Zimovčák is known for his ambition far beyond the high-wheel scene – he is also a respected professional cyclist. It is little wonder, as no other person has completed as many wild or gruelling tours on the huge two-wheeler: Zimovčák, born in 1958, has ridden several stages of the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and La Vuelta. He has earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records riding the farthest on a Penny-farthing in 24 hours (522 kilometres in 1996). And yet: “For me, the greatest success in my life is the ‘Na kole dětem’ project. It has 3 levels: to help children get to know beauties of our country, to do some physical activity and to get involved in sport. I am a visionary; I believe that this concept will spread over the borders of Czech Republic and that the high bike has long future ahead.”
Zimovčák’s 2016 summer highlight was definitely his trip from Bruntál to Klasterec nad Ohri. Because the idea of a charity bike ride was so good, only prominent cyclists (on normal bikes) rode alongside him in the peloton, including three silver ŠKODAs: a challenge for all the riders in the convoy who could not match Zimovčák’s pace. The balance sheet: 40,000 euros were raised at the seventh charity ride of ‘Na kole dětem’. Calculated by taking the circumference of the high-wheel (4.78 meters) over a distance of 1,057 kilometres, that comes out at 18 cents per wheel revolution.