Ondřej “MOHY” Mohyla

I was into group sports all my life, such as volleyball, softball, and others. 

After that, I started running long-range races and a friend of mine was constantly talking about a race called Loudání, how great it was, and that we need to try it, so I said why not. I didn’t have a bike, equipment, or anything, really. I borrowed a bike, got my gear, and went in. It was the year 2013 and I gave up around 180km before the finish line on my first try. My head had turned off and that was it. However, with long-range terrain racing, I found out I’m having a lot of fun.

Next year, I bought a carbon hardtail bike, tweaked my gear, and stood on the starting line again. I managed to finish the race that time and I was suddenly hooked. Through subsequent years, I was gradually climbing the results.

I see two valid approaches to races like these. First is enjoyment-based; your main goal is to get to know the landscape and enjoy travelling through it. Getting to the finish a day earlier or later doesn’t really matter. The second approach is a pure racing one, with optimized gear, sleep schedule, and tactics.

I love the racing approach. I prefer riding with minimum sleep and maximum amount of time possible in the saddle, to be specific. This approach can bring you into many interesting states of body and mind, especially after days of travel.

What’s my strengths and weaknesses, you might ask. Well, my weakness is riding uphill, because I’m from Hradec Králové, where the nearby Labe river didn’t allow for many hills. I feel like I also lack off-road orientation, although I feel I’ve progressed a lot in this sense. Sometimes, I feel a certain hesitancy in preparing my bike for the race. I strive to improve in this facet too. My strong suits are my positive approach to life and low sleep requirements. When a race starts, I get into my racing mindset and suddenly, I don’t need much sleep at all, and when I do sleep, I can get up and on the road within minutes.