It all started before I was even born. My father, who was just over 16 years old, enjoyed his 50 cc motorcycle participating in the “gymkhanas” that were called at that time. The one who managed to make the longest wheelie or turn around in a truck trailer was the winner.
Later, with a whole family behind him, my father would buy an air-cooled Gas Gas. From then on he started going out every Saturday with his friends until he decided to buy me my first motorcycleOf course, first I had to get some exemplary notes, and that’s how I accompanied them on every outing.
At the beginning I suffered every weekend I went out with this group of people, but little by little I evolved and we decided to dedicate ourselves exclusively to trial as a discipline, that is, every day we went out we marked areas and tried to improve them.
Then I started competing, my first race is an unforgettable memory, 2002 on the outskirts of Burgos, a rainy and very cold day. As a good novice, I made some good slips in the areas. Even so, I didn’t do too badly and even though I had a bike that didn’t seem to have suspensions as stiff as they were, in the end I was 5th.
From then on everything evolved, I improved more and more and got better results which made my father and I go little by little to more races and take it more seriously. What had started as a simple Sunday hobby was gradually becoming something almost professional, but never leaving aside my studies, something that has always been a priority in my family.
PILOT PROFILE
DOB: 26-08-1991
Place: Ponferrada
First bike: Mecatecno 50
Hobbies: Sport in general
Most Admired Pilot: Albert Cabestany
Favorite video game: I don’t really like video games
Bike you use: sherco 2011
What you like most about trial: meeting people from all over the world with the same hobby.
What you like the least: It’s a sport in which very few people know things as they are
A dream: everyone’s dream, I suppose, to be world champion
INTERVIEW
TRIALWORLD:
How does it feel to be the first leader of the 2011 Nationals?
MARCOS MENDEZ: At the beginning, in zone 1 there was an impressive queue, where I lost almost 45 minutes. Then I got to zone 5 and 6 very quickly, almost without looking at them, just with what I remembered the day before. I got queues again in zones 7 and 8, but after that everything was more fluid. At first it was quite cold, but then I loosened up a bit more, so I was able to tune well. This year the score of the Openfree has changed somewhat, favoring the pilots to take risks. I feel very happy for this victory, in the end I have been interviewed in different media and well, the feeling is great. In Ibiza I will approach the race with the same mentality, regardless of the circumstances.
TW: Tell us about your plans for 2011…
MM: Well, I’ll try to get a podium in the Tr2 final, it’s something complicated because it’s always been a very competitive category and in which you have to train very hard and constantly, although… The main thing, I think, is to pass all of them this course just like I did the previous one.
TW: How do you organize yourself to reconcile training and studies?
MM: Well, it’s getting harder and harder, with the passage of time everything becomes more difficult; It costs more to improve and it costs more to pass. At the moment I’m doing well but I have to organize myself very well. I usually get up early and study from 8.30 to 11.30, on days when I don’t have much work I go to train at that time or do physical training (gym or jogging). Then po
In the afternoon I’m leaving for class.
TW: Tell us what your training is like during a normal week of class and what it’s like in another week when there’s a race on the weekend.
MM: Well, on any given week, I usually train 3 or even 4 days a week. When I have a race I try to train as much as possible, although I can’t always, since sometimes the races coincide with exams.
TW: Is it necessary to complement motorcycle training with physical preparation or is it not so important at your age?
MM: My opinion is that good physical preparation is elementary, trial is a very complete sport and not only do you need good aerobic endurance but muscles are also a very important element. Practicing other sports helps you a lot, cycling, jogging…
TW: Where do you think is the key and the difference between a young guy who starts doing trials to have fun and another who wants to be a professional?
MM: The main difference is that someone who wants to be a professional has to train not only when they feel like it, if you want to succeed in this sport you must train at least 4 hours a day on the bike plus then another 2 hours of physical preparation. Those who take it as a hobby don’t need to be living for trial and if things don’t work out for them they won’t have big problems.
TW: What do you like most about racing?
MM: Maybe you see your friends, people you only see at races. It is usually a good atmosphere although sometimes excessive competitiveness stains this aspect, everything depends on the person; how he and those around him take it
TW: Anything that doesn’t convince you?
MM: Sometimes they are formed as groups depending on the brand, the motorcycle club or your way of thinking. I think this is something totally absurd since criticizing or pitting each other against each other is something that does not bring good consequences for trial.
TW: Would you like to dedicate yourself professionally to Trial or do you think it is a good springboard to do other off-road specialties? See Mario Román…
I think trial benefits you a lot in sports like enduro, but for me trial is my favorite
TW: What do you think of the regulation? Do you think it favors the arrival of young promises?
MM: I think the open free regulation and the idea of implementing non-stop are the two most absurd things so far. This type of regulation would be fine for a race with friends, having fun and having a laugh, but in a Spanish championship it is certainly not right at all. This year this regulation seems to have improved a bit but I still prefer the old system, yes, with a hard type of marking.
TW: Do you do a lot of media to stand out in Trial or does the skill of the rider and his perseverance in training count more?
MM: Man, everything is linked, it is clear that those who have good means will have more chances of succeeding in any sport, anyway if you are very good and bet at the beginning with time you will achieve success.
TW: Finally, tell us where you would like to go in the world of Trial and in what timeframe you would like to achieve it.
MM: Well, maybe it’s being among the top 10 in the whole world, I don’t set myself any deadline since it’s something very difficult to have to combine it with my studies, what’s more, it could be almost a dream…
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