Aleix Espargaró is one of those special cases that populate a MotoGP starting grid made up of strong characters, with all due respect to Jorge Lorenzo who finds that all this lacks animosity. The Aprilia official has ideas on everything and above all ideas, and his positions are rarely nuanced. Some would even say rarely rational. But he assumes responsibility and likes to act as sentinel, including on the comments read on his social network which he follows very closely. With this latest release, he confirms his position out of step with his peers. So, if they see the title of MotoGP World Champion as the Holy Grail, he instead has a small bike in his head. Literally !
Aleix Espargaró was one of the first to promise that the 2022 season which begins next weekend in Qatar will be the most difficult in history. Due to its length and the very close level of the opposing values. He also knows that this vintage must be the best ever experienced in terms of its colors Aprilia who this time line up a high-level RS-GP, with Maverick Vinales full time in the box. The 32-year-old Spaniard, the second oldest in the field behind Andrea Dovizioso, 35 years old, will face all these imperatives and he has prepared hard for it. By cycling first and foremost…
Precisely, this bike… It is an equally devouring passion for the older brother of Pol, so much so that in Malaysia, the little queen made him defy the restrictive rules of the health bubble in effect during offseason testing. For Aleix, not cycling hundreds of kilometers in a day is something inconceivable.
But where did this all-consuming interest come from? From an injury in a Grand Prix… He explains on Motosan : " In 2014 or 2013, I was seriously injured in an accident. I split three vertebrae and exploded a spinal disc. My training pyramid was running. I had done half marathons, I really loved running and at that time the doctors told me that impact sports were over, that my back was going to hurt a lot and that I should try cycling ».
Aleix Espargaro: “my dream is to be a professional cyclist”
From this advice was born this love story with the little queen: “ cycling is like a way of life and it's very addictive ", admitted the official Aprilia who confesses: “ I'm crazy about cycling ". And it's not much saying : " it's the worst drug in the world. The more you ride, the more you want ". So much so that he admits to having been on the verge of leaving MotoGP to take up professional cycling. “ Yes, I was very close to being part of a professional cycling team. I had a lot of frustration inside me, and there was always this little voice of cycling ».
« Everything happened because at Aprilia everything didn't work the way I wanted and expected ", remember Aleix Espargaro. " They weren't improving the bike and I had a lot of frustration inside me. And there was always this little voice of cycling. And thanks to all the friends I have in Andorra, the possibility presented itself. I spoke with Patxi Vila, with Eusebio Unzué and before the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya I met them and even did a field test with them. We were very close, very close, but ultimately we failed to finalize and we decided to postpone “, he admitted.
This first failed attempt to become a professional cyclist, however, did not dampen his motivation. So much so thatI will espargaro is clear : " I don't care if I don't win the MotoGP world championship. I would really like to realize my dream, which is to be a cyclist and participate in the World Tour. I don't know, I'm 32, I don't know what could happen in the not too distant future. It's never too late “, he concluded. If Aleix Espargaró is eyeing a transfer market, it may not be what you think.
