In spite of the bad weather, the tough Home Mountain Bike Cup took place on the Vitosha Mountain in October. This was the fourth, penultimate round of the Bulgarian downhill series. Biker from Sevlievo Stivian Gatev passed the 2-kilometer long mountain trail for a time of 2 minutes and 38 seconds. "Competition was fierce. There are some very good bikers in Bulgaria but the efforts I put during the year in my training paid off with the first place I won,” said in an interview for Radio Bulgaria Stivian Gatev or Stevie, as his friends call him. Here's what the athlete told us about his career:

"It all started back in the autumn of 2004, when me and my father came for a weekend in Sofia. There was a downhill mountain bike race then on the slopes of Vitosha Mountain and we decided to go see it. I liked very much what I saw and that same winter I started assembling my first bike, which was ready by the spring. My first competition was in 2007 - near the town of Sopot."

According to Stevie, Bulgaria has a lot of potential for development of mountain biking. He says the trails in the resort of Borovets in Rila Mountain are particularly interesting as they contain a variety of elements such as jumps, kickers, high- speed and more technical sections. Stivian told us that currently he uses a new prototype bicycle with 27.5- inch rims. "Yes, indeed, ordinary mountain bike rims are usually 26-inches, but this new standard has been gaining popularity recently. I was given this bike to test it and I have participated in four or five competitions so far.”

It is known that high speed increases adrenaline. Does it make bikers take more risks?

"Sometimes, yes but I generally avoid taking risks because this can lead to injuries and it is not good when this happens during the season. I am trying to ride on the edge of my abilities and not to make mistakes.”

In order to keep in good shape, Stevie relies not only on cycling but also on thorough physical training, which makes him feel more confident on the trail. He told us more about the highest speed he has achieved so far:

"It was about 58-60 km/h on rugged terrain with stones, tree roots, etc. Otherwise, the average speed on some routes reaches 38-40 kilometres per hour. It depends on the terrain.“

We asked Stevie what was his craziest ride that he would always remember.

"Perhaps, my craziest ride took place this year in Borovets. I was first among the Bulgarians and second in the overall rankings after a rider from Greece. The weather was good but at the final just before the last 10 people it started to rain. I did not have time to change tyres but I managed to reach the final alive, placing second. "

On November 7 and 8, 2015, the fifth round of the Bulgarian mountain bike downhill series Kongur AIR DH will take place in Petrich, Southwestern Bulgaria and we'll keep our fingers crossed for Stevie!

English: Alexander Markov

Photos: Todor Todorov