The state of emergency has lasted for five weeks, during which time spring has sprung. As soon as the weather gets warm, cyclists always swarm the roads. This year, however, there is obviously a lot more of them than usually, because even the biggest sloth in the world must already be bored with forcibly sitting at home day after day.
Not only hobby centers, but also all shops with sportswear and equipment are experiencing an onslaught of customers. In recent days, all the parking spaces were constantly full.
"Bicycle sales are on the rise. We were closed for a month, so nothing sold. Now that we are open, there is great interest. In addition, people have much more time to choose the right bike and due to the regulations, they also have more time to ride it,"
Robert Štěrba, who has been selling and servicing bicycles for many years, said for LP-Life.cz. Yet he also admits that cycling is mainly about the weather. When it's nice, people go cycling, when it's not, they stay at home. As for bike service, he says he can't tell whether the increased interest has been caused by the coronavirus or by the fact that it's warm outside.
Luxusní vila 5+kk na pronájem, Praha západ, Okolí Prahy
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Obchody s cyklistickým zbožím mají žně. Source: Pixabay*
"There is simply always enormous interest in service in the spring," he adds.
Back on the bike after a gazzilion years
Even those who haven't ridden a bike in an eternity are cycling now. According to cycling expert Pavel Hájek, inexperienced middle-aged riders on rusty old bikes have hit the roads now.
"People are at home, the kids are already driving them crazy, there's nothing easier than taking the family on a cycling trip,"
he says.
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Kolo je perfektní pro všechny generace. Source: Pixabay
Jágr rides an e-bike
For several years now, there's also been an enormous interest in e-bikes. Every fourth bike sold in the Czech Republic last year was an electric bike. According to the estimates of the ekolo.cz website at Bike-EU.com, this year's sales could increase by another 30,000. And the probability that it will really happen is high, because ever since the legend of Czech hockey Jaromír Jágr began smiling at us in an e-bike advertisement, wondering why no one had told him earlier that such a great thing existed, it's been more than obvious that everyone who can afford it will get themselves the same (or a very similar) model.
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Už i Jaromír Jágr objevil kouzlo jízdy na kole. Source: Crussis Jagr 68
Leoš Mareš also promoted this advertisement on his Instagram, so we can expect that soon enough, cycling paths be full of "fake" Jágrs and car drivers will have to be very careful not to knock an inexperienced cyclist off their bike.
