Below (from our newsletter) – “The owner of the team was also here, so there was a small celebration in the evening. Huge tension fell from everyone, because the task was to win the stage. And when it comes out right at the start of the race, it’s a relief for everyone,” says Tomáš Rak in Lausanne before the second free day of the Tour de France 2022.
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The Czech hands belong to the constants of the Israeli formation. Already in 2018, he made it to the then still pro-continental team for a trial. “It’s standard procedure. I went to five races so that the team could get to know me and assess whether I was good enough for them,” recalls Rak.
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He proved himself admirably. Not to. It was not his first cycling experience. In the past, he worked for the Quick Step cycling development team, for example. And then he had an extraordinary recommendation in his resume in the form of a service that provided three-time Olympic speed skating champion Martina Sáblíková.
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“Getting to the World Tour is a matter of enormous prestige. Of course, the work is still the same,” Tomáš Rak explains, that he will do his best, whether he has on the massage table a beginner cyclist with the hope of one day jumping into the elite, or a four-time Tour de France champion like Chris Froome.
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“Cycling is my passion. But the World Tour is simply the top league. Everyone who is in the selected teams feels proud,” says Rak.
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Working in the World Tour is a real grind. After all, he is away from home for four weeks in the case of the Tour de France. The days for him start early and end well after dark even in the long July days. “In total, I’m away from home for a hundred and fifty days a year. You can’t do this job without a tolerant wife,” highlights Tomáš Rak’s wife, who takes care of three children at home.
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A certain band-aid is the possibility of inviting female partners to the ceremonial arrival in Paris, as the management of the Israel Premier Tech formation made it possible last year. And an even greater reward is success for the members of the implementation team themselves.
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Perhaps in the form of a stage triumph. Like when Simon Clarke won the stage leading through the pavé sectors of the famous Paris-Roubaix. At the age of thirty-five. The man nobody wanted in the winter, whose career was coming to an end, and the Israeli team signed him for the last available spot on the roster.
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“I’m just taking care of Simon for the whole Tour,” says Tomáš Rak proudly. And he gives an insight into the rules governing the body care of the cyclists selected for the Tour de France. “Froome, Woods and Fuglsang have personal masseurs at the Grand Tour. And the other five guys share three masseurs. We don’t take the fact that we don’t do the biggest stars as a degradation. The best are used to someone who accompanies them for years and is almost part of their family. But for example Froome has also been under my hands at smaller races. And he talked a lot openly. He is talkative, ” says Rak.
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And while sometimes competitors destroyed by a huge portion of kilometers, altitude meters or terrifying falls spend three hours with him, it was just after the victory that he had an easy job with Simon Clark. “He was on a wave of euphoria, so it was just about relaxing the muscles and calming down. Positive emotions are the best stimulant for the whole body, especially with his story,” reminds Rak that the Australian should have retired from cycling.
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But since it is not, the Czech masseur has significantly improved his perception of the world of Formula 1. “Simon is a huge fan of it. When there’s a Grand Prix, he watches training sessions, qualifying and races from the recording as part of the massages,” smiles Rak and enthusiastically looks ahead to the next two weeks: “After all, we’re at the Tour de France, the biggest race on the planet. In addition, after five seasons, the team perceives me well, I have a certain position. And we have a very relaxed atmosphere within the collective!”
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