I cannot imagine living without sports, says LIBERTY Ostrava’s Tomáš Kašný

An avid biker, thirty-five-year-old Tomáš Kašný, who provides installation, maintenance and programming of clock in readers and anti-theft security systems at LIBERTY Ostrava, is a body and soul athlete. Having worked at the Ostrava steel mill for fifteen years, sport is for him a way how to unwind after work. He needs motion for his physical and mental well-being.  

How long have you been biking?

Actively for more than six years now, I completed my first race in 2016.

Why did you take it up?

My 17-year-long football career had come to an end. Suddenly, I had a lot of free time and wanted to continue doing sports. A few of my friends had been already racing on bikes at the time, so one day I decided to give it a shot too and I stuck with it.

How was your season this year?

I would rate this season as one of the more successful ones. Though everything I had planned didn’t work out, while I also had a nasty fall and an injury, but a few things went far beyond, so I consider the season a success.

What do you consider your biggest sporting success so far?

Definitely the 2018 European 24 Hour Mountain Bike Champion title.  

How much time do you spend biking and what does it bring you? Why does one even do this?

It adds up to some 650 hours per year. What I like about biking is that it’s an individual thing, it can be done all year round and during the rides you get to know a lot of new and beautiful places that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I like the atmosphere at the races. For me, it’s a huge relax and an escape from today’s hectic world into a group of great people where nobody tackles anything but the bike and the road ahead.

What else would you like to achieve in biking, what are your sporting plans?

Above all, I would like to maintain my current performance in the coming seasons. Year after year it is more challenging to keep up with younger riders and fight for medals. However, definitely I would like to ride a 24-hour race and get a good result. For example, I have not been lucky enough to race at the World Championship yet. Otherwise, I decide on a lot of events on the go during the season, so sometimes I don’t even know how, but suddenly I find myself at the start of a race in Italy or biking through Estonia from the south to the north with just what you have in your backpack and on your bike. Such ideas always pop up over a beer.

Are there moments when you feel like quitting? When you really reach rock bottom?

There have been times when I hit rock bottom in a race, but I’ve always managed to get to the finish. Fortunately, I have never thought that I would really give up on it. I was rather angry with myself for underestimating the preparation, for not giving it my all, for not maintaining a good lifestyle… On the contrary, I can take a lesson from these mistakes, work on corrections, and stand up at the start again a bit stronger next year.

How do you keep sport work balance?

A great deal of my training is done while I commute to work by bike. This saves me a lot of time that I would otherwise spend in the car or on public transport. And since I only do morning shifts I have enough time for sports, family and friends.

You have ambitions in sports. What about professional ambitions?

I am very happy with my current job, my work duties fulfill me sufficiently and I am not thinking about any changes. But you never know, if there was an offer that can’t be refused I would definitely think about it.

Do you miss the time you devote to cycling at work or in the family?

Since I have a very tolerant girlfriend who supports me a lot, I can cope with all the time challenges so far. There are days when things pile up too much then biking has to be put aside, after all it is only a hobby. But fortunately, there are not many such days yet. The time dedicated to biking has no effect on my job.

A large part of sports performance is about pushing the limits not only physically, but also mentally. How important is mental health for your sport, life or work? 

Mental health is very important to my sport. If a competitor wants to give a great performance, he has to have his body and mind in harmony. When I need to take a break from work I resort to sports. When I want to take a break from sports, then my work and family is a relaxation for me. But I always try to keep the physical and mental side in balance.

How do you handle the pressure, stress, disappointment, euphoria of winning when racing? 

Over the years that I have been racing, I have already learned to focus just on my performance before the race and not to be distracted by my surroundings. In races where I am one of the favorites, of course there is some pre-race pressure and stress but everything disappears with the starting shot. As for the disappointment, if I give my best on the track and know that it simply couldn’t be better today then I’m fine, even with a bad result. If I perform well, I take it as a bonus for a job well done and I try to keep my emotions in check. At night I have a beer with friends where everything good and bad is being discussed. The next day I get on the bike and focus just on the next race.

In connection with sports, we talk primarily about physical fitness. Is the mental one important too? Do you have any tips on how to take care of it?  

Mental fitness is definitely important. Although it may not seem like to some, there are races where it prevails over the physical one. When one loses the battle in his head with himself physical fitness is useless. I have several books on sports psychology at home that I often read time and again and I always learn something new. This helps me a lot when preparing for races. Sometimes I just need to lie down in front of the TV, watch a movie that doesn’t require thinking, take a short nap, hang out with friends, take a sauna, or maybe relieve stress in the gym. There are many options and everyone has their own recipe.

What does sport mean to you in your life?  

Sport means a lot to me. I have been involved in sports both actively and passively since I was a child. I took up an awful lot of disciplines and I always enjoyed everything. It is my lifestyle, an escape from everyday reality, a rest and a hot way to recharge batteries. I can’t imagine living without sports.

Key information

Education: Faculty of Safety Engineering at VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava.

Career:  Has worked at the Ostrava mill for fifteen years.

Hobbies:  Biking, football, mountain hiking, gardening.

Favorite food and drink:  All kinds of pasta dishes, plain water.

Life motto: There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes!