© Armin Küstenbrück

26 February 2017

Jaroslav Kulhavy has successfully completed the first start of the new season.
The Olympic winner from London and the Silver medallist from Rio Jaroslav Kulhavy has won the fourth stage of the Sunshine Cup race Afxentia 2017.
Jaroslav did successfully well in the first race and he is in a perfect condition before the coming Cape Epic stage race. Today the only rival at the technically attractive circuit in the National Park Mantra tou Kampiou was French Jordan Sarrou (BH Sr Suntour KMC) who came to the finish at the same time.
“I’m happy with the victory here and even more with my actual shape, which is a little bit better then I’ve expected. That’s good for me, because the first goal of the season – ABSA Cape Epic, is getting closer,” said Jaro. 

Jaroslav will stay in Cyprus for one more week completing the final phase of preparation for the Cape Epic to which he departs on 13^th March.

©Thomas Weschta / EGO-Promotion

24 Feb 2017

The flat tyre of the rear wheel on the twentieth kilometre of the Sunshine Cup 2nd stage pushed Jaroslav Kulhavy from the leading group of riders to approximately 15 place with the loss of more than 2 minutes. The Olympic winner managed to catch up the leading group again and finished the race at the seventh place. In the overall rating Jaroslav has fallen to the second place losing 12 seconds on the leading Jordan Sarrou.

photo: Armin Küstenbrück / EGO – Promotion

23 February 2017

Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized Racing) can be proud of his this year´s first victory that he gained at the Cyprus Sunshine Cup, where the Czech national MTB team regularly starts its season.

Golden and Silver Olympic medallist Kulhavy won in the opening time trial in Lefkara, which was in the enduro style 14.6km long, by 7.6 seconds before the Swiss Thomas Litscher (Felt Brunex) and the Czech representative Jan Skarmitzl (Sram Mitas Trek) who lost 24.5 seconds.
“I went full gas, but felt pretty good. It was an unusual Enduro stage, 14 kilometers long, mostly downhill with two small climbs. Despite that, I had almost 400 average Wattage, so It wasn’t easy ride…” said Jaro in the finish.

The second stage of Afxentia is planned for tomorrow. The start and the finish is also in Lefkara, it is 47.9km long and the riders will climb 2100m of altitude.

9/12/2016

Jaroslav will be at least for the next two years racing in an factory Specialized Racing team. After long lasting negotiations he announced it at the yesterday´s press conference.

“It is not an easy time after the Olympic Games, a lot of teams have ended up and bike sales has not been perfect and it has been reflected in the sponsorship too. I didn´t want to reduce my demands rapidly, so our negotiations dragged on a bit. We de facto had agreed earlier but we had to discuss some details,” comments Jaroslav his new two-year contract. Ha has been racing on Specialized bikes since 2007. Approaching his probably last Olympic Games in Tokyo he has also signed the contracts with his personal partners – Maserati brand and Nutrend and Strabag companies.

Jaroslav is leaving today together with a part of the national team for the first training camp in Mallorca. He will start racing, as in previous seasons, on Cyprus, where he will be primarily getting ready for the first important race of the season – Cape Epic bike stage race, where he will compete with its last winner Swiss Christoph Sauser, although he has already finished with the professional cycling after the last victory in 2014.

“Although Susi announced the end of his career two years ago I persuaded him a bit to compete. I psyched him up saying that Karl Platt saw his five victories and it would be good to leap him. And his ego reflected it,” explains smiling Jaroslav. The opening race of the World Cup in Nove Mesto na Morave and the World Championships in cross country and marathon will be other highlights of the season.