The Oscar winner who rode to the carpet

Back in 1990, instead of arriving at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in a limousine, two time Oscar winning filmmaker Miloš Forman and costume designer Theodor Pištěk arrived by bicycle after riding all the way from France.

It wasn't about making a statement, but simply about freedom, adventure, and choosing the journey over the easier way.

Every year, we ride to Karlovy Vary to honor that spirit.

For those of you meeting us from further away, KVIFF is the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, one of the oldest film festivals in the world and the biggest one in Central and Eastern Europe. Filmmakers, actors and audiences travel from everywhere to be part of it. For us, it is not just an event we watch from the sidelines. Culture sits at the center of who we are as a brand, and this ride is our way of taking part in it.

The ride itself is just under 160 km, from Prague to Karlovy Vary, through some of the most beautiful countryside in Czechia. It winds through open nature and over hills that make you earn every kilometer before the city finally appears below you.

And the golden cherry on top is the photo on the red carpet, the same carpet walked over the years by names like Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Julianne Moore, Russell Crowe, and Dustin Hoffman.

This ride has become our own tradition too. We have been riding it for 11 years now, and we would love for you to be part of it, even from a distance. This year, we would like to share the route with you, so you can try the ride for yourself.

If you want to feel closer to the ride, download the route and take it on whenever you're ready.