Alex Canales is one of the riders with the greatest projection in the Trial 2 World Championship, having obtained three podiums in this 125 category in 2020. This season, the young rider after taking victory last year in TR2 has decided to take action by moving up to the top category of the Spanish Championship thus competing with the highest level riders.
First CET debut test
This weekend in Arteixo the first round of the Spanish Championship took place and Canales made his debut in TR1 , which for him was “exciting and great”. The rider felt a great emotion for this race where he achieved an eighth position But he has also had his difficulties since, as he comments “on Saturday I opened sections but I was aware of it, so I was very mentally focused on doing my trial and learning from the category, for the next day, I was very tired on the second lap due to the accumulation of effort of the two days and I could not ride well which was reflected in the final result”.
The rider made the decision to change categories because, last season he won in TR2 so “my head was already asking me to be able to move up to TR1”. Canales decided to make the step at the end of the seasons where he managed to get 4 consecutive victories in the last races of the Spanish Championship, “that gave me a plus of confidence in being able to jump to TR1, I talked about it with the brand and they didn’t give me any but, I think they also saw me prepared, so they accepted” he explains.
"After last year's victory in TR2 my head was already asking me to move up to TR1"
What are the areas like?
The level of TR1 is high, there are riders like Adam Raga, Jaime Busto and Gabriel Marcelli who have a very high level and a lot of experience in the type of the National areas. The sections are demanding and tricky and “ask you to give your best as a driver,” explains Alex.
How is the preparation of a rider to compete in the highest category?
It is clear that the top category of the Spanish Championship is very demanding in every way. On a physical level, the areas are very hard and on a mental level you have to be prepared. Canales explains that to face the season, he did a good training session in the pre-season, where he trained, among other things, on wet terrain since, he did not feel comfortable in them, all this, has been possible thanks to the collaboration of his new backpacker Joan Rovira, “in winter I have been training a lot and I think I have made a leap in level although there are still details to be polished” he comments. Canales has especially focused on time management within very long areas and also on higher, more technical rungs. Also on a physical level, the young rider has demanded more in his training in the gym, even Alex explains that “I lack a little at the end of the race, in TR1 because of the sensations I have seen this past weekend”.
It’s possible for a rookie driver to make a podium finish in TR1
According to Canales, it’s complicated but not impossible. He explains that “my goal this year in the national is to be in the top 5, but although I see it as difficult, victory is not impossible”.
To compete in the top category, the bike cannot be standard
In this case the answer is no, as Canales comments, he has adapted his Sherco to his liking but has not made any significant changes to change category. “I focused more on the rear of the bike to get a good feeling with the suspension and little else, as standard it is a winning bike and 100% competitive,” he says.
Canales goals for this season in Trial 2
Alex Canales this season is ready to get the victory in the Trial 2 category of the world championship, although he comments that to reach his goal he has to be more consistent during all the races and be effective on all types of terrain. Canales, who made his debut in the category last year, says that “I learned a lot about how to manage races and the NonStop regulations.”
Another clear objective that the rider sees is to learn from the top category of the CET in order to achieve a “top 5”.
