| The first training week in Spain was mainly to improve riding skills, during this second period it was all about speed. The trainers, led by KNMV head coach Marcel Hartman, imitated race elements such as qualifying sessions and duels on the track.
Marcel Hartman:
“We practiced some scenarios such as duels under pressure by riding short races. Overtaking and being overtaken are part of these exercises. The riders put in some long runs as well to improve their endurance for the real races. We’ve had good conditions overall but also had some rainy days. That gave us the opportunity to practise in the mud as well. Circumstances we will surely encounter during this season.”
Wannes Van De Voorde was treated by a physiotherapist because of his broken collarbone. Thanks to these treatments he was able to join the other riders on track during the last two days and could get some valuable track time.
The MXGP Rookies enter the final few weeks at the High Performance Center Papendal. The young talents will have some physical training in order to improve their strength before the first few races of the year. The riders will have their first official races in March in The Netherlands. Therefore they will visit some sand tracks and get ready for some tough races. After these national races the Rookies will visit foreign tracks in order to get ready for the European Championship.
Beside the physical and motocross training the MXGP Rookies will have additional workshops with sport psychologists and nutritionists and will also get a social media workshop. All the riders will be tested in a few weeks’ time in order to monitor their improvement.
Pic: Martin Plesnik |
