A big obstacle for riders leaving the
USA and going to Europe (and viceversa) is dealing with relocation and
finding the right place to live. Belgium
is the ideal place to be based for a
World Motocross Championship, and
that’s exactly where Ryan will build
his camp for the 2015 season. “I will
have a set-up in Lommel, North East
Belgium for the most part,” explains
Ryan.
One of RV2’s assets that unfortunately
won’t be joining him in Europe, is
his world class trainer Aldon Baker,
whose commitments in the US meant
he would not be able to spend the full
season in Europe. Ryan will however
keep in contact with Aldon remotely
throughout the season. “Aldon and
I will have regular Skype meetings
during the week to help prepare from
race to race,” Ryan tells us. “He will fly
over and attend a few MXGP’s later in
the year as well.”
When it comes to MXGP training,
Ryan will be in full focus, but won’t
be making any major changes to his
regular AMA training schedule. “I am
doing the same preparation as I would
for any series,” he explains. “This
move to the MXGP is very serious for
me. I want to win the World Title.”
Another big challenge facing any rider
making the move to Europe from the
USA, is the difference in track styles.
RV2 sounded confident he had enough
time to train in Europe, practicing in
the sand and adapting to the new
circuits both leading up to the first gate
drop and from round to round once the
season has kicked off. “On the MXGP
series you get to ride the circuit on the
Saturday before the race on Sunday
and that will help a ton to understand
the tracks.” He tells us. “It’s like the
old school Outdoors in America where
riders get two days to figure out the
track.”
Ryan seems prepared for the demands
of an MXGP season, yet excited about
the change of scene and his new
opportunity to see more of the world.
“All the traveling will take the biggest
toll on me. Whenever I’m abroad I
always really enjoy trying new food
and meeting new people. I am really
looking forward to visiting all the
different countries throughout the
series.” u
90 | FreestyleXtreme.com
£ Villopoto battling in
Thailand