Filip Vokurka is a 16-year-old biker from the Czech Republic who is currently the youngest member of our Horsefeathers bike team. His bike career is well underway and he is currently the youngest rider in the Czech Republic who has jumped a double backflip on an MTB bike. And it is said that he is also aiming for a triple! We will certainly hear a lot more about Filip. But if you want to know more about him right now, don't miss the following interview with this young bike killer.
You are 16 years old and at this age your bike career is already well under way. When and how did you start biking?
I got into bike through my brother, Tomáš Vokurka, when I was about five years old. Where I live, in Jablonec nad Nisou, Tomáš Slavík built a fourcross track, where my brother started riding and I used to go there with him. I was the youngest person to ride the track. When I was 7-10 years old, we also started riding different bike parks, as my dad bought a caravan for that, for what I am very grateful. Mostly, I was going there with my mom, who ran behind me on foot. Later, we started riding in skateparks, where we met other riders, for example Vilibald Vítek, who is currently also in the HF bike team. When I was about 12 years old, my brother stopped riding, so Vilibald took me under his wing and started training me. I started jumping, learned some tricks and got into a bike team where there were some of the best riders from the Czech Republic at the time. After a while I left the team and started riding freeride and sometimes fourcross with Vilibald.
And what bike discipline are you currently practicing?
For the last four years, I have been mainly dedicated to slopestyle, which I also started riding competitively this year. My first slopestyle competition was the FMB silver tour in Kálnica, Slovakia. I didn't do as well as I wanted there, because I fell in the first run. But I ended up about 19th out of 30 people, which was nice, considering it was my first time. I recently took part in the Horsefeathers Iron Town Session in Ostrava as well, but I didn't make it there at all. In the first run I had a lot of mistakes and in the second run my leg fell off, so I barely finished the ride. I finished about 25. And then I was at the JBC 4x Revelation fourcross competition, which was held here, in Jablonec at Dobrá vodá in Czech Republic, where I competed in the Elite category for the first time this year. I placed 11th in qualifying, made it to the semi-finals and finished 10th.
Where do you train most often?
My homespot is Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic. My friends and I ride a lot on Sever Trails, which is built by Honza Kos. Not far from Jablonec, I have my own airbag at the cottage, where I train. And for a fourcross, I usually go to Dobrá voda.
In addition to slopestyle, would you like to go in the direction of fourcross or is just for fun?
I actually started in fourcross. I also toured European fourcross cups, but the problem is that the discipline is slowly dying, because not so many people ride it. It's sad because I quite enjoy the discipline. But in Jablonec usually enough people can still gather for the competition. But it's not as lively as the slopestyle. So I want to focus on slopestyle and freeride MTB.
And how did you like the Horsefeathers Iron Town Session in Ostrava? How would you rate it?
My impressions of the Horsefeathers Iron Town Session are very good, I enjoyed it, it was great. A great group of riders met there and also a lot of audience, so the atmosphere was also great. I'm just sad that I didn't qualify for the finals, but Jakub Hejl, another HF team rider, took 3rd place there, so that was great.
You also did a double backflip on "hard surface" for the first time this year there.
I did it into the airbag for the first time last year and this year I managed to did it on "hard surface". I am probably currently the youngest rider in the Czech Republic who does this. At the beginning of the season I also did it on a big enduro freeride bike. Under Vilibald's guidance, I plan to try a triple backflip soon. Double backflip was my dream trick and triple is kind of my unreal trick, but I'd like to go for it.
How do you have such tricks set up in your head mentally?
When I was doing double backflip into the airbag for the first time, I was really scared. Just like when I was doing it on "hard surface" for the first time. But over time, the backflip and double backflip seem to me to be less demanding tricks. I'd rather do a double backflip than, let's say, a barspin on a big jump. A lot of riders have a problem with it in their head, but I don't mind it, my mind is set up for that and I just turn it.
Get more blogs like this one. Subscribe to our newsletter!
And how did you actually learn the double backflip?
First I had to learn the backflip. It all took place under the leadership of Vilibald Vítek, I trusted him because he has experience with it and was actually the first rider in the Czech Republic who did a double backflip. We were riding in Barcelona, Vilibald told me to do some backflips first and then we'll see. On the penultimate day, I tried the backflips again when Vilibald told me to do a double backflip. I didn't even try it in the molytan, I went straight to the airbag. The first time I went over the handlebars on landing and the second time I did it. And this year I managed to do it on "hard surface" on the jump.
And do you have any trick like that, apart from the double and now also the triple backflip, that you still have in your head?
My next dream trick is probably the windshield wiper, which is actually a 360 degree tailwhip to opposite tailwhip rotation. I think that only Jakub Hejl can do it at the moment, as the only one in the Czech Republic. And then maybe a backflip double tailwhip to barspin or something like that. My role model is biker Brandon Semenuk from Canada. I have another trick from him that I've always liked and that's the flat spin neck-neck to can-can. So that's another one of my dream tricks on a big bike.
What about you and bike accidents? Were there any?
Yes they were. I've had my arm broken twice and I broke my collarbone into three pieces three years ago. I was at the Flat Out Days event in Slovenia where I rode such small dirt tracks. There were two jumps in a row, I wanted to jump into the manual and bounce off that manual into the next jump. I just didn't do it very well, I jumped into the manual, couldn't bounce out of it, my front wheel fell into the next jump, I went over the handlebars and hit a tree. The whole thing was so unfortunate. The ambulance came to pick me up, they somehow bandaged my arm badly, so the broken bones were moving. They took me to a hospital where they didn't have x-rays or a doctor, so we went to another hospital where the schedule was for hours. So my parents took me and drove me from Slovenia to Prague, Czech Republic. They had to dope me up with pills to make it through the journey. In Prague, the doctor took me immediately and operated me the next morning.
Uff, that sounds like an unpleasant experience. And what about your parents, do you have support from them within bike?
Both my brother and I have always had great support from our parents. They visited competitions with us and supported us financially. I am very grateful to both of them for that, because without it I probably wouldn't be where I am now.
What is your biggest achievement on a bike so far?
I am most happy that I am in the same team with bikers whom I have admired in the past and who belong to the Czech bike elite. I am also grateful for the community where people support me, write to me that they enjoy my riding and so on. That's what keeps me going and I'm so grateful for that. And I was also pleased that I recently received an invitation to the FMB gold event Big White Mountain in Canada, which is one of the biggest gold events in the world. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and other complications, I was unable to travel there.
That's great! Do you have a future goal that you would like to achieve in the bike?
I would like to get to events like the Fest series, which have some of the biggest jumps in the world. I would also like to ride at all the Crankworx slopestyle races and ride the RedBull Joyride and RedBull Rampage at least once.
And how do you perceive cooperation with HF and the fact that you are part of the HF bike team?
I really enjoy working together. I'm happy with the group of riders here on the team, as well as how this whole collaboration is working. We have great shootings. It's always a lot of fun when we all get together, so it's great for me and I'm happy. I would dare to say that Horsefeathers currently has one of the best bike teams in the Czech Republic.
Do you have any favorite HF bike products that you enjoy riding in?
I like the Reverb bike pants the most out of all the pants. They are stretchy, water repellent and absolutely great for riding. And I wear them off the bike as well, so that is great for me. Then I really enjoy the Patriot bike goggles. They are big, they don't scratch much and they are great for riding. I also like the Madog sweatshirt, it looks really good, it's warm and I like to ride in it when it's cold. I spent the whole winter riding in the hall in it. And I also enjoy the Spike II jersey, which is very pleasant to ride, because it is light, stretchy and loose.
