DISTRIBUTOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT

I am Jaroslav Štefánik (known as Jaro), and I am the CEO of MERIDA for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

I originally contacted MERIDA (by fax!) to see if I could go into business with them. I went to Merida Europe in Germany to meet with them in December 1990 and then bought my first two MERIDA bikes, and that was the start of my business. MERIDA was not sold in Czechoslovakia at that time and mountain biking was very new in the cycling world back then. The business was initially located in Banska Bystrica (now Slovakia). After Czechoslovakia was divided into two countries in 1993 (into the Czech Republic and Slovakia), I established the company in Czech as a distributor for Czech Republic. We have 13 people working in the Czech office and a slightly smaller team in Slovakia; this is because the Czech Republic is twice as populated as Slovakia. 

Having a love for cycling definitely helps me in running the business; my knowledge and love of the sport has helped me when selling bikes. Studying at a technical university has also been invaluable in understanding the technical aspects of the bike industry. 

When Czechoslovakia was divided in 1993, the Slovakian office was located in Banská Bystrica, the city where I live. For MERIDA to be represented and sold in the ‘new’ Czech Republic, we established a company with a business partner who had to be a resident there. The person I went into partnership with lived near Brno so that is why we set up the distributorship in that area. The other reason is that Brno has close connections to the cycling and racing world and is also a very suitable location geographically for our distributorship.

I think people are proud to work for MERIDA as the brand is so well known in Slovakia. They love the bikes and cycling and stay working with us as it is a stable job for them with a secure salary and a nice environment to work in. Also, because people generally work here for a long time, they form strong relationships with their colleagues.

We are very much a family-run business as my son Rado has worked with me in the Slovakia office for 13 years (we will be releasing his interview in the future), and my daughter Zuzana and her husband Peter work at the Czech office (please read his interview in the news section). 

In the past, we used to organise a summer event which brought the employees from the two companies together; it was usually in a National Park called Slovenský raj (Slovak Paradise). This helped build relationships between employees from the two companies. However, this became more logistically difficult to organise, especially with the Covid pandemic, but are working on re-instating this again in the future.

In 35 years, I have seen many! Initially, there were just three or four mountain bike models with aluminium tubes and steel forks (at the time our competitors had steel frames), a few road bikes and a few crossway bikes. In 1993, we had our first carbon frame, we had a few models for each bike category, so 25 bikes in our whole range. Twenty years later, we had over 200 models, and the range has continued to expand. So, I have seen the increase in what we can offer our customers across all ranges, sizes of bikes and colour choices. 

At the factory in Taiwan, they had the first robot on the production line in 1996, so MERIDA is a very progressive company. It is the constant strive for improvement from our team at MIC (MERIDA INDUSTRY CO., LTD. In Taiwan) and the regular exchange of ideas with our colleagues in Taiwan has helped to make the MERIDA brand what it is today. 

A little bit closer to home and another big change was when MERIDA changed distributorships in Germany and became part of MCG (MERIDA & Centurion Germany) in 2000. Alongside that, the German-based Research and Development team was established, with Jürgen Falke running the product development. He was a fundamental part of the MERIDA family as he introduced new ideas into the product side of the business and was receptive to ideas from distributors. He was also a good friend of mine and we miss him greatly (Jürgen passed away in 2024). 

Finally, MERIDA professional racing teams have also, of course, had a significant impact on our image, from the initial Lampre MERIDA team through to the Bahrain McClaren and now Bahrain Victorious teams.

When I started 35 years ago, there were fewer bike companies, and MERIDA was seen in my country as a very high-quality but value-for-money brand. Obviously, things change over time and more companies came onto the market and became stronger. For a long time, we were the biggest distributor of high-end bikes in Czech Republic and Slovakia, but this changed slightly with new players coming into the market. However, since Peter joined the company in 2018, despite having the Covid pandemic to navigate, he has made a huge difference to our profile in Czech Republic. He has done this through projects such as our collaboration with the social media influencer ‘Trail Hunter’, who is one of the best-known mountain bike YouTube personalities in the Czech Republic. This has brought us brand recognition to a larger audience, especially within the gravity bike fraternity. 

