On Track Off Road No.184

Can you give an example of something
you wanted to work on through the winter
with a view to fighting the KTMs?
It is difficult to be precise with something
like this…a few people will say that the
sand races were difficult but in the same
way I want to modify this perception of
me because it is not true. I was second
in Ottobiano and two years ago I won the
GP in Assen. A sand race is just ‘another’
Grand Prix and, as a rider, the same way
to work and feel has to come together. In
Lommel I was a small setting ‘off’ with
the bike and you quickly lose a few positions
because of something like that. But
coming back to the question…we have a
new bike this year and I think it can help
me in a few moments [during a race]. I
think that is already important. From my
side I made some small changes with
physical preparation, some more details
with nutrition and we’ve had some
help to look at things closely. Overall I’m
pleased to see how this might help with
improvement. I already take good care
about my diet but this is going more
‘into’ what I am doing and eating: I think
it can help a little with the feeling on a
bad day. Sometimes you wake up and
you feel that it will be a hard GP and over
the course of twenty races it is important
to try and feel you best when it counts. I
am also trying to sleep a bit better with
some techniques. I’m a really active guy
and sometimes it is difficult to relax.
As a professional athlete it is interesting
for you to see or many find out how others
have done their preparation? There
is the battle on the track, with the bikes
and then with the individual ideas and
approaches…
Yeah, sure. It’s nice. At the first race you
think ‘where am I?’ in comparison with
the others. In the end, with experience,