Just as the Tour de France - which Skoda is supporting as main partner for the 16th time this year - is considered the queen of professional cycling tours, the L'Étape du Tour is regarded as the greatest challenge for amateur road cyclists. Tackling an original stage of the 'Tour' with steep climbs, daunting descents and an energy-sapping mountain finish is the ultimate challenge for amateur cyclists.
How much greater a feat would it be to tackle such a 'Tor Tour' with all its hardships on a bike that was designed more than 120 years ago? A bike that, at 18 kilograms, weighs around twice as much as a modern racing bike, has only one gear, no freewheel and no brakes.
An exact replica of a 120-year-old bicycle
This refers to the Slavia - the bicycle that the mechanic Václav Laurin and the bookseller Václav Klement built in 1895 as the first vehicle in their workshop in what was then the Kingdom of Bohemia. Due to the great demand, the company of the two founding fathers expanded quickly. In 1899 they presented the first motorcycle and in 1905 the first automobile of the Laurin & Klement brand.
The merger of L&K with the automotive division of Pilsen-based Skoda Werke in 1925 was the next step on the road to today's globally successful Skoda brand. And because Skoda supports the most important cycling races in the world because of these historical roots, Vladimír Vidim came up with his spectacular idea. He brought a legend of the company's history back to life.
Craftsmanship
The trained locksmith and current construction designer cannot imagine life without bicycles and therefore learned the art of bicycle manufacturing himself - from the first sketch to the fully functional bike. The 54-year-old lives out this passion in his small workshop in Roztoky, north of Prague. He prefers to restore classic bicycles or build amazingly faithful replicas.
The famous Slavia bicycle is one of his most challenging projects to date. Contrary to all expectations, Vidim and his expert friends were unable to find an original racing bike that could have served as a model. He therefore used historical photographs to record all the dimensions, angles and other design details of the first vehicle from Mladá Boleslav.
The search for the historically correct production methods and the construction of the Slavia bike took around four months and the result is worth all the effort: the faithfully resurrected two-wheeler looks as if it had just rolled out of the workshop of Václav Laurin and Václav Klement and works perfectly.
True to the original also means that the Slavia has no gears and no brakes like those found on modern bicycles today. So it will be a real challenge. To support the Prague rider in his preparations, Skoda provided him with a current Superb.
Almost like the Tour de France
This incomparable cycling event has been part of the Tour de France since 1993. On July 21, exactly six days before the professionals, ambitious amateur cyclists tackle the 135-kilometer stage from Albertville to Val Thorens. They have to climb a total of 4563 meters in altitude and tackle three merciless climbs: the Cormet de Roselend (1968 m), the Côte de Longefoy (1,190 m) and the steep ramp to the finish in Val Thorens at an altitude of 2,365 meters.
For Vidim, this ride without brakes and with only one gear will certainly present very special challenges.