I would say our strongest markets are road and gravel, but there are new markets emerging for us which we are working on. For example, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have seen a change in climate which has meant the ski season is much shorter now, the resorts need to make money at other times in the year and this has resulted in the development of many bike parks. Peter is collaborating with PEKLAK bike park (we will hear more about this in his interview), and I am in discussion with a very famous Slovakian ski resort near our distribution centre who would also like to build a big and very complex bike park. For us this model is not so much about selling bikes like the ONE-SIXTY at the park but providing rental bikes for people to try them. Often people are keen to try something new or different when they visit the parks to ride the bikes in the kind of challenging environment they are intended for, especially e-bikes. With the development of the ONE-SIXTY and other ‘cool’ bikes in MERIDA’s range we are now in the game, but of course, we have further to go.

My all-time favourite MERIDA bike is from the current range; as I am a road rider, it is, of course, the REACTO. Its performance as an aero bike is outstanding, it has excellent design features, and of course it looks really good. My favourite from previous ranges would have to be the NINETY-SIX. It is such a fast and efficient bike and handles the trails I like riding beautifully. (Jaro took us for a ride during our visit where he rode his NINETY-SIX and we clocked him doing 55 km/h down a loose gravel track with sharp bends and gorge on either side, needless to say his passion for racing is still strong).

Cycling is the main hobby for most people in both countries, so bikes are generally used for sport or leisure, rather than commuting. Few people commute as we don’t have the infrastructure in place. The MTB and Crossway were really popular, but their popularity has now reduced due to more people using gravel bikes like the SILEX for all their riding needs. 

I am a road racer; I started riding in a cycling club in my hometown and continued when at a technical university in Bratislava and afterwards when I remained working at the university. I was also in a cycling club at the electronics factory. I was never at a professional level, I was an amateur racer, but it has always been my passion. I still train regularly now, and occasionally, I compete in races; a few years ago, I was Slovak national champion in the Master’s category. I love the challenge of climbing up through mountain passes and then tackling the technical descents. 

I like to listen to music and read books and magazines. I am interested in history, mostly about ancient civilisations, I have collected a lot of books on the subject. I am also what you could call an ‘audiophile’, I am interested in the quality of sound produced by speakers and love the technical challenge of designing and building speakers. As a former electronic engineer, I understand the fine details, which helps me when developing these high-quality loudspeakers. I have been doing this for several years and am always working on new and exciting projects. 

Slovakia has many caves, including the Aragonite ice cave, we have more castles than you could wish for, not to mention beautiful historic old towns with stunning architecture. The capital, Bratislava, is a must; it is much smaller than Prague but equally worth seeing. However, I would say the best thing is the National Parks – my favourite is Slovenský raj (Slovak Paradise) where you can hike through gorges with cascading waterfalls and steep wooded valleys and be completely at one with nature. 

If you had asked me a few years ago, when I was a little younger, I would have said Central and South America as I would have liked to have explored the monuments of ancient American civilisations on my bike. However, for me now, I just love riding in Slovakia as there are still lots of places I have not explored yet – there really is no place like home!

The bike industry is full of friendly and open people who love cycling and being outside. Often, people in the industry are able to combine their love of cycling with their work, so they are passionate about what they do, which makes it a lovely industry to work in. There is also the ever-evolving development of technology in the design of the bikes, which keeps things interesting and fluid. So, I would always recommend it as a career path, and both my children have taken my advice in this respect!

Once again, we are walking away in ore after our lengthy conversation with someone who has shaped the cycling industry in their country. With over 35 years of experience and a strong team behind him, Jaro has undoubtedly established MERIDA as a formidable presence in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. These two countries have a long history of cycling, and the important role that bicycles play is evident when you see large groups of riders out in the countryside enjoying the breathtaking scenery from the back of their bikes. Jaro has established MERIDA as a strong player, and after talking to him, we got the impression that this is only the beginning. However, as always, one person cannot do it alone. It is the team behind the man that turns plans into reality. In Jaro’s case, it is very much his family that makes things happen. In our next interview, we sit down with Peter Ilavský, the managing director of MERIDA Czech. Join us in the NEWS section to find out how Peter is bringing his new — and sometimes unconventional — ideas to a country full of cycling passion.