Photo by Mic Smith
Petr Angelo Vlcek
Age: 44.
Home turf: Mount Pleasant by way of the Czech Republic.
Claim to fame: Top competitor in grueling endurance motorcycle races including the Dakar Rally.
Day job: Owner of Parrot Surf & Skate.
Why he rides: “Riding motorcycles is the only time when I can completely forget about work and emails and phone calls. When I ride, I stay completely focused.”
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For two grueling weeks, motorcycle racer Petr Angelo Vlcek had managed to survive the punishing 5,000-mile Dakar Rally route through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. Piloting his KTM 450 through the backcountry at speeds sometimes exceeding 100 mph, he was working hard to finish the most challenging motorcycle race in the world.
Then, less than three miles from the finish line, his luck ran out.
Vlcek lost control of his bike and crashed, leaving him with several torn shoulder ligaments and a fractured leg. In considerable pain, but undeterred, Vlcek righted his bike, climbed aboard and, with only one working hand on the handlebars, finished the 2018 race.
Vlcek has completed a total of four Dakar Rally events, the most recent of which was in February 2020 in Saudi Arabia. In that rally, Vlcek raced in a special division where competitors ride without any outside support. They are, quite simply, on their own.
“The Dakar Rally is a massive challenge,” he says. “It is something not to prove yourself, but to challenge yourself—to see if you can make it.”
Vlcek moved to the United States at age 20, and today—married and with two children—owns a surfing and skate shop in Mount Pleasant. “I love surfing,” he says. “But I am definitely a better motorcycle rider than I am a surfer.”
A relative latecomer to international endurance racing, Vlcek did not start riding motorcycles until his mid-30s. Now, after competing in four of the biggest events, he’s contemplating his future racing options, but would like to compete in at least one more Dakar Rally. Rumor has it the 2021 race will wind through Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, he says.
“What could be better than finishing near the pyramids on your race bike?”