This week we have invited Andreu Codina to the Chester of TrialWorld. Codina dedicated more than 40 years to the world of trial, first on a bike and then on a motorcycle. In the interview we talked about how trial has evolved.
Andreu Codina practiced trial cycling (trialsin) and like Jordi Tarres, he decided to make the leap to the motorcycle. During his time as a rider he managed to win the Trial of Nations.
The first contract he signed was with a big brand, Montesa, at the age of 15, in 1980, where he was paid 25,000 pesetas a month, which today would be 150.25 euros. The contract also included the loan of a Montesa Cota 200, the former rider has commented that “I didn’t believe that in my first contract there was a trial bike because when I was 8 years old I asked my father to buy me a Montesa Cota 49, he told me that I had to go to work every summer with him as a bricklayer.”
PIONEER IN THE TRIAL BIKE
Andreu started in the world of trials practicing trial without, that is, trial on a bicycle. As he explained to us, he was already a motorcycle enthusiast when he was cycling and for this reason when the great riders of the time had to do mechanical tests, he would meet with the mechanics of the Montesa competition department so that when the riders finished the tests they would leave him a motorcycle. He said that Manuel Soler always helped him, left him the bike and explained techniques.
END OF THE BIKE STAGE, START WITH THE BIKE
In 1983, the rider retired from the Trialsin modality and Montesa gave him the opportunity to backpack to Toni Gorgot where he explains that “My mission was to pass the sections in front of Toni with the line and the gear that he asked me to so that I could see the reaction of the bike since we had the same one”.
Later, in 1987, Codina signed for GASGAS, which at that time was an emerging brand. In 1991 the former rider became the manager of GASGAS and was also its sales director.
"Everything has changed a lot in the world of trial. Before, the trial bike was a vehicle that allowed you to go and discover nature, adventure was valued. Nowadays trial is more specific to areas and zones, with a great evolution in riding technique."
THE EVOLUTION OF TRIAL, ACCORDING TO ANDREU CODINA
The veteran explained that trial has made a very clear evolution because “Now it’s not like before when you left home with your motorbike, you went on trails, excursions, etc. Now everything has become much more specific with trial areas, very renewed bikes that use very little fuel that don’t allow you to do long routes.”
Codina believes that trial has evolved so much that nowadays “it is a long way from reaching levels like Toni Bou’s, before trial was more human”. He thinks that practicing trials is very interesting and that’s why he believes that classic motorcycle competitions work so well because they are races that everyone can access. He has also assumed that “today’s youth are more prepared to practice extreme sports”.
With regard to the new Electric Trial Motorcyclesthe Electric Motion, Andreu Codina commented that “They have surprised me a lot but the only fault I see in them is that you can only move through a very small area since they do not have capacity for more, it is difficult to make a 50-kilometer route”.
Borja Conejos and Andreu Codina meeting
To end the interview, Trialworld has brought a small surprise to the guest: the presence of Borja Conejos, UCI Trials World Champion 2021.
Andreu Codina explained to the young rider that “I dedicated myself to Trialsin or Biketrial as it is called now because I wanted to dedicate myself to the motorcycle but there was no possibility”.
In the interview that you can see on video, other very interesting debates about the trial bike and its evolution are opened.
