Name: Richard Reichel
Age: 21
Location: Bratislava (Slovakia)

When did you start riding? Why ride flatland above other forms of BMX?
I started riding flatland when I went to high school. Before that I used to ride a street bike and besides trying street tricks I practised some basic flatland moves that I saw on the internet. Then gradually it became more and more important for me and suddenly I realized that I´m riding only flatland.

How often do you ride?
Currently I ride approximately three times a month :D Unfortunately I don´t have enough time to practice and even if I have, mostly the weather conditions are rather bad or kids are playing on the spot. But earlier I used to ride every single day, sometimes all day long. The good old days...

Do you ride contests?  If yes, what has been your biggest success? If not, why not?  
I attend contests mostly just because I want to support the people who take the effort to organize the event but also because I can meet my friends there. Contests do not interest me that much and I´m not even preparing for them. Instead I prefer riding according to my appetite, it´s not good if flatland becomes a burden and a challenge in a negative way (if you force yourself to practice stuff you don´t like, for example).

Where do you ride?
Currently I ride in Bratislava at different (mostly pretty bad because of the lack of good places) spots. The best one we had so far was definitely the spot at the Slovak National Theatre (SND). I say was because we can´t ride there anymore, we are banned from that area. The conditions were very reasonable there, the floor was almost perfect. Smooth, quick, not slippery and there was enough space for two riders to practice anything they wanted to. But thanks to the local street riders, or at least some of them, it is just a sweet memory. They were jumping on the walls and one of them, while trying to do a 360, broke a big marble square with his rear wheel. Previously the security guys used to kick us out for no reason, but after this the police became involved as well...

What is the riding scene in your town like?  Are there any other flatlanders?
In Slovakia unfortunately the situation is not the brightest. We have just a few riders here and even this small group is spread all over the country so we meet each other only on rare occasions. The only contest is Flatdance which takes place every year in Stará Ľubovňa. The “biggest” scene is in Bratislava and even that is only approximately seven riders. Actually the only thing that keeps us in touch is the Slovak flatland community www.flatland.sk , which was created by Jozef Scherer, and we are very grateful for that webpage. Jozef is the oldest rider in Slovakia and I admire his passion for flatland. It’s definitely him who supports the Slovak scene to the highest degree and with the biggest passion. Even though he works and has a family he can still find enough time to ride flatland. The rest of the riders should take this as a good example. I think if the positive general attitude towards flatland will be held only by a few riders, it won´t make any big changes.

If you could take a flatland world tour, which 5 places would you like to visit for riding and why?
I think it really does not depend on the places but rather on the people you ride with. But if I had to choose then definitely I´d like to visit Japan and the fabulous spots there or TGM in London.

Is there a goal you would like to reach concerning your riding?
I´d like to push my limits further and further and I´d like to ride as long as I enjoy it. I really would not like to force myself into a direction that I don´t enjoy because of external forces or motivations. Flatland is a lifestyle and it is supposed to be fun!

Which trick/combo are you working on at the moment?
Currently I’m into nosewheelies and long whiplash combos. To the hell with the boring steams that are so popular now!

What kind of music do you like? What are your 3 favourite songs?
I like indie rock, hardcore, old punk songs, music from garage bands. I don´t have any favourite songs.

Tell us 3 things you like and 3 things you don’t like
Like: girlfriend, riding with friends, beer

Don´t like: bad people, bad weather and other bad things ..:D

Do you work or study?
I study at the Slovak University of Technology (The Faculty of Civil Engineering). Bachelor study program Geodesy and Cartography. It’s something about land surveying, cartographic design, GIS, cadastre.

Bikecheck:
Frame: St. Martin Eiffel 18.9TT
Fork: KHE Tanaka
Handlebars: Subrosa
Stem: Colony
Crank: St. Martin hollow
Pedal: Odyssey Twisted
Front hub: Colony Bulimia
Rear hub: Taska sealed freecoaster
Tires: Odyssey frequency G 1.75
Seat: Shadow
Seatpost: macneil

Have your say: This is the place for shoutouts, wise words or whatever you would like to tell the world!
Keep riding!

My vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user2760742/videos

And another video: youtube.com