24.10.2024
German rider Miká Heming, who lives in the Czech Republic, has renewed his contract with Tudor Pro Cycling for another year: ‘I'm very excited about the prospect of staying with the team for one more year. 2024 was the worst year of my cycling career, so 2025 can only be better. My dream is to take part in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, which I missed this year due to injury. My main objective is to give my best for my teammates, although what motivates me is winning’.
As a child, Miká began playing football before switching to triathlon, following in the footsteps of his cousins: ‘Triathlon requires a lot of training and that's what attracted me. After three years of swimming, running and cycling, Miká switched to cycling. ‘Training became very difficult, but I really liked cycling, and as other cousins were cyclists, I decided to devote myself entirely to the sport. I asked my uncle to be my coach. He eventually offered me the chance to take part in a few races. It was great fun, and I made rapid progress.’
'I felt that I could climb as well, so I looked for races that were hard enough for me to survive, before sprinting'
Right from the start, Miká liked sprinting: ‘I took part in crits and there were no mountains in my region, so the easiest way to win was to sprint, even though sprinting was different from what it is today (laughs). When I started taking part in longer races, I felt that I could climb as well, so I looked for races that were hard enough for me to survive, before sprinting’.
In 2018, after finishing high school, Miká was offered a place at a woodworking station, with the aim of studying architecture. That plan took on a different shape when a Conti team (Dauner D&DQ-Akkon) reached out to him for the following season, and he decided to fully embrace cycling at that point.
The 2020 Czech Tour marked a turning point in his life. ‘I wasn't really motivated to go and do this race, but now I'm glad I did! During the race, I met a girl who became my girlfriend, Emma. Since then, they've never left each other's side. At the end of 2021, he decided to settle permanently in Prague, where he also found a local team for the following year: ATT Investments. ‘I didn't speak the language, and I didn't know anyone, but I just wanted to race my bike. I was the first real foreigner in the team. The return to reality was quite difficult at first, but things improved afterwards.’
'I knew straight away that I wanted to join the Team’
In 2022, his last year as an U23, Miká sometimes had problems with motivation but, thanks to the support of his second family, he was able to achieve some good results: two stage wins at the Tour of Rhodes and the Carpathian Race, as well as a few podiums in stage races. His results were noticed by the future Tudor team, who were building the roster for the following year. ‘I was contacted by Marcel (Sieberg) in September, then by Raphi (Meyer) who called me after the Tour of Romania, where I won the youth classification. I knew straight away that I wanted to join the Team.’
His first year as a pro was a big step. “There were a lot of new experiences, like being at the start of a monument like Milan Sanremo. Already in the first year I got the chance to race for myself. It wasstressful but also motivating to know that some riders with more experience were working for me.”
2024 was a challenging year for Miká. A crash in Kuurne Brussel Kuurne, – his first time to the hospital by ambulance and his first real injury - was tough to recover from. After two weeks off the bike and a month out of competition, Miká came back to prove his shape and his character, which granted him one more year in the team.
Besides riding his bike, Miká has an artistic flair: “When I was younger, I used to draw a lot, and I liked comics”. After dropping his architecture dream, he started some studies in media design, which he abandoned due to his life always on the move, but which he appreciates: he loves taking photos and videos, and he will have time to enjoy this passion in a new country for few months.
Originally from Münsterland, Germany and expat in Prague, Miká has recently moved to Madrid, where his girlfriend is doing an Erasmus semester. “As a cyclist you get used to moving a lot. From hotel to hotel, you’re always on the move. I am happy to spend some months here in Spain, because my home is where Emma and our dog Lake are.”
