…and the winners are Ladislav Provod and Martina Smitkova

The 34th year of the Czech ROLLO League, the oldest long-term European footbike competition, is over. The last two races of the season 2008 took place this weekend, September 6 – 7, in Roznov pod Radhostem, a small town in the most eastern part of the Czech Republic.
In the Saturday’s 33-km-long, pretty hilly and really sunny race dominated – as usual in this season – Ladislav Provod from the KK Plzen footbike club, followed by his teammate Petr Pesta and third Richard Jisl from Kidokai Jablonec. The women’s track was only 2 rounds, i.e. 22 km, instead of men’s 3, but it was still very demanding. And there the winner’s podium looked like this: gold Martina Smitkova, silver Marketa Pestova (both KK Plzen) and bronze veteran woman Ivana Dvorakova (RC Zlin)
Sunday’s climbing race (length 2.5 km and height difference 250 m) in the direction of the local highest mountain Radhost was again triumph for Ladislav Provod, now followed by Richard Jisl and third Petr Pesta. Fourth place went to 12-inch-footbiker Jiri Esner from RC Zlin, who thus became the leader of the overall ROLLO League ranking since 1968. Woman winner on the same track was Martina Smitkova, second cadet girl Jessica Jislova from Kidokai Jablonec and third Marketa Pestova.
Nevertheless, the 2008 ROLLO League winners were clear long before the last race. KK Plzen footbike club rules again in the main categories men and women as well as in the team competition. Ladislav Provod from KK Plzen became the winner of the men’s category for the seventh time, on the second place his teammate Petr Pesta and third was Richard Jisl. In the women’s field the complete podium was in the colours of KK Plzen – first again as last year Martina Smitkova, second Marketa Pestova and third Patricie Kadlecova.
Ladislav Provod has won the Czech footbike competition already seven times in a row and together with the previous Pesta brothers’ winnings lasts this KK Plzen’s series for incredible ten years. “KK Plzen has been the best Czech team for a very long time. We have to thank all our friends and partners for their support, without them we could not have been so successful. The racing team is made up of experienced athletes as well as young competitors and this combination works really good. Great hopeful for the future is 13-years-old cadet Marek Kadlec,” adds Petr Pesta, the head of KK Plzen.
The ROLLO League season 2008 is over, but the new one is already being scheduled and prepared. The Czech Republic invites the European Scooter Championships 2009. The ROLLO League 2009 is probably going to spread out to Germany and Poland and also the Slovak footbikers will join the Czech competition. Come and kick with us – everyone is invited!
However, the footbike season does not end at all. The Eurocup ends up in Swansea in the UK on September 20 – 21 and the Czech team wants to show its best.