STEFAN GARLICKI
PRO MOUNTAIN BIKER
CONTENT CREATOR
ICONS UNCOVERED
PODCAST
CONVERSATIONS WITH ICONIC ATHLETES
NEW EPISODES EVERY WEEK
ABOUT
BIO
He raced motocross from 1999 until 2009 and then dabbled in 4X and BMX racing before switching to downhill in 2010. He finished 5th overall in the South African downhill Championships in his first attempt and this changed His focus.
2011 saw him head to Europe and live in a van for 6 months with friend and competitor, Johann Potgieter. It was a learning year in which the was getting 2nd place at a German IXS Cup in Illmenau against 500+ riders. He landed a spot on a the Canfield Bros race team for 2012 but an injury cut the season short. 2013 and 2014 were up and down but things changed in 2015. He went on a 2 year winning streak including 2 national championships, multiple SA events, 2 international IXS cups in Germany as well as numerous podiums along the way.
2017 was the breakthrough year he was working for at world cup level. He smashed his personal best by placing 21st at the final round in Val Di Sole, Italy! He finished 54th in the overall world cup ranking.
In 2018 and 2019 Stefan unfortunately had 2 serious injuries which resulted in 2 broken hips and more than a year on the sidelines.
2020-2023 were rebuilding years for Stef. The highlights were a podium at IXS Dirt Masters and 3 national champs podiums. He was dealing with chronic pain after the broken hips which lead to complete hip replacement in 2022.
2024 saw Stef back on top form, winning the South African national championship again for the first time since 2016! This was Stef's final race season.
STATS
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
- 3 X SA NATIONAL CHAMPION ( 2015 / 2016 / 2024 )
- 6 X SA NATIONAL CUP WINS
- 2022 SA NATIONAL CUP SERIES CHAMPION
- UCI WORLD CUP: 21ST (VAL DI SOLE, 2017)
- CONTINENTAL CHAMPS: 2ND (LESOTHO, 2016)
- IXS EUROPEAN CUP: 4TH (SCHLADMING, 2017)
- IXS CUP: 2 X WINS ( ILMENAU, 2016 & TABARZ, 2017 )
- SA NATIONAL TEAM MEMBER 7 TIMES