The Art of Bicycle Performance

What she can do with a bike seems almost impossible – like ballet in the saddle combined with stunt riding and the most incredible acrobatic tricks. Nicole Frýbortová, 22, from Brno in the Czech Republic, makes it look easy. But behind the controlled movements lie years and years of practice.

“I was eight when I started artistic cycling,” says Frýbortová. “I have been training for 14 years. I treat my bike like a partner. The hardest thing is to have the patience to keep going until you see results.”

After a few falls and ankle injuries, her endurance and patience are clearly paying off. In 2015, she finished second in the Indoor Cycling World Championship. She has her sights set on coming first.

Frýbortová has had to overcome a number of obstacles to achieve her dreams. Not least financing. She has to pay for her bike and everything else to do with the sport, and still hold down a regular job to make a living. Artistic cycling is, at the moment, not attracting much sponsorship. Then there’s the training, which takes up all her spare time, she says. Frýbortová is in the saddle six times a week.

But the fact that as a sport it’s relatively under the radar is part of the attraction. She likes the fact that not everyone is doing it. Her pursuit has an air of exclusivity.

Frýbortová’s ambition resonates with the fundamental principles of ŠKODA. Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, founding fathers of what became ŠKODA, had a focused desire to push things forwards. And they, like Frýbortová, started with a bicycle and a dream. They worked with bikes before moving on to motorcycles and then to creating cars.

You can see the videos of Nicole Frýbortová by clicking here.

And you can follow her progress and that of others like her with the #dreambig hashtag.