Offseason update: How the stars of MotoGP are spending their holidays
There’s little time to rest for the riders of the premier class, everyone wanting to be fully mentally and physically fit for the first major test of the 2016 season in February at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia.
2015 MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo will be one of the riders getting the least rest during the holiday months as his calendar remains full of sponsor events almost without break. Lorenzo has visited Madrid, Barcelona and Slovenia in the past few weeks to fulfill various commitments. It is not until a few days before Christmas that he will be able to return to his home of Mallorca where he will get a chance to spend time with family. Between commitment and compromise, Lorenzo has decided to take a small island break in the first week of January for some sun.
Meanwhile, Valentino Rossi has already begun to recharge his batteries, the Italian choosing to holiday in Mexico with his partner. But his time away from bikes didn’t last long and he was soon back in Tavullia training at his flat track ranch. A fan of the mountains, Rossi plans to take to the slopes to continue a combination of training and relaxing.
Marquez will spend Christmas between his home of Cervera and the cold of the Andorra Mountains. At home he will rest with his brother, Alex Marquez, and his family until early January. Then the eldest Marquez will start his preseason training with cycling and motorcrossing, with frequent visits to the ski slopes of Andorra for various winter sports.
His teammate, Dani Pedrosa, has no grand plans and has chosen to remain in Switzerland, where he lives. In the Swiss Alps he will enjoy some skiing and relaxing at home.
Ducati teammates Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone will spend Christmas in Italy at their respective homes. The two will then head to the United States, but separately. Dovizioso will travel to California for a couple of weeks to enjoy the warm temperatures of the coast and practice motocross. Meanwhile, Iannone will leave his home in Vasto to spend New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas before returning to training.
Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales were amongst the first to swap their bikes for beaches as the holidays got underway. Espargaro spent a few days in the Maldives while rookie Viñales was in the Bahamas before returning for a dinner with his fans in Roses.
The older of the Espargaros will spend Christmas with family and friends before returning to training and motocrossing, as well as riding enduro and flat track. Living in Andorra, Aleix is not only able to cycle with ease, but also go hiking and snowshoeing with his dogs to add an element of fun to training.
As for Viñales, he plans to spend his holidays in Italy with his partner Kiara Fontanesi, four times Motocross World Champion. The two will train hard to get ready for their respective championships. As has become tradition in recent years, Viñales will also head to Ruka, Lapland to enjoy snowmobiling and various winter sports.
Another enjoying the sun is Alvaro Bautista, the Spaniard hiding away in the Caribbean with his partner. In the summer he could not take a break due to an operation for compartmental syndrome, this getaway a much-needed pause. Christmas will be spent at home with his family. In January he will go to the snow for a few days and then onwards to the Canary Islands for training, as he has done previously.
Jack Miller quickly returned to Australia, spending a few days in Perth and participating in the Festival of Speed before enjoying a warm Australian Christmas with his family. On Dec. 26 he will return to Spain to begin preparations, the change of bike and team has Miller even more determined to maximize his fitness and training. This program will continue in Andorra in January as Miller prepares for his second year in the premier class.
Britain’s Bradley Smith will visit England, ski in Italy and train in Andorra where his cousin’s wedding will be held. In mid-January he will attend his team’s presentation in Barcelona before heading to Thailand for various sponsors before the Sepang test.
Danilo Petrucci will use the days of Christmas to rest in Terni, Italy and visit his family, as during the season there is little time to return home. He has yet to decide where he will go in early January, but is looking for heat. California seems a current front-runner, Petrucci enjoying motocross.
Both Scott Redding and Stefan Bradl are spending Christmas at home in their respective countries, before returning to training. Another rider using this time to return home is Yonny Hernandez, the Colombian visiting his family in Medellin. From there he will go to Florida where he will begin an intense training regime during January.
There are few riders who will have a more special Christmas than Eugene Laverty. The Irish rider celebrated his wedding just a few weeks ago in Ireland and then returned to Monaco. Apart from enjoying his time as a newlywed, Laverty is fully focused on recovering from the injuries he suffered after a late fall at the Jerez test. He knows he has to recover quickly, and is currently on track to make a full and speedy come back.
