Stanislav Řezáč, a member of Team Slavia Pojišťovna Robinson Trentino, has received hundreds of questions about whether he plans to retire from competitive skiing. “The first ones started coming about fifteen years ago,” he laughs, as he approaches his 53rd birthday in a few days.

So, how does Stanislav Řezáč currently respond to questions about his career continuation? “I’ll see. I’d like to have a decision made by mid-May at the latest, as that’s when preparations for the new season should begin,” he says to Bezky.net.

In April, Řezáč brought back a significant dose of motivation to continue racing from Iceland, where he won a silver medal at the famous Fossavatnsgangan in the Ísafjördur region (Ski Classics Challengers – 50km classic), finishing only behind the renowned Andreas Nygaard from Team Ragde Charge.

Also Read: Nygaard and Velicer winners of Fossavatnsgangan 2026

Satisfaction with the result

“I was happy with the result, that’s for sure. I had never raced this event before, and it’s always an experience for me to go somewhere I haven’t been. There aren’t many such races left after all these years. The organizers prepared a perfect course through nature that looked absolutely stunning. The mountains were perfectly shaped and treeless, resulting in completely clean snow. Just two days before the race, I was worried that I wouldn’t even be able to ski in the classic style because the snow was too soft and my poles were sinking. But on race day, the weather was favorable, and the conditions turned out to be good. The snow had frozen, temperatures were around zero, there was a reasonable wind, and a blue sky. I really enjoyed it.”

Looking at the results list is also a great satisfaction for Řezáč.

“I beat competitors who had beaten me during the season. I’m glad the season ended positively. It’s definitely a boost for me. I’ve confirmed that when I’m healthy, I can still prepare well and be competitive.”

Health issues

Unfortunately, the phrase “when I’m healthy” did not apply to most of the 2025/2026 season for Stanislav Řezáč. Shortly after the new Slavia pojišťovna Robinson Trentino team was introduced (an international team formed by the merger of Slavia pojišťovna Sport Team and Team Robinson Trentino), the experienced racer suffered a stress fracture of a rib in early December. “I overdid it with training,” he admits candidly.

“I don’t make a living from skiing; I’m not a full-time professional anymore, and when you have other concerns, let’s face it, there’s often no time for proper recovery. Plus, I felt like I was doing well; I had trained a lot, especially during the preparation in Livigno. My form was improving, and I was looking forward to helping the team. But somehow, I crossed the line of what my body could handle and got injured. I knew it wasn’t good because I had had this injury before. Coincidentally, it has always happened to me after six years, and this time it was the third time,” he explains.

“Hopefully, I’ve gotten it out of my system; in another six years, I’ll be fifty-nine, and I probably won’t be in such a demanding situation then,” he laughs.

A stress fracture of the ribs occurs due to overexertion and manifests somewhat less obviously than a classic fracture. The most common symptoms include dull to sharp pain in a specific spot that worsens with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing.

“You don’t even realize any specific moment when you broke your rib, but gradually it completely sidelines you,” describes Stanislav Řezáč, adding, “that’s exactly what happened to me. I went from full training to zero. I couldn’t do anything for four weeks, then I tried with one pole for another two weeks, and after seven weeks, I managed to ski classic style, but I could only do the skating technique fully after eight weeks. My form dropped by sixty to seventy percent. It was as if someone sent me back to May.”

Change of plans

Did he consider retiring? “No. I thought about how to participate in the races I had in my contract. I wanted to race in the Jizerská50, after all, it’s a home race, but I wasn’t ready. So, I entered the Bedřichovská 30, where I finished fourth, which was the maximum I could achieve under the circumstances.”

In front of Řezáč (born in 1973) were: 3rd Petr Knop (1994), 2nd Christian Winkler (1996), and 1st Fabián Štoček (1994) – a teammate from Slavia pojišťovna Robinson Trentino. This illustrates how often the results list looks for him.

Řezáč didn’t compete fully at the Slavia pojišťovna Orlický Marathon either; he chose the shorter distance there as well. “I didn’t want to rush anything, but I also didn’t want to miss this race. It has a great atmosphere, an interesting, varied course, and a long history, so it’s good that it has remained on the calendar thanks to Slavia pojišťovna’s partnership.”

His second place at the Šumavský Marathon on the third Sunday of February (40 km in 2:15:37.1) already indicated a returning form. “I wanted to prepare well for the Vasaloppet, which I love,” he says regarding his twenty-eighth start at the famous race. At Vasaloppet, Stanislav Řezáč had the opportunity to be with the Slavia pojišťovna Robinson Trentino team together. “I didn’t know how my skis would perform, but especially the first half of the race was great, thanks to the work of the servicemen. In the second half, the conditions changed, and I was running out of strength. But I was satisfied with my final placement, even though I originally wanted to finish in the top fifty.” Stanislav Řezáč finished 57th, just 6:02.7 behind the winner Oskar Kardin from Lager 157 Ski Team.

Strong season finale

With part of March remaining to fine-tune his form, Řezáč decided to compete in the last two races of the Ski Classics Pro Tour series. And… “… I might have overdone it with training again. I was quite tired, and I probably should have skipped the Reistadløpet. Mainly, it’s a race better suited for lighter types of competitors due to the hills. So, on the second day at the Grand Finale Summit 2 Senja, I couldn’t manage better than 58th place.”

Nevertheless, Stanislav Řezáč and his teammates could enjoy a triumph at the end of the Ski Classics Season XVII – Slavia pojišťovna Robinson Trentino finished an impressive 6th out of 29 teams, with Bruno Debertolis being named the best team director of the season. “That’s a great result that we’re all proud of. Everything went well; the girls regularly collected points, and the guys did well too, where the competition in the starting field is even tougher. Simon Vouillet raced practically the entire season in the pink jersey of the best racer under 26, and Faboš (Fabián Štoček) also performed well, especially his 14th place in the Grand Finale was fantastic,” reflects Stanislav Řezáč on the team’s overall placement.

At the same time, he cannot help but comment on the Ski Classics series when looking back at the past season. “It will need some revitalization, more attractive formats, and adjustments to the calendar. There’s no reason to start so late; we could have four to six races in December, and there’s definitely no reason to skip the entire February.”

Whether the next season of Ski Classics will involve him is still uncertain for Stanislav Řezáč. “It’s not worth asking me now; I don’t have that answer yet. It depends on many variables. I’ll know more by mid-May.”

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