last. I was part of two extremely successful teams, I won big races, I participated in prestigious team victories, “Vakoč recapitulated his career in the teams of Dukla Prague, Deceuninck Quick Step and Alpecin Fenix.
In early 2018, he suffered serious injuries while concentrated in Africa. At that time, he had broken vertebrae, bruised lungs and many other minor injuries. “I was lucky the consequences of the accident were not fatal,” he admitted at a distance.
When he returned home, he resolutely embarked on convalescence. His body was gripped by a special carapace, but Vakoč was already turning his legs on a bicycle clamped perpendicular to the ground so that he would not completely lose muscle mass.
“It was my dream to return not only to normal life, but also to professional cycling and race in the Tour de France. And with all my might I really managed to get back to the top, “Vakoč recalled the whole story.
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At the end of 2019, he actually returned to the professional peloton during the races in China in the jersey of the Belgian team Deceuninck Quick Step, and then transferred to the Alpecin Fenix formation, which is home to the star Mathieu van der Poel.
And this year, together with other partners, he completed the Tour de France, the largest race in the world. “It was an amazing experience. We defended the yellow jersey, won two stages and I enjoyed every minute, every second, “Vakoč recalled with a smile.
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“But after the Tour de France, I realized in my free time that my body was giving me clear signals to slow down. It was nothing new, certain signals that I ignored had lasted for a long time, “he admitted.
Deciding on an end in the profipeloton was not easy for him. “My mind would drive me to racing. But I feel satisfied with what I have accomplished. At the same time, the desire to embark on a new adventure, “said Vakoč, who started twice in the Tour de France and once in the Italian Giro during his career. He also has twelve participations in famous classics.
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His biggest victories are the triumph at Brabant Arrow in 2016 and the victory in the Czech cycling Tour stage race a year earlier. “I’m not going to leave the world of bikes completely, I want to race a bit in the terrain where my career actually started. But the main content of life will be elsewhere, “said Vakoč.” I will study psychology and nutrition. I want to pass on my experience from my professional career, “Vakoč said before the last start in the professional peloton.
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