Slovakia Team Masseur Thrust Into Elite Men’s Worlds Despite Last Competing Nine Years Ago

Ten years ago Slovakia was one of the powerhouses of world championship cycling, with Peter Sagan winning the elite men’s title in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

A decade on the gloss has dulled somewhat, with his country having four slots in the elite men’s road race, but being left unable to fill any of them with current riders. Cue panic and a completely leftfield decision by the country’s selectors.

Former amateur racer and current national team masseur Vladimír Kováčik has been given a late and utterly unexpected call up to the national squad and has been launched right into the deep end as a result.

Kováčik, 28, last competed internationally back in 2017, a year he started nine UCI ranked or national championship races of which he was a DNF in five of them.

His results were similarly modest in 2015 and 2016, the same years Sagan was at his peak, although he did take 12th on the opening stage of the 2.1-ranked Belgrade Trophy Milan Panić in 2014.

It’s an intimidating prospect, being thrust into competition against some of the biggest names in the sport; the stuff of nightmares, perhaps, on line with those dreams of having a math exam when you haven’t studied a jot.

Still, there’s a bit of logic to it all.

Had Slovakia not fielded a rider, the country’s national championships would have been demoted to the B category in 2027. This in turn would have slashed the number of points available to those who perform well in those races.

With former under 23 words silver and bronze medallist Martin Svrček and Matthias Schwarzbacher both injured and Luke Kubiš not released by his Unibet Rose Rockets team for the event, some creative thinking was needed.

Wacky, but necessary

“The drop is half for the national champion and for the second place, almost two-thirds,” national coach Jakub Vanćo told Sportnet.

“We would count losses [in points] in the hundreds. These points are equivalent to victory in a World Tour stage race, which is beyond our strength.

“So we have to fulfill the duty of the UCI to get someone to compete for the elite race. In addition, next year will be qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games.”

World championship registration closed on September 11, meaning that no other riders could be called up.

Cue Kováčik’s call up, something that Vančo admitted to SVR was akin to ticking the box.

“Our participation will be only formal,” he stated. “We will be represented in the form of a person who is here and formally meets the conditions and licenses.

“We are doing this for talented cyclists, who we need to keep in the ranking high and that people like Schwarzbacher, Kubiš, Riška, Novák, Chladoňová, Ungerová and others can get to the Olympics.”

Victoria Chladoňová already ensured the team’s campaign was a success when she won the junior women’s road race on Thursday.

Don’t expect Kováčik to mimic that performance; just like math exams, you can’t make up for lost ground if you don’t have the work done.